Yu-gi-oh Arc-V: Pendulum of Hope
by Gentyman
Summary: Many stories can have different outcomes, and Yuya's story is no different. What if, Yuya was not the main protagonist of Arc v. What if Yuto was? There will be some differences. Some minor. Some major. This will primarily focus on Yuto, Shun, and Ruri. However, some other characters might get at least one or two times to shine. (Chapters 1-67 currently under Reconstruction.)
1. A Different Path

**A Couple Months Ago**

"Ahhh." A girl screamed as she fell to the floor, after being beaten in a Duel.

"Alright, I won!" Her opponent exclaimed out of joy at winning.

Her opponent wore a yellow and white, knee-length dress that comes with white shoes. She also had pink eyes, long dark purple hair that extends past her lower back. Meanwhile, in the stands, there were two boys watching her.

"Shun, that girl is amazing." One boy said. He has grey eyes, hair that sweeps upward and to the right side of his head and black in the back and light purple in the front. He wore a black shirt under a black and cream-colored jacket.

"Yuto, that's my sister." The boy now known as Shun responded with a smile. Shun had blueish-black hair that falls to his chin, also sporting light green bangs that are shaped like a wing. He has yellow-green eyes and wore a dark grey shirt under a lighter shirt. He also had casual sneakers and dark jeans.

"I see!" Yuto exclaimed as he closed his eyes and smiled. But then he came to a realization.

"What?!" Yuto widened his eyes as he looked at the girl and back at Shun multiple times. Shun had once hinted of getting him to meet his sister. However, Shun's sister was away from home for a while when he met Shun, so he never got to see her.

"Hmm?" Shun frowned at Yuto, giving him a "isn't it obvious face."

* * *

 **Later-When Ruri leaves the Field-Heartland Duel Arena**

"Nice job!" Shun told his sister.

"Thanks, brother." She responded. Meanwhile, Yuto was looking at her in amazement. He was at a loss of words. He felt his heart pumping hard in his chest. He wanted to say something, but something about this girl, something, it just made him unable to speak. Thankfully, Shun had him covered.

"Oh yeah, I want you to meet my best friend. The one I keep telling you about. His name is Yuto." Shun introduced her sister to Yuto.

"Nice to meet you. My name Kurosaki Ruri." The girl now known as Ruri introduced herself politely with a smile present on her face. However, Yuto was still lost of words.

 _She's so...pretty..._ Yuto thought as he was still staring with a minor blush on his face. Yuto gave her a nervous smile. Ruri smiled back at him, a small blush also appearing on her face.

Unfortunately, this happy scene was about to be interrupted by a certain someone.

"Oi! Yuto!" A voice yelled, but Yuto was too engrossed in the flashback to notice.

"Yuto! Stop staring you dumbass! We need to hurry!" The voice yelled again, but Yuto still didn't pay attention.

"Oh for god's sake!" The owner of the voice walked up to Yuto and shouted into his ear. "YUTO!"

"WHOA!" Yuto jumped out of fright, back into present time, almost hitting his friend by accident. "What the hell was that for?!" A tic mark appeared on Yuto's head.

"You were day dreaming! Hurry up Yuto, we're going to fall behind!" A boy yelled. His name is Kamisjiro Ryoga, however most people just called him Shark. He had dark blue eyes, pale skin and dark purple hair, he also has a light blue "crown" in front of his forehead.. He is wearing a white shirt with green-lined sleeves, tie and a collar.

"You go ahead Shark, I'm just grabbing some last minute things." Yuto responded as he took some cards out of his locker. However, as he grabbed his deck, he stopped to look at one card.

The Card's name was Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. This was Yuto's ace Monster. For as long as he could remember, he always had Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Even before Yuto started Dueling he had the Card. He asked his parents multiple times, but they said they could never remember when he got it. It was as if the Xyz user and the Xyz Dragon were blinded together by some bond.

Yuto chuckled to himself. "I wouldn't have been able to come this far without you… Dark Rebellion." Dark Rebellion won or helped win Yuto most of his Duels. And because he won most of his Duels, it really helped him with making friends. Without Dark Rebellion, Yuto might not have won as many of his Duels, which in turn, meant that Yuto wouldn't have had as much friends.

Suddenly, Yuto heard a loud roar coming from somewhere, as if responding to him.

"What was that?" Yuto wondered. Yuto then looked at his watch and a realization hit him hard.

"Oh Crap! I'm going to be late for the duel at the arena!" Yuto panicked as he slammed his locker shut and began running.

* * *

 **Duel Arena-Heartland**

"I made it." Yuto said he went into the Spade branch section. Where he saw two of his best friends, Shark and Shun.

"You're late? That's a first." Shun told him.

"That's a fine hello." Yuto chuckled. He realized someone was missing.

"Where's Ruri?" Yuto asked.

"You mean your girl…" Shark started but was interrupted by Yuto punching him on the shoulder hard, causing barnacle boy to wince.

"Hmm?" Shun wondered at the predicament unfolding.

Yuto got close to Shark and whispered to him. "I thought I told you not to mention about Ruri and I being you know, a couple in front of Shun. If he finds out I'm dating his sister, he's going to keep hunting me down in order to get a chance to snap my neck tenfold."

"Is something wrong?" Shun asked with a curious tone.

With that, Yuto immediately lost his composure. "No no no no no! Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong!"

"Yuto!" Shun raised his voice.

"What?" Yuto asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"What are you keeping from me?" Shun interrogated his best friend, giving him a death stare. Yuto started to sweat bullets.

 _Ryoga, if I survive this encounter...I am so going to kill you!_ Yuto thought as he heard Shark laughing at the top of his lungs at Yuto's suffering from Shun.

Luckily for Yuto, a voice soon rang throughout the entire school. "The Spade versus Clover branch match will now begin."

In the audience, a loud barrage of cheers were heard.

* * *

 **At the Clover Branch**

"Oh, well looks like I got to go back to the Spade side." Ruri told 2 girls. One of these girls were Sasayama Sayaka. She has blue eyes and short light-purple and lilac hair that is restrained by light green and orange hair clips. She also wears a light blue dress with a teal turtleneck under a tan dress held up with brown shoulder straps and a blue belt. Finally, she wears glasses.

The other girl is named Kamishiro Rio, the younger sister of Ryoga. However, she hates it when people call her Shark's little sister. She has dark pink eyes and dark blue hair with light blue bangs. She wears the school's most common outfit for females (the outfit she wore in Zexal when she appeared in episode 79).

"Alright bye Ruri." Both Sayaka and Ruri said at the same time.

* * *

 **Spade Branch-Duel Arena-Heartland**

 _Alright! Shun is going to have his match now! I'm free!_ Yuto thought in excitement.

However, that feeling was soon replaced by fear thanks to the announcer. "Originally, the match was supposed to be Kurosaki Shun versus Tenjo Kaito. However, there has been a change of plans. While it is still Spade vs Clover, it won't be a one on one Duel. In fact, we haven't done one of these in a while. The match will now be a three on three Duel…"

Please don't be me, please don't be me. Yuto thought.

"From the Spade branch, we have Shun Kurosaki, and his sister Ruri Kurosaki along with Yuto!" The voice exclaimed.

Damn it! Yuto thought as he took a quick glance at Shun and then looked at the doorway to see Ruri walking in. Ruri did a small wave to him which he returned.

"Looks like I'm in the sidelines. Good luck you three." Shark told them as he went to go get a good spot to watch.

"Now, from the Clover branch, we have Tenjo Kaito, Sa, and Allen Kozuki!" The voice exclaimed.

* * *

 **Clover Branch-Duel Arena-Heartland**

"Aww, I'm on the sidelines for the third time in a row." Rio pouted.

"Can't win em all Rio!" Allen grinned, excited to go Duel.

"Let's go Allen." Kaito said as he and Sayaka were at the doorway to the arena, getting ready to go for their match. Allen had a habit of being late to his matches, even when he is nearby. So a joke spread around that during Allen's absence, the boy was flirting with others, much to his embarrassment.

"Wait up!" Allen yelled as he ran towards them and went out the door to the arena.

The cheers continued from the audience.

"Now, will said people please come to the duel arena!" The voice exclaimed.

* * *

 **Spade Branch-Duel Arena-Heartland**

"Alright, you two ready?" Shun asked Ruri and Yuto.

"I'm ready. But Yuto looks like he wants to be home!" Ruri chuckled.

 _With Shun here, you wouldn't blame me. In fact, I am sort of surprised your not scared! I mean, it's your brother! Actually, that is probably why you aren't scared..._ Yuto thought to himself. He shook his head multiple times, ready to get down to business.

"Well let's go." Yuto said.

* * *

 **Dueling Field-Duel Arena-Heartland**

As the two teams walk out, there is immediately a barrage of cheers, along with someone calling out Allen by saying 'Looks like you gave up on trying to find a girlfriend, Allen!'

"Well, well, well, it's been awhile since we did something like this." Allen spoke to Yuto with a smile when the 6 Duelists met in the middle.

"Yeah, you're right!" Yuto responded.

"Let's hope you're not rusty Shun." Kaito joked.

"In your dreams Kaito. Do you want to be beat again?" Shun replied with a grin.

"Good luck!" Ruri and Sayaka wished each other.

"Now for the rules. Each player will have their own Hands, Fields, Decks, and Graveyards. Each player has 4000 life points at the start. Once all of the life points on one team is depleted, the team with the remaining life points will win! Oh yeah, one last thing. No player can look at any other player's Hand on their team other than their own. For example, Shun can't see Yuto's hand and vice versa. Now, without further ado. Let's begin the Duel!" the announcer yelled as Yuto, Shun, Ruri, Kaito, Allen, and Sayaka prepared their Duel Disks.

 **DUEL!**

* * *

 **No Duel in this chapter, sorry about that. But since it is a 3 on 3, it would be too much work in one day.**

 **When the invasion starts, I may or may not start doing chapter previews.**

 **But as stated in the summary, there will be more legacy characters. As you can see from the inclusion of Rio and Shark Kamishiro. I will most likely have Ryo Marufuji appear (Zane Truesdale if you watch the dub) because he has existed in the canon show of Arc V. He just never made a physical appearance.**

 **Speaking of physical appearances, if you are wondering why i stopped doing the physical appearances after Sayaka, it's because that's going to take too long. I may do some from time to time but it is probably only going to be stuff like hair and eye color.**

 **Anyways, feel free to leave suggestions for improvements as this is my first time writing a fanfic.**

 **See ya guys next time. Take care, Goodbye!**


	2. Arena Rumble

Duel!

Yuto:4000

Shun:4000

Ruri:4000

Kaito:4000

Allen:4000

Sayaka:4000

"If you all don't mind, I will be taking the first move." Yuto said.

"Show us what you got." Kaito told Yuto as he began.

"Alright! First off, I summon Phantom Knights Dusty Robe." Yuto declared as Dusty Robe appeared onto the field.

Dusty Robe:Level 3 800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Next, if i control a Phantom Knights monster, I can special summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots!"

Silent Boots:Level 3 200 Atk, 1200 Def

"I think I know what's going to happen next." Shun said. He had seen this opening move from Yuto many times in the past already.

"Now! I, using the level 3 Phantom Knights Dusty Robe and Silent Boots, overlay!" Yuto exclaimed as his monsters flew into the portal.

"Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Yuto chanted.

Break Sword:Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I set 3 cards. That's the end of my turn." Yuto concluded as 3 set cards appeared in front of him.

"Alright then, I'll take the next move! It's my turn! I draw!" Allen drew his card in an excited manner.

"First, I summon Heavy Armored Train Rail Destroyer!"

Heavy Armored Train Rail Destroyer:Level 4 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Next I use his effect! When he is summoned, I can target one monster on the field, and if this is successful, the targeted monster loses 600 attack points."

After Allen's explanation, his monster started glowing pink. Then, it shot out a pink ball of energy which flew between Break Sword and it's sender.

"So you will be lowering Break Sword's attack by 600." Kaito concluded. However…

"I target Rail Destroyer himself!" Allen declared.

"What!" Yuto, Shun, Ruri, and Kaito exclaimed. Meanwhile, most of the crowd were gasping and giving Allen weird looks while Sayaka just smiles as she already knows what Allen is going to do next.

Rail Destroyer: 1000-400 atk

Allen grinned before continuing, "Now I'll activate Machine Duplication! With this, I can target a machine type monster with 500 or less attack points. Then, I can special summon 2 monsters from my deck with the same name as that monster! Come forth, my monsters!"

"So Allen lowered Rail Destroyer's attack so it could be targeted by Machine Duplication. That's pretty clever!" Ruri said.

"Now, their effects will activate again. This time, you're Break Sword will lose the points! Also, since there is two of them that used their effects, your Break Sword will lose 1200 attack points!

Break Sword: 2000-800 atk

"Now normally my monster could special summon a level 4 or lower earth machine type monster from the grave with its effect negated, but I don't have any, so I will just use my 3 level 4 monsters to overlay!" Allen declared as he raised his arm into the air.

"Train that travels at the speed of sound, and arrive here and now faster than a blink of an eye! Xyz summon! Show yourself! Rank 4! Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker!" Allen chanted as his train appeared.

Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker: Rank 4: 2600 Atk, 1600 Def

"Pulling out your ace monster already! Seems to me you want to end this quickly Allen." Yuto commented.

"I battle! Go, Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker! Destroy Yuto's Break Sword!" Allen declared. However, his monster never attacked.

"What? Why aren't you attacking?" Allen asked with a confused face. Then, he looked down at his duel disk and quickly gasped. The duel disk read that it was still his main phase and that he couldn't battle.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Allen yelled.

"Sir! My duel disk is broken, I can't battle!" Allen yelled to the announcer with panic clear on his face.

 _Are you kidding me?_ Yuto, Shun, Ruri, Kaito, and Sayaka thought with a disappointed look on their faces. Meanwhile, the entire audience erupted into a burst of laughter.

"Allen! You idiot!" Rio yelled from the sidelines.

"Allen! Don't you know! This is a tag duel, you can't attack if everyone hasn't gone yet! So the first person who is allowed to attack is the sixth person!" The announcer replied with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What an idiot!" "Has he never been in a tag duel before" and other things were said from the audience.

 _Oh god. I just made a fool out of myself in front of hundreds of people._ Allen thought with sweat coming down his face.

 _There is no coming back from that._ Yuto thought as he tried to hold in his laughter.

"Whatever! I'll just end my turn!" Allen concluded with imaginary tears coming down his face.

"Alright Allen, let me show you how to duel WITHOUT, making a fool out of yourself." Shun told Allen before he began his turn.

Somewhere else in Heartland

A man with black hair with inky-green shading and a purple top hat with green goggles on the bottom side, golden eyes, a small moustache and goatee, wearing a performer's outfit, which was a red jacket with a purple lining and red pants over an orange waistcoat with a blue collar and lined with yellow was watching the television featuring the 3 on 3 match.

"Oh Allen, you have so much to learn." The man said. Then, something caught his eye, he hadn't noticed it until now, but two people looked very familiar to him. Luckily, a close up on the duelists faces was shown again. There he saw something peculiar when he saw Yuto and Ruri.

"What!" The man exclaimed as he stood up from his chair. He knew it wasn't them, they couldn't have followed him here. But those two looked like them.

"That boy Yuto… looks like… my son Yuya!" The man said to himself as a picture of his son came into his head.

"The girl also… looks like Yuya's friend… Yuzu!" The man exclaimed with a shocked face.

Back at the duel

"My turn! I draw!" Shun yelled as he drew his card. Shun then looked at his hand.

"Alright! First, I summon Raidraptor-Vanishing Lanius!"

Vanishing Lanius:Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def

"Then his effect will activate. When he is normal summoned or special summoned, I can special summon another Raidraptor-Vanishing Lanius from my hand! Come forth! Now, when I have Vanishing Lanius on my field, I can special summon Raidraptor-Fuzzy Lanius." Shun continued.

Fuzzy Lanius:Level 4, 500 Def, 1500 Def

"Now! I use my 2 level 4 Vanishing Lanius and my lone Fuzzy Lanius to overlay!" Shun declared.

"Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 atk, 2000 Def

"Alright! Nice one Shun!" Shark yelled from the sidelines.

"I set 2 cards face down and end my turn." Shun concluded.

"Hmph, not bad Shun. But if you think that's enough, then you're mistaken. Cause it's my turn. I draw!" Kaito exclaimed.

"First, I summon Cipher Wing!" Kaito exclaimed as Cipher wing appeared.

Cipher Wing: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def

"Next, if I control a Cipher Wing I can special summon another Cipher Wing, and I have two in my hand." Kaito explained as two more Cipher Wings were special summoned.

"I swear Kaito has at least 30 fricking copies of Cipher Wing in his deck." Allen said as he seen the play Kaito performed as had seen it hundreds of times before.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of my Cipher Wing, by releasing it, I can raise the levels of all Cipher monsters I control by 4." Kaito said.

Cipher Wings: Level 4-8

"Here it comes." Yuto said.

"Now, with my 2 level 8 Cipher Wing, I overlay!" Kaito declared.

"Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Kaito chanted as he summoned out his ace monster.

Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

"Alright Kaito!" Shark yelled.

"I set two cards. That's the end of my turn." Kaito said with a smile.

"My turn then! I draw!" Ruri declared as she looked at her hand.

 _I should have gone first. But there's no turning back now. Besides, I can work with this._ Ruri thought.

"I summon Lyrilusc- Turquoise Warbler.

Turquoise Warbler: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"Then, if i control a Lyrilusc monster, I can special summon Lyrilusc- Sapphire Swallow from my hand along with another level 1 monster. Come forth, Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri said with a smile.

Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def

Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"Sparrow's effect activates, I can add another one to my hand! Then, I activate Magic card, Gathering of the Lyriluscs. With this, I can special summon a Lyrilusc monster from my hand with the same name as another one on my field. So come Cobalt Sparrow!. Her effect activates, letting me add another Sparrow to my hand!" Ruri explained.

"Now I overlay all of my level 1 monsters!"

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri chanted as her monster appeared.

Assembly Nightingale- Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"Now her effect activates, she gains 100 attack for every overlay unit she has attached to her. She has 4. So, Nightingale gains 400 attack points." Ruri explained.

Assembly Nightingale: 0-400 Atk

"Nice job Ruri!" Yuto complemented with an amazed look on his face.

"Thanks Yuto!" Ruri replied with a small blush on her face because of the comment her boyfriend made.

"What?" Shun asked suddenly.

 _Crap! I forgot Shun was here!_ Yuto thought as he came up with a lie.

"I didn't say anything." Yuto lied.

"Ok. Sure." Shun whispered the last word to himself as a smile came on his face.

"I set a card and end my turn." Ruri ended.

"My turn, I draw." Sayaka drew her card as she began her turn.

"From my hand, I activate Fairy's blessing. When I control no monsters, I can special summon a level 4 or lower fairy type monster from my hand or graveyard. I special summon Helper Fairy." Sayaka said.

Helper Fairy: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1200 Def

"Her effect activates, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Fairy type monster from my hand or deck. So I special summon Fairy Booster from my deck." Sayaka said.

Fairy Booster: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1250 Def

"Now I activate the Magic card Fairy Dust. With this, I can raise the level of a Fairy type monster by one. I choose Helper Fairy!" Sayaka explained.

Helper Fairy: Level 3-4

 _Am I see seriously the only person who never summoned my ace monster._ Yuto thought as he saw that Sayaka had the requirements for her ace. 

"Now, I overlay my two fairies." Sayaka declared.

"An angel's smile for the heroes who keep fighting! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Fairy Cheer Girl!" Sayaka chanted as she summoned her ace.

Fairy Cheer Girl: Rank 4, 1900 Atk, 1500 Def

"Since the target of Fairy Dust was used in an xyz summon, the monster gains 500 Atk. Not only that, but it cannot be destroyed by battle!" Sayaka exclaimed.

Fairy Cheer Girl: 1900-2400 Atk

"I use her effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can draw a card." Sayaka explained as she drew her card.

 _Alright!_ Sayaka thought.

"Since I went last, I can battle. Since, the 1200 Atk decrease on Break Sword is permanent, I will attack Break Sword!" Sayaka exclaimed as her monster attacked Break Sword, successfully destroying it.

Yuto: 4000-2400

Yuto grunted as he made a move, when Break Sword is destroyed, I can special summon it's materials! Come back! Dusty Robe and Silent Boots in defense! Furthermore, the special summoned monsters get their level raised up by 1!"

Dusty Robe: 3-4

Silent Boots: 3-4

"Now I activate the quick-play Magic card Rank Up Magic Fairy's Force!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"I can rank Fairy Cheer Girl into a Fairy type xyz monster with one rank higher!" Sayaka explained.

"From the summit of heaven, take a new form of hope great angel! Rank Up Xyz Change! Come forth, Rank 5, Fairy Hope Girl!" Sayaka chanted as her new monster appeared.

Fairy Hope Girl: Rank 5, 2600 Atk, 2250 Def

"Go! Fairy Hope Girl attack Ruri's Assembly Nightingale!" Sayaka declared battle as her monster charged.

"I activate the effect of my Assembly Nightingale! By detaching an overlay unit, my monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, and I don't take battle damage from that battle." Ruri explained.

"But your monster will lose 100 attack points because of it." Sayaka reminded.

Nightingale: 400-300 Atk

"I activate Fairy Hope Girl's effect, once per turn, by detaching one overlay unit, I can draw a card, and if it is a fairy type monster, not only do I add it to my hand, but one monster on my field gains its attack. Also, this card gets an extra attack." Sayaka explained.

"I draw!" Sayaka exclaimed as she drew her card.

"Alright. I got Dancing Fairy, who has 1700 attack. So, I choose my Hope GIrl to get the boost, and she gets another attack." Sayaka said with a smile.

Fairy Hope Girl: 2600-4300 Atk

"4300 attack! That is an impressive amount!" The announcer exclaimed while the audience gasped. Meanwhile, Kaito and Allen had a proud look on their face unlike Yuto, Shun, and Ruri who had a shocked look on their faces.

"Awesome job Sayaka!" Rio yelled.

"You can do this Yuto, Shun, and Ruri." Shark said.

"Impressive. You've gotten more powerful Sayaka." Ruri told her.

"Thanks." Sayaka responded with a smile before continuing.

"Now while I would attack Assembled Nightingale so Ruri can waste an overlay unit, I don't want Yuto summoning Dark Rebellion. So, Fairy Hope Girl, attack Silent Boots!" Sayaka declared.

"I don't think so! I activate the continuous trap Phantom Knights' Sword! I equip this to Silent Boots, giving him 800 attack!" Yuto explained as Silent Boots gained a sword.

Silent Boots: 200-1000 Atk

"But, the sword won't last there for long because by sending it to the grave, I can negate the destruction of the monster equipped to it just once."Yuto explained as the sword on Silent Boots disappeared. However, Silent Boots remained on the field.

Silent Boots:1000-200 Atk

"I set one card and end my turn." Sayaka said.

She sighed and turned her head to her teammates, "Sorry, I wasn't able to do much."

"It's fine Sayaka." Kaito said with a smile.

"Yeah! If anything, you did more than us." Allen told her with grin.

"Alright. My turn, I draw!" Yuto yelled. Then, he smirked.

"Now is the time."

 _Dark Rebellion._ Shun, Ruri, Allen, Kaito, and Sayaka thought.

"Now, by using the level 4 Dusty Robe and SIlent Boots, I overlay! Yuto declared.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace monster appeared on the field.

"Yuto. You already know full well that Dark Rebellion's effect only works on monsters with level 5 or higher. But xyz monsters don't have levels, they have ranks. So what are you going to do with Dark Rebellion?" Allen asked.

"Oh, you'll see what I have in store. But one thing is assured, it won't be good you, Kaito, or Sayaka!" Yuto exclaimed with a smile on his face.

Cards I came up with

 **Heavy Armored Train Rail Destroyer Earth, Machine: When this card is summoned, you can target 1 monster on the field, that monster loses 600 attack points, then, you can special summon one level 4 or lower Machine type monster. The attack decrease lasts until the targeted monster leaves the field.**

 **Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker Earth, Machine, Xyz: Once during either player's turn, you can detach 1 overlay unit. Then, activate one of the following effects.**

 **Special summon 1 Earth Machine type monster from your hand or grave**

 **Banish 1 monster from your grave, then, until the end of the turn, this card gains attack equal to the banished monster's attack**

 **Target 1 monster on the field whose original attack is lower than this card, and if you do, destroy it and inflict damage to your opponent the difference between attack.**

 **Fairy's Blessing Magic, Continuous: Once per turn, if you don't control a monster on your field, special summon 1 level 4 or lower fairy type monster from your hand.**

 **Helper Fairy Light, Fairy: When this card is summoned, you can special summon 1 level 4 or lower Fairy type monster from your deck or hand. This effect can only be activated once per turn.**

 **Fairy Booster Light, Fairy: When a Fairy type monster would be destroyed, you can banish this card from your graveyard instead.**

 **Rank Up Magic Fairy's Force Magic, Quick-Play: You can target one Fairy type xyz monster, special summon a Fairy type xyz monster from the extra deck that has one rank higher. Also, use the targeted Fairy monster as xyz material. If any overlay units were attached to the monster, attach those to the monster as well.**

 **Fairy Hope Girl Light, Fairy, Xyz: Once per turn, you can detach one overlay unit. Then, draw a card, if it is a Fairy type monster, you can add it to your hand and then target one monster on the field, that monster gains attack equal to the amount of the attack drawn monster had. Also, this card can make another attack.**

CLIFFHANGER! Sort of, cause it might be obvious on what Yuto is going to do.

Just a heads up, this duel will finish next chapter but there will be some more in the chapter outside of the duel.

We are nearing the invasion on Heartland. Probably about 2-4 more chapters to go.

Also, I might change some of the effects of the cards, just for the sake of the story. Furthermore, we will be using mostly anime effects for this story. For example, Break Sword won't have that extra effect from real life where you can detach an overlay unit to destroy one card on each side of the field.

Furthermore, I am making some of my own cards for Allen and Sayaka. But the cards they used in their only duel in the anime will most likely make an appearance. Also, Fairy's Blessing worked because the six duelists had their own separate fields. So Kaito and Allen don't have the same field as Sayaka. So, theoretically, about 30 monsters and 30 spells and traps can be on the field at once.

Speaking of made up cards, if you guys want, you can suggest a card for anyone in the series. I'll make sure to put a different section of the cards you guys suggested with the name of the person who came up with a certain card.

The PsychoPath 96: I most likely will use the new Chimeratech MegaFleet Dragon. If I don't then either I will be doing for a later duel for Zane/Ryo or I just forgot. As for the Burning Abyss monsters, I was thinking of including Dante (you know, the rank 3 xyz monster). But I'm still deciding on whether I should include those are not. I might just have Yuto use them when he's berserk if I do, but we'll have to see how things play out.

Fanime 1: Yeah I agree, Ruri and Yuto might be my favorite couple of Arc-V even though we didn't get to see much if them together. Hope you enjoyed the duel, or, the part that I showed.

Well, that's all for now. Take care guys, goodbye!


	3. Go! Dark Rebellion! Yuto's Attack!

"First, I'm going to activate the continuous trap Rank/Level Switch! With this, I can choose either my field or the opponent's field, and when I do, all monsters levels are turned into ranks. Furthermore, all xyz monsters have their ranks changed into levels. I declare your field." Yuto said.

"What!" Allen and Sayaka exclaimed while Kaito just gasped in shock.

Cipher Dragon: Rank 8-Level 8

Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker: Rank 4-Level 4

Fairy Hope Girl: Rank 5-Level 5

"Turning their monster's ranks into levels… Oh yeah! Fairy Hope Girl and Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon now have levels with 5 and above, so Dark Rebellion can use his effect!" Shun exclaimed.

"I'm not letting that happen!" Allen exclaimed as he raised his hand to his monster.

"I activate the effect of my Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker! By detaching an overlay unit, I can target one monster on the field whose original attack is lower than this card, then, I can destroy that monster and inflict damage to you equal to the difference in attack!"

Sound Breaker shot a missile at Dark Rebellion.

"Alright! With this, Allen saved their monsters from losing attack!" Rio exclaimed.

"Not so fast Allen! I activate the trap Phantom Knights' Wing! I target Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, it gets 500 attack, and only once I can stop its destruction!" Yuto yelled as the missile hit Dark Rebellion. However, Dark Rebellion lifted his wings and survived.

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3000 Atk

"Alright! Nice job Yuto!" Shark yelled.

"Damn." Allen cursed as his attempt failed.

"Go, Yuto!" Ruri exclaimed with a smile.

"Now, I activate Dark Rebellion's monster effect, by detaching one overlay unit, until the end of the turn, I can half the attack of a level 5 or higher monster, also, Dark Rebellion gains the lost attack. Treason Discharge!" Yuto yelled as he pointed at Cipher Dragon.

Dark Rebellion opened his wings and shot electricity at Cipher Dragon. After the electricity dissipated, Cipher Dragon slumped over to signify that he was weaker.

Cipher Dragon: 3000-1500 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 3000-4500

"Once again, I use Dark Rebellion's effect, but this time on Fairy Hope Girl!" Yuto yelled as Dark Rebellion shot electricity at Fairy Hope Girl. Fairy Hope Girl started screaming as she was losing power.

Fairy Hope Girl: 4300-2150 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 4500-6650 Atk

"6650 attack!" "That's an insane amount" was repeatedly heard in the audience.

"Amazing! With only 2 cards, Yuto has immediately turned the tides." The announcer yelled.

"I activate the magic card, Xyz Assault! By paying 1000 life points, an xyz monster I control can attack 2 times this turn!" Yuto exclaimed.

Yuto: 2400-1400 Lp

"What!" Rio exclaimed.

"Alright! With this, Yuto can take out two of them! Wait, they have set cards. Oh no!" Shark yelled with a worried look on his face.

 _Kaito has 2 facedowns, Allen doesn't have any, and Sayaka has 1. Kaito and Sayaka might have something. I can't attack, it's too risky!_ Yuto thought.

"Yuto!" Ruri exclaimed.

"What?" Yuto asked as he turned to Ruri.

"Attack, I have your back!" Ruri assured Yuto.

"I do too! Don't be afraid. You can do it!" Shun exclaimed with a smile on his face.

 _Their facedowns!_ Yuto realized. How could he be so stupid, Ruri and Shun were with him, they will help him. This is a tag duel after all.

"Alright! Thanks guys." Yuto said with confidence.

"Battle, go Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker!" Yuto declared.

Dark Rebellion started to fly towards Sound Breaker.

"Oh no! I don't have anything!" Allen exclaimed.

"I activate the trap Mirror Force! When a monster you have declares an attack, I can destroy all attack position monsters you control!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"Thanks a bunch Sayaka!" Allen thanked the girl.

"You're not making it out that easily! I activate the trap Raidraptor Reversal. When you activate a card that would destroy a card while I control a Raidraptor monster, I can negate that card, destroy it, then draw a card!" Shun exclaimed as he drew a card and Mirror Force shattered.

"Thanks Shun!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Like I said Yuto, I got your back." Shun told him.

"I activate the trap Cipher Halt! By detaching one overlay unit on an xyz monster I control, I can end the battle phase, then I gain life points equal to the attack points of the monster whose attack was negated!" Kaito explained as he detached an overlay unit from Cipher Dragon.

"I don't think so, I activate Lyrilusc-Wind! When you activate a card or effect, I can pay 500 life points, negate the activation, and destroy the card!" Ruri exclaimed.

Ruri:4000-3500 Lp

Cipher Halt was negated and destroyed.

"Oh no!" Kaito exclaimed as he looked at Allen.

"Oh Sh…" Allen didn't get to finish his sentence as his monster was headbutted and destroyed by Dark Rebellion while Allen was sent flying back.

Allen screamed as he tumbled across the floor.

Allen: 4000-0 Lp

"Allen! Are you ok?" Sayaka asked.

Allen stood up and smiled.

"I'm alright." Allen said.

"Now! Go, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Go attack Galaxy eyes Cipher Dragon!"Yuto exclaimed as Dark Rebellion circled around and launched it's tail at Cipher Dragon.

Kaito looked at his set card, it was Cipher Bit, a card that made it so that if a Cipher monster(s) would be destroyed by battle or card effect, it wouldn't be. Also, he would be able to attach the trap as an overlay unit to one of those xyz monsters. However, that wouldn't help him in this situation. _Hmph, nice job you three._

Galaxy Eyes was destroyed and Kaito was sent back flying while yelling pain. Kaito managed to put his hand on the ground, he then jumped of his hand and landed on his feet.

Kaito: 4000-0 Lp

"Go! End this Yuto! I activate the quick-play magic card Raptor's Rush, by detaching an overlay unit from a Raidraptor monster I control, a monster on the field can attack again! I choose Dark Rebellion." Shun exclaimed.

"Alright! This is the end!" Shark yelled.

"Thanks Shun. Now, it's over. Go! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Fairy Hope Girl and end this duel! REBELLIOUS LIGHTNING DISOBEY!" Yuto yelled as Dark Rebellion's fangs started to emit electricity. He then dug his fangs to the ground and started flying towards Fairy Hope Girl before flying upwards and slashing Fairy Hope Girl with it's fangs, destroying it.

Sayaka screamed as she was sent flying backwards.

Sayaka:4000-0 Lp

Yuto, Shun, and Ruri win

Dark Rebellion, Rise Falcon, and Assembled Nightingale disappeared as the announcer yelled, "That's the end folks! The Spade Branch wins!"

The crowd starting cheering at their loudest.

Ruri went to Sayaka and offered her a hand, which Sayaka gladly accepted.

"Good duel!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Yeah, hope to do this again sometime!" Sayaka replied.

"Sorry, Kaito, Allen, and Sayaka, I was kinda a little too rough on that last turn." Yuto apologized.

"Nonsense, Yuto! We're fine!" Kaito replied with a smile.

"I'm not losing next time!" Allen said as he took out his hand with a big smile on his face.

"You think so? Cause this is the third time in a row!" Yuto exclaimed.

"True, but you wouldn't have won if it wasn't for Ruri and Shun." Rio told him as she walked over to the group.

"I know, I know. Thanks for that by the way guys." Yuto told Ruri and Shun who smiled in response.

"Well, it was alright, I guess. Would have been better if I was there." Shark said as he walked towards the group.

"Oh please, if you were in the duel your team would lose!" Rio exclaimed.

"Wanna bet!" Shark countered as the brother and sister started arguing.'

"Guys, guys! Cut it out. For now, let's just do something, like grab a bite to eat." Ruri said as she got in between Shark and Rio.

"Fine. But you would have lost if Ryoga came and dueled with you." Rio said, much to the annoyance of Shark.

2 weeks later

Ruri was walking through Heartland going to a shop to buy some clothes. However, she stopped when she heard some people and saw a crowd. She decided to go check it out. She saw an a magician in the air doing tricks while there was an orange haired male under it.

"Show must go on!" The male exclaimed which only hyped up the crowd even more.

The male was laughing until he saw Ruri. _Could that be the girl I am looking for?_ He thought.

"Now, can I have a volunteer?" Dennis asked. Many people raised their hand, and out of interest, so did Ruri.

The male ordered the magician to go over to Ruri. Which, to Ruri's surprise, followed the command, then, the magician grabbed Ruri and swung her over to the male.

"Hello young lady. What is your name?" The male asked.

"Umm… My name is Ruri… Ruri Kurosaki." Ruri responded.

"Well Ruri, thank you for volunteering. My name is Dennis Mackfield. Would you care to duel me and entertain this wonderful audience?" Dennis asked as he pointed to the crowd with a smile.

"Sure!" Ruri exclaimed as she got out her duel disk. She always had loved entertaining people with dueling. This love and passion for it only grew when Sayaka introduced her to Yusho Sakaki.

Flashback-1 week-Circus tent

"Here he is Ruri." Sayaka told her.

"Hello Sayaka, nice to see you again. Who's the girl with you? She looks familiar." Yusho said.

"Hello, Yusho-Sensei, this is the person I told you about, Ruri Kurosaki." Sayaka introduced.

"Hello sir, nice to meet you." Ruri greeted with a bow.

"Nice to meet you too, Ruri. Oh, now I remember, I saw your 3 on 3 duel 1 week ago. You did very good!" Yusho complimented.

"Thank you sir." Ruri replied. 

"You know, you remind me of someone else. She's the best friend of my son." Yusho told her.

"Is that so?" Ruri asked with a smile.

"Huh. Son. You never said anything about a son, Yusho-Sensei. If you don't mind me asking, where is he?" Sayaka asked.

"Far away." Yusho replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. However, Ruri and Sayaka didn't notice.

"Anyways, I have something to ask you Mr. Sakaki. Why do you duel?" Ruri asked.

"I duel to bring smiles, to enjoy the thrill of dueling and have people enjoy that thrill." Yusho replied with his own smile.

Now

"I'm not holding back!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Me neither." Ruri told him.

Duel!

 _Cards I made up_

 _ **Rank/Level Switch Trap Continuous: Declare either your field or your opponent's field. Until the end of the turn, Xyz monster's gain a level equal to their rank. Also, monster's except Xyz monsters gain a rank equal to their level.**_

 _ **Xyz Assault Magic: Pay 1000 life points, then target one xyz monster. That monster can attack twice this turn.**_

 _ **Cipher Halt Trap: When a monster declares an attack, target the attacking monster, negate the attack, end the battle phase, then gain life points equal to the amount of attack points that monster has.**_

 _ **Lyrilusc-Wind Trap Counter: When a card or effect is activated, you can pay 500 life points, negate the activation, then destroy that card.**_

 _ **Raptor's Rush Magic Quick-Play: You can detach one overlay unit from one Raidraptor xyz monster you control, then, target an xyz monster on the field, that monster can attack again this turn.**_

 **Well, another chapter done. Sorry if it was the duel was disappointing. I'm still new to this fanfiction stuff, so feel free to criticize if you wish.**

 **I'm going to be doing something else that may disappoint you guys, but I'm not going to show much of the Ruri vs Dennis duel. I'll probably be showing only the last two turns, if not I won't show any of the duel at all. To make it up to you guys, I might have a rematch in the future or I will show flashbacks of the duel. But one thing will be for sure, you guys will know who won this duel. Unlike the anime that kept the outcome a secret.**

 **I might show a little bit of Academia and the Professor next chapter, but we'll see. We're getting closer to the invasion, it will start in two or three chapters.**

 **Fananime1: Thanks for the "advice" (if you want to call it that). I'll try not to do that mistake next time. Also, I'm sorry about mentioning this now, but you also have to list the effect of the suggested monster (if there will even be one). I like the name you came up with by the way. Really creative, and it rhymes too :). I agree with how you said the cards represent the character. For example, Speedroids represent Yugo's at times childish attitude and trains repersent Allen's hyperactive and outgoing personality. As for your question, I probably will include a fan card for Yuto (I already had ideas for two rank 4 phantom knights xyz monsters, I didn't like how he didn't get a rank 4, and Dark Rebellion doesn't count.) As for Dark Requiem, Yuto won't use him until the invasion. Also, MINOR SPOILER ALERT, DON'T READ THIS last sentence IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED.**

 **Yuto won't tell anyone about Dark Requiem for a while, it's going to be his own secret.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. Take care, goodbye. :)**


	4. Clash! Dennis vs Ruri

Duel!

"I'll go first." Ruri told Dennis.

"Fine with me." Dennis replied with a smile.

"My turn! When there are no monsters present on the field, I can special summon Lyrilusc-Turquoise Warbler along with a level 1 monster, that monster will be Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow, her effect now activates, I can add another one to my hand" Ruri said as she added another Sparrow to her hand.

Turquoise Warbler: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"Now, when I control a Lyrilusc monster, I can special summon Sapphire Swallow from my hand along with another level 1 monster. That monster will be Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri exclaimed.

Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def

"That's a lot of level 1 monsters. You done yet?" Dennis asked.

"Of course not, once again, Cobalt Sparrow's effect activates, I add the last one to my hand. Now I summon my last Cobalt Sparrow. Next, using all 5 of my level 1 monsters, I overlay!" Ruri declared.

"With 5 level 1 monsters!" and "What's coming out?" could be heard from the audience multiple times.

 _Interesting._ Dennis thought.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri chanted as her ace monster appeared.

Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk-500 Atk, 0-500 Def

"Wait, that monster is supposed to have 0 Atk." Someone from the audience said.

Ruri turned to the audience and started to explain with a smile present on her face, "You see, Assembly Nightingale gains 100 Atk for every overlay unit attached to it!"

"Seriously" "Cool" and other positive comments were heard from the audience.

"Look Mommy! It's a cute birdie!" A little girl nearby exclaimed.

"I see it, I see it sweet little one." The mother replied as she watched the

"I end my turn." Ruri concluded.

"Alright! It's my turn, I draw!" Dennis exclaimed as he drew his card, his eyes widened when he saw the card. It was Fusion. _Damn it, I knew I forgot to take something out, I hope she doesn't find out about this card. Looks like I'm going to have to hold back a bit._

"I summon Entermage Damage Juggler." Dennis exclaimed.

Damage Juggler: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1000 Def

Damage Juggler jumped into the air and shot fire out of his hands towards Nightingale, however, a shield formed around Nightingale.

"What!" Dennis exclaimed as he noticed Nightingale was still standing but with only 400 attack and defense

"I activated the effect of Assembly Nightingale, by detaching one overlay unit, she can't be destroyed by battle or effect, and I don't take battle damage for that battle." Ruri explained.

"Impressive." Dennis responded.

"Woah, this girl is amazing." and "She might beat Dennis!" were heard from the audience multiple times.

"Well, I set one card and end my turn!" Dennis exclaimed.

"You're not bad, show me more, this is getting excited."

"Alright! My turn! I draw!" Ruri yelled as she drew her card.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon in order to destroy your facedown." Ruri told Dennis as she pointed at Dennis' facedown.

A gust of wind lifted up the facedown, revealing it to be Negate Attack, which was then destroyed.

"Oh no." Dennis said.

"Now I activate the magic card Lyrilusc-Strike! When a Winged-Beast inflicts damage to you for the rest of this turn, I can destroy one card on the field. Now, I activate the magic card Lyrilusc-Flight! Now, all Winged-Beast I control have their attack doubled!" Ruri exclaimed as her Assembly Nightingale started glowing as her attack rose to 800.

"That's still not enough to destroy my monster. Furthermore, you don't have any more cards in your hand." Dennis informed Ruri.

"Assembly Nightingale can attack directly, not only that, but it can attack up to the amount of overlay units she has. She currently has 4, so I can attack you directly 4 times. Go! First attack!" Ruri exclaimed as Assembled Nightingale jumped over Damage Juggler and hit Dennis with her leg, who grunted in pain.

Dennis: 4000-3200 Lp

"The effect of Strike now activates, I destroy your Damage Juggler!" Ruri exclaimed as Damage Juggler yelled in pain before exploding.

"Now, Assembly Nightingale attack Dennis directly 3 more times." Nightingale kicked Dennis 3 more times. Dennis groaned in pain and held his shoulder.

Dennis: 3200-800 LP

"I end my turn. At this time, Assembled Nightingale's attack returns to normal. Are you ok Dennis? Was I too rough?" Ruri asked with concern.

"Nope, I'm fine." Dennis responded. _She's tougher than I thought. I'm in a pinch, it's all up to this next draw._

"It's showtime!" Dennis exclaimed which caused the crowd to go wild.

"Huh?" Ruri said.

"As you all can see, I don't have any monsters present on my field, and with my current hand I don't have anything that can help, so, I am betting everything on this one draw. My turn, I draw!" Dennis yelled, when he saw his card he widened his eyes.

"I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." Dennis said. _Alright!_

"Alright. I'll activate one of these cards, Foolish Burial! I can now send one card from my deck to the grave. I choose Entermage Trick Clown. Now it's effect, once per turn, when it is sent to the grave, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon this card from the grave." Dennis explained.

"Wait, but you only have 800 life points." Ruri told him.

"I know, which is why I am activating the effect of my Entermage Flame Eater, when an effect is activated that deals damage to me, I can special summon this card and negate the damage." Dennis said as the damage was negated and Flame Eater appeared.

Flame Eater: Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1600 Def

"Now my Trick Clown comes to the field, however, both its attack and defense become 0." Dennis explained.

Trick Clown: Level 4, 1600-0 Atk, 1200-0 Def

"Oh no, he has 2 level 4 monsters!" Ruri exclaimed.

"That's right! With my Flame Eater and Trick Clown, I overlay! Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician!" Dennis exclaimed as he xyz summoned his ace monster.

Trapeze Magician: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"That's the monster from earlier!" Ruri exclaimed.

"That's right! Now I activate the magic card Raigeki, which allows me to destroy all monsters you control!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Assembled Nightingale's effect activates, by detaching an overlay unit, I negate the destruction!" Ruri exclaimed.

Nightingale: 400-300 Atk, 400-300 Def

"When there are two monsters on the field, I can special summon Entermage Hat Tricker" Dennis explained.

Hat Tricker: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1100 Def

"Now I summon another Performage Trick Clown." Dennis said.

"I activate the effect of Trapeze Magician, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target a monster, then that monster must attack twice in the battle phase, if it doesn't, it's destroyed at the end of the turn. I choose Trick Clown." Dennis explained.

"Battle! Go, Hat Tricker, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Dennis yelled. Hat Tricker threw his hat at Assembled Nightingale.

"I detach an overlay unit to negate the destruction and damage." Ruri said.

Assembly Nightingale: 300-200 Atk, 300-200 Def

"Trick Clown, attack Assembled Nightingale!" Dennis exclaimed. Trick Clown kicked Assembly Nightingale.

"I detach an overlay unit to do the same as last time." Ruri exclaimed.

Assembly Nightingale: 200-100 Atk, 200-100 Def

"Trick Clown, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Dennis exclaimed.

Ruri did the same thing to negate the destruction. Assembly Nightingale now has 0 attack and defense.

"Now, with this, Assembled Nightingale has no overlay units." Dennis said.

"Yes, but Trick Clown only has 2500, I will still have life remaining." Ruri reminded him.

"No you won't. It's been a fun duel Ruri, but this ends now! I activate the quick-play magic card, Performance Support, I tribute Trick Clown and add its attack to Trapeze Magician." Dennis explained.

Trapeze Magician: 2500-4100 Atk

"4-4100 attack!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Battle! Go Trapeze Magician, destroy Assembly Nightingale, and end this duel!" Dennis exclaimed as Trapeze Magician kicked Assembly Nightingale, destroying it, however, when Nightingale exploded, there was no smoke, instead, there was multiple pieces of confetti. Ruri screamed as she was pushed back by the force of the attack.

Ruri: 4000-0 Lp

Dennis wins!

"Well ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have enjoyed the show." Dennis yelled as he took a bow. He The crowd erupted into cheering and clapping with all of the kids having big smiles on their faces.

"Now, please give it up to our volunteer, Ruri Kurosaki!" Denis exclaimed as she pointed to Ruri who was standing back up. The crowd erupted into applause for Ruri as well, some people whistling and saying "Good job" or "Nice try" or "Better luck next time."

"Thank you." Ruri said as she took a bow.

"I must be going now. Thank you for letting me duel you." Ruri told Dennis.

"No problem, Ruri. It was a fun duel!" Dennis replied with a smile as he watched Ruri walk away.

* * *

Later that day, in a random place in Heartland

Dennis snuck into an alley and pulled out another duel disk. This one looked different from the one he was using earlier. He pressed on a picture of a bald man with blue eyes, a machine in part of his head, and blood vessels on the top of his head, the name was shown to be "Professor." Dennis waited for a bit until he heard someone pick up.

"Yes." The voice of a middle aged man came.

"I found the girl you were looking for. We can now start the invasion soon on your command Professor." Dennis said to the voice.

There was a long pause. Then, the voice spoke again. "Good work, we will start the invasion tomorrow. Now, come back to Academia now and wait for further instructions. I also have to modify your duel disk a little bit."

 _Hmm. Modify my duel disk. What for? We already have the technology to travel between the dimensions._ Dennis thought. But he decided to think more about it after he got to Academia.

"Yes Professor. Right away." Dennis responded as the call was ended. He then pressed a button on his duel disk, and he was teleported out of Heartland… or rather, the Xyz Dimension.

* * *

Card Catalog (New name for the "Cards I made" section)

 **Lyrilusc-Strike Magic: For the rest of the turn, when a Winged-Beast monster you control deals damage to your opponent, you can destroy one card on the field. You can only activate "Lyrilusc-Strike" once per turn.**

 **Lyrilusc-Flight Magic: For the rest of this turn, Winged Beast monsters you control have their attack doubled. You can only activate "Lyrilusc-Flight" once per turn.**

 **Performance Support Magic Quick-play: You can tribute one monster on your field, then, target another monster on the field, that target gains attack equal to the attack of the tributed monster. This change lasts until the end of the turn.**

* * *

 **Well, another chapter done.**

 **I know I said that I was only going to show part of the duel, but I decided against it as it wouldn't be fair to you guys.**

 **Yep, the invasion is going to start soon. I definitely know when it's going to be. EIther at the end of the next chapter or in the middle of the chapter after that. I am leaning more towards next chapter though. Next chapter may or may not be short. Mostly because I don't have an idea of what I should do.**

 **Also, the reason I had Ruri the chapter after her last duel is because when she gets kidnapped she MIGHT not duel for a while.**

 **SSJ Gamer YT: Thanks! I already know about Bonds of Pendulum. When the first chapter came out, I looked at the summary and for some reason didn't bother to read it. But around the time chapter 13 came, I decided to give it a try, and goddamn, the story is good. He makes the characters that wasn't utilized good have a better role. For example, after Arc-V ended, I was pissed that Sawatari hadn't picked up one solo win in the entire series (except that one scrub duelist at the very beginning of episode 7). But the writer gave at least 1 solo win. Also, the latest chapter was really intense, and it was the worth the wait to read. I could give at least a million fricking positive things about the fanfic, but I'm not about to sit down here and list all of them. So I'll just list 5 of the many things I thought was good. 1. He made Yuto separate from Yuya, sure Yuto only dueled two times before getting absorbed but still, that was something I wanted the anime to do in the Xyz arc. 2. He treated the dragons the right way. The anime just pushed the dragon's feelings aside at the end and just treated them like tools of entertainment, and what do they get to say about it? Nothing. The fanfic actually gave them feelings and they at least try to say something (albeit they can't talk but even still.) 3. He gave Zarc and Ray more backstory. Not much to say here, the sentence before this one explains it all. 4. The bracelet girls got a some times to shine in the Fusion arc. I hated how they were treated like garbage cans in the fusion arc of the anime. Yuzu didn't duel, even while she was brainwashed. Rin only dueled once, and she was brainwashed. Ruri dueled twice, but she was brainwashed and interfered with the first one to let Shun win. Serena dueled once and she was also brainwashed. 5. He gave Yuri a reason to turn to the good side. I hated how in the anime after Zarc was defeated,Yuri just changed boats and Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo acted like Yuri didn't do anything wrong. Yuri fricking carded Yuya's father in front of his eyes. Yuri kidnapped Ruri, and directed Yugo to Yuto and made a misunderstanding, AND he was sided with the same group that ruined Yuto's entire life. Yuri kidnapped Rin, who was all Yugo basically had other than himself, his deck, d-wheel, his dragon, and the orphanage. Also, he absorbed him and made it so he could never roam around in his own body again. (Same thing with Yuto also.) Alright, at this point I am just ranting, but what I am trying to say is Bonds of Pendulum is just a brilliant fanfic, and the creator(s) of it are a genius!**

 **Anyway, see you guys next time. Take care, goodbye.**


	5. Bad Things Arising

"Professor, we are almost ready to go to the Xyz dimension." A boy wearing a blue jacket said while bowing down to the Professor.

"Ok, have everything ready in the next. Then, go to the Xyz dimension." The Professor commanded.

"What do we do when we get there?" The boy asked.

"Invade it, and turn the citizens into cards. The Doctor has already put that program in your duel disks." The Professor told him.

"Yes sir." The boy said before exiting the room. Then, in came another boy wearing a yellow jacket.

"Sir, we have someone who doesn't agree with our plans. He also tried getting of the island, saying that this place is a prison." The boy reported.

"Who is it?" The Professor asked. He could hear a voice yelling and struggling outside the room.

The boy showed the Professor a picture of who it was. When he saw the face, the Professor had a face of worry.

"This is…" The Professor started. He thought about a punishment for a long time. If they card him, HE might find out, and he will rebel against Academia. They can't have one of Academia's best rebelling. But, if this boy somehow convinces people to go against us, the plan will be ruined. So, as long as HE doesn't know, it will be fine.

"I will punish him myself." The Professor said. "Bring him in here, NOW!"

"Y-y-yes sir!" The boy responded as he exited the room. Minutes later, 3 people came in, two of them were holding the third one by his arms.

The kid who was held captive wore a yellow jacket. He has light blue hair, gray eyes, and glasses. Also, the kid was very short.

"So, you think going against Academia's ideals is the right thing to do?" The Professor questioned. "Well then, you will now face the punishment!"

"I don't care what happens, my brother will put a top to your evil plans, I'll tell him." The boy yelled.

"You won't be able to tell him, cause you're not going to be with him ever again!" The Professor yelled as he held up his duel disk, he clicked a button. Then, a purple light came out. The boy was covered in said light. The boy was screaming. Then, the screaming stopped. When the light dissipated, the boy could be seen no more, and a card could be heard falling to the floor. The Professor picked up the card, he saw the boy's horrified face.

"Hmph. It's a shame. You had so much potential. You could have been a great duelist. One of Academia's best. Just like your brother. But you stood against our ideals. However, at least you will be used for a greater cause… Sho Marufuji." The Professor said. "Take the card away, and make sure Ryo doesn't see his card."

"Yes sir." One boy took the card from the Professor and both boys walked out of the door, leaving the Professor to his business.

 _It starts soon. The dimensional war. I am so close to achieving my goal. I just need 3 more girls._ The Professor thought to himself.

* * *

Heartland-Xyz dimension

"Hurry up Yuto! You're going to be late for the get together!" A woman yelled.

"I'm coming Mom!" Yuto yelled from upstairs.

"He's probably having trouble finding what to wear. He's like me!" A man said. "Yuto, just wear your school uniform!"

"No Dad! I'll look stupid!" Yuto yelled back.

"Just wear it! There isn't any harm!" Yuto's Dad yelled back.

"We need to make a deal with him, Ryon." The woman said.

"Lane, What are we going to do? Make him wear a cape!" The man now known as Ryon said.

"Very funny. Yuto! All your other clothes are dirty, you're going to have to wear that school uniform, unless you want to go in your pajamas!" Lane yelled.

"Oh fine!" Yuto yelled in defeat.

* * *

Minutes later-Heartland-Park

"Man, Yuto's late." Kaito said.

"It's Yuto, what do you expect." Shark told him.

"Well, at least Yuto isn't like Allen." Shun said.

"What do you mean?" Sayaka asked.

"I think he means that Allen is late most of the time. I don't even remember the last time he came to one of these early." Ruri told her.

"There's Yuto." Rio said as she saw Yuto walking towards them in the distance.

"Why is he wearing the school uniform?" Shun asked.

"Yeah, you're one to judge with THAT kind of trench coat." Kaito said as he pointed at Shun's coat.

"He's got a point." A voice said from behind Shark.

"Hmm. Oh, hey Allen." Shark greeted.

"Hello. Yuto." Ruri greeted.

"H-hi Ruri." Yuto responded.

"Why are you wearing the school uniform?" Allen asked.

"My mom forgot to wash the clothes." Yuto responded.

"So what's with the cape?" Ruri asked.

"Come on, it makes me look cool!" Yuto complained.

"By cool do you mean dorkish?" Allen asked.

"Allen! That's not very nice!" Sayaka scolded.

"Whatever." Allen responded.

"ANYWAYS!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Kaito, how is Haruto?" Yuto asked.

"He's doing fine. Why do you ask?" Kaito asked.

"You don't know?" Yuto questioned.

"Don't know what?" Kaito asked.

"Nothing!" Yuto quickly responded.

 _Oh yeah, that thing._ Rio remembered what Haruto did to Kaito's room.

"Yuuuuuuuuuto!" Kaito yelled.

"Yeah?" Yuto asked.

"What the hell did Haruto do?" Kaito asked.

"Oh you'll find out when you get home." Shun told him, already aware of what Yuto is talking about.

"Whatever, I'll let it slide, but if I here that whatever happened was either yours, Allen's, or Yuto's idea you're dead!" Kaito yelled.

"Anyways, Sayaka, Allen, Kaito, how is Yusho-Sensei?" Ruri asked.

"Yusho-Sensei?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah, you know the man who performs and entertains people." Kaito told him.

"Oh, him." Yuto said.

"Shun, Rio, Yuto and I have only seen his performances on TV. Also, unlike Ruri, Sayaka, Allen, and Kaito, we have never physically met him." Shark said.

"I'll bring you guys to him sometime. He's a really nice person!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"Oh yeah that reminds me. He saw our 3v3 duel! He said I look like a friend of his son." Ruri said.

"Son?" Allen asked.

"I never thought he had a son." Rio said.

"Yeah. Also, two days ago he told me that you looked like his son Yuto." Sayaka told Yuto.

"Really?" Yuto asked. _That's interesting, but also weird. What are the chances that I look like his son and Ruri looked like a friend of his son's._

"Do you know the name of his son?" Shark asked.

"No. That's all he said. Other than the fact that he thinks dueling is to bring smiles, he likes entertaining, the deck he uses, he has a son, and that he likes top hats. We don't know much about him." Sayaka told Shark.

"Ok." Shark responded.

"Well, let's get off the topic of Yusho-sensei." Allen said.

"Well, a couple of days ago I dueled a person named Dennis. He looked around the same age as me." Ruri said.

"Did you win?" Shun asked.

"No. He finished me in one blow with an Xyz monster powered up to 4100 attack points." Ruri explained.

"Not bad." Allen said.

"To be honest, I have never met anyone like him. The closest is Yusho-sensei, and even still, he is far different from Dennis. It's like he was hiding something. I noticed that on his first turn, I noticed he widened his eyes at the card he drew. However, he never used it. He didn't even set it as a spell or trap. Didn't set is as a monster or sent it to the grave." Ruri said.

"Well, he must have gotten a b…" Allen was cut off by a rumbling noise. Followed by an explosion and many screams.

"What was that?" Yuto asked.

Then, to their horror, the 8 kids looked up to see multiple giant machines walking. They also saw many people running and fires. They saw one of the machines go up to them, below was a person who wore a blue jacket. The giant was charging a missile, and tried to shoot them, but most of them managed to dodge with minor scratches. Yuto however, was blown away.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Yuto yelled as tumbled across the ground. His cape and parts of his clothes were now ripped. Yuto got back up and ran away.

The other seven kids ran the other way, not knowing that Yuto wasn't with them.

However, both ways the groups were going, they were greeted with a horrible sight. People were screaming, purple beams of light were shining, multiple giant machines were shooting buildings, buildings were also collapsing, and houses were on fire. However, that all didn't compare to the one thing they saw. There were cards lying on the ground. On the picture, were human faces, clearly horrified. It was as if a picture was taken right before someone's body had disappeared from existence, with people in red, yellow, and blue jackets holding most of them, while laughing like total maniacs.

"What the heck!" Yuto yelled as he picked up a card. Then, he came to a realization, he saw the people in red, yellow, and blue jackets had duel disks. _So to fight, I need a duel disk. I need to get back to my house now. Hopefully, it's still standing._

Then, a realization hit him hard. Not only were innocent people being carded, but they were being invaded. Also, everyone's families and friends were in danger. Then, Yuto gasped. Friends… Shun, Sayaka, Shark, Kaito, Allen, Rio… and Ruri. They were in danger. Family! They were in danger too. His mom, dad, and his two little brothers, and to make things worse, there was no way he could help.

Yuto started to lose hope. How could a city full of smiles, lose those smiles so fast.

"No! I won't allow these strangers take away precious things away from us. I will fight for what's right, and return Heartland, and the carded people to normal. Even if it costs me my life!" Yuto yelled out his resolve as he clenched his fist, putting on his most serious face. It could also be seen, that for a split second, Yuto's eyes flashed completely blue, and a dark aura surrounded.

Life changed, in the blink of an eye. Yuto's life immediately changed in those moments. Yuto and the others knew, that they need to get serious. One wrong move, and it's over for them, and every other innocent person in Heartland.

 **Done! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **The invasion has now started. Next chapter, Yuto might use a monster you guys might be familiar with.**

 **Also, I am sorry for people who were a fan of Sho Marufuji (Syrus Truesdale in the dub) that I had him carded. But it's going to help with the story later on.**

 **If you're wondering what Lane and Ryon (Yuto's mom and dad), and Yuto's two brothers look like, then I'll tell you. These characters have already exsisted in the anime. However, they were not related to Yuto from what we know. But for this fanfic, they are going to be related.**

 **If you want to see the characters I am talking about in the actual anime, then I will list their most notable appearances.**

 **Mom: Appeared in both episode 100 and 144. She was the Woman getting water in Heartland, but saw Yuya, Sawatari, and Gongenzaka walking towards her with duel disks. Thinking they was Academia, she ran away and hid her two children, begging that they spare the children, even though Yuya, Sawatari, and Gongenzaka weren't really Academia. She appeared in 144 and watched Yuya's duel against Dennis.**

 **2 brothers: Appeared in episode 100 and 144. They were the two children the Mom was trying to hide. In episode 144, they watched Yuya's duel against Dennis, and were at first scolded by the woman.**

 **Dad: Appeared in episode 144. He was the man who the woman comforted while Yuya and Dennis were dueling. He was already turned into a card, as mentioned in 100 (I think he was the same guy).**

 **Sorry for no duel by the way. There will be one in the next chapter most likely.**

 **Fanime1: I'm actually debating on whether Dennis should "commit suicide" or not. As I kinda said, I will include some of Yuto's duels in the war. But, the others will also get a chance to duel. Well, less of Ruri cause… you know what happens. I'll make sure to include these as some point. I will also make sure to give you credit when they are shown because it wouldn't be fair if I claimed it as my card that I made.**

 **Oh yeah, if you guys were wondering what Haruto (Hart in the dub) did to Kaito's room, he wrote all over Kaito's room, "Galaxy Eyes Sucks", this was something that Shark and Shun told him to do when Kaito was away because Haruto would be the last person Kaito would expect to something like that.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. See ya guys next time, take care goodbye.**


	6. Requiem of Disaster

Heartland was burning.

Multiple houses and buildings were being left to ashes. Multiple people were either running, laughing, Dueling, or being turned into a Card. Some people were trying to fight back, but to no avail. However, some were winning.

"Go! Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker! Attack him directly! Charging Sound Break!" Allen yelled as his monster struck an Academia soldier.

The soldier let out a long painful scream as the force of the shockwaves created from the attack sent him flying back.

"Where's Yuto?" Allen asked.

"I don't know, he got separated from us when we were running." Shark responded.

"DAMN IT!" Shun yelled as crouched down and punched the ground. They were losing so many innocent people already, and he doesn't want to lose his best friend too.

"Calm down Shun." Kaito said, although he knew that he was only being hypocryhypoc, as he himself could feel his composure slipping.

"I'm sure Yuto is fine." Sayaka assured him.

"Yeah, Yuto doesn't go down easily." Rio added.

"I know, but…" Shun trailed off, knowing that their attempts at trying to reassure him were faked. They too, particularity Kaito, was starting to skip.

"Yuto, please be safe." Ruri whispered with a look of concern as tears started to stream down her face.

* * *

Yuto managed to get to his house. There were some close calls, but he made it. To his horror, not only could he not see the sun anymore, but his house was burning.

"Oh no! My Deck!" Yuto yelled. But then, he realized something that he should be more concerned about.

"Mom, Dad, my brothers!"

Yuto dashed into the house. However, he saw no one. Relieved at the probability of his family evacuating the earler behind high, he continued, coughing loudly as he made his way to the stairs.

He saw the stairs burning, but it was still possible to climb on them. Yuto entered his burning room. Holes were in the floor, but it was still possible to traverse...for now anyways.

He saw the small safe where he kept his Deck and Duel Disk. Yuto ran over to the safe. However, a giant shadow covered the house, Yuto looked up and saw a giant (forgot to mention the roof was gone). The giant started charging it's cannon, aiming the blast right for Yuto.

Yuto cursed under his breath, picking up the safe and dashing to an opening he saw in his wall. He jumped out of his house, however, the giant shot it's cannon at the house, causing an explosion that Yuto was partially caught in.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yuto let out a cry while falling to the ground tumbling, his clothes becoming even more tattered. Thankfully, Yuto's room wasn't far from the ground so Yuto didn't get injured, but he could feel a sharp pain in his body. Also, the safe broke open and his Duel Disk flew out along with his belt that contained his Cards.

Yuto got up and started running as fast as he could, stumbling a few times along the way because of some explosions. He picked up the belt and Disk, quickly strapping on the belt while sliding his Durk Disk tightly secured onto his wrist.

He skidded to a halt and turned around to see who's giant it was. He saw a boy with a yellow jacket under the giant. Yuto began to run towards him, immediately activating his duel disk then skidding to a halt.

Yuto and the student looked each other in the eye, with silence between them as if there wasn't anything else around them happening. Then, Yuto broke the silence. "Why. Why are you doing this. Why are you attacking our home?"

"I have no reason to tell you that. But since you're going to be a Card soon, I will tell you a little. This has to be done in order to build a perfect utopia." The student responded with a grueling smirk. From the expression he was giving, it looked like he was enjoying this entire attack on innocent people.

"Nonsense. You can't have a perfect utopia if you are hurting innocent people in the process! And to those who do survive, they'll all be traumatized by the experience!" Yuto yelled back, his anger slowly rising.

"I don't have time for this. I see you have a Duel Disk there. So you have 4 options. 1. Run away 2. Surrender and MAYBE I will spare you 3. Side with us 4. Duel me!" The student proposed, not really giving Yuto much of a choice.

When he heard those words, Yuto immediately readied his Duel Disk. "My answer is obvious, I'm not just going to let you destroy my home just like that! I will protect my homeland, and I WILL find a way to undo the Carding!" Yuto stated his resolve.

" **DUEL!** "

 **Yuto: 4000 LP**

 **Student: 4000 LP**

"I'll go first!" The student yelled. "From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Fusion!"

"Fusion! What the hell is that?!"

"From my Hand, I fuse Ancient Gear Golem and Ancient Gear Hunting Hound! Mechanical soldiers bearing the souls of old, form an allegiance and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Mechanical Being of Malevolence! Ancient Gear Devil!" The student yelled as a machine Monster appeared on the Field, letting out a robotic howl as it did.

 **Gear Devil: Level 8, 1000 Atk, 1800 Def**

"Now I activate the Equip Magic Ancient Gear Tank. My Monster now gains 600 Attack Points."

 **Gear Devil: 1000-1600 Atk**

"Now I activate Ancient Gear Devil's effect, for each card equipped to it, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to you!" The student yelled as the Ancient Gear shot Yuto with it's guns. Yuto grunted in pain as he was pushed back across the ground.

 **Yuto: 4000-3000 LP**

"I end my turn. Hah, have you had enough?" The student asked.

"NO! I will never give up, for my FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND EVERYONE ELSE IN HEARTLAND. I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" Yuto shouted as he felt something burning in his chest.

Unbeknownst to Yuto, his own eyes flashed blue for a second.

* * *

 **Another Location in Heartland**

Yuto's Dad Ryon was walking sneaking through destroyed Heartland, making sure he wouldn't be seen by any of the soldiers. He was currently trying to find Yuto. He had been worried about him ever since the invasion started.

Come on Ryon, think! Where would Yuto go! The rest of your family are counting on you! Ryona thought as he remembered what the others said.

* * *

 **Earlier**

"Where's Yuto-nii?." One of Yuto's brothers asked Lane, who was looking away with a worried look.

"I don't know." Lane whispered. She hoped Yuto was with his friends and was safe. Meanwhile, the other brother of Yuto was crying.

"Are we ever going back to our house again?" He asked.

"No." Lane answered bluntly. As much as she hafed to see to her children, it was the truth. And now was not the time to lie about something like a house. She then brought her hands up to her face, as she uttered a small prayer, "Yuto, please be safe."

"I'll make sure he's safe." Ryon declared as he started to walk away.

"NO! Stop, Ryon, I'll go looking for him. I don't want to risk your life." Lane yelled.

"And I don't want to risk yours. Goodbye, my children. Goodbye… Lane." Ryon said as he kept walking. However, he stopped. Then, in a blink of an eye, he turned around and went to Lane, then he kissed her on the head. He then ran to find his son Yuto.

* * *

 **Now**

Ryon shut his eyes, tightly digging his nails into his skin until it started to bleed.

He made this vow with his own blood.

"I won't fail you. I WILL find you Yuto, if it's the last thing I do. I WILL FIND YOU!"

* * *

 **Back at the Duel**

"My turn, draw!" Yuto yelled as he drew, looking at the Card. "I summon Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!"

 **Ragged Gloves: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

"When I control a Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon this! Come forth! Phantom Knights Silent Boots!"

 **Silent Boots: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1200 Def**

"2 level 3 Monsters. An Xyz Summon!" The student grinned, he had been waiting for an ACTUAL challenge since he had arrived. His hunger for battle only increased as Yuto spoke his next words.

"Now, using my level 3 Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots, I overlay! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Yuto exclaimed as his Monster appeared. "Ragged Gloves effect activates, when it is used as Marerial, the Xyz Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn."

 **Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000-3000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Battle! Go Break Sword! Attack Ancient Gear Devil!" Yuto yelled as Break Sword charged, stabbing Devil with it's sword.

"Ancient Gear Tank's effect activates, since the equipped Monster was destroyed, you take 600 points of damage!" The student yelled.

Yuto managed to dodge the small explosion, however, that didn't stop the damage.

 **Yuto: 3000-2400 LP**

"I set 2 Cards facedown, I end my turn." Yuto concluded. "At this moment, Ragged Gloves effect ends, and Break Sword's Attack returns to normal."

 **Break Sword: 3000-2000 Atk**

"My turn, draw! Alright! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, his effect activates, dealing you 600 points of damage." The student yelled as Hunting Hound headbutted Yuto. Yuto groaned in pain.

 **Yuto: 2400-1800 LP**

"Now I activate Overload Fusion! I banish, the Hunting Hound on the Field and the one in the Grave, the Ancient Gear Golem resting in the Grave, and finally the Ancient Gear Devil in the Grave in order to perform a Fusion Summon! Now, come forth! Level 10, Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!" The student yelled as the Monster that tried to shoot Yuto appeared to the Field. Meanwhile, Yuto had a very worried expression on his face. "Battle! Go Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, attack Phantom Knights Break Sword!"

"Go, Continuous Trap Phantom Knights' Sword! I equip it to Break Sword, he gains 800 Attack!" Yuto yelled as Break Sword's sword grew bigger.

 **Break Sword: 2000-2800 Atk**

Yuto, had he wanted to, could have used the extra effect of Phantom Knights' Sword to save Break Sword, but he let the Monster get destroyed. Yuto let out a cry of pain as he was blown backwards.

 **Yuto: 1800-100 LP**

"Break Sword's effect activates, I can Special Summon it's Materials from the Graveyard!"

However, to his shock, Yuto's Monsters never appeared. "What? Why didn't my Monsters appear?" Yuto questioned.

"When Chaos Giant attacks, you can activate effects until the battle ends!" The student said as Yuto grit his teeth out of frustration. "Give up, there is no way you can win."

 _Maybe he's right..._ Yuto thought as he looked at his Hand. He had a Phantom Knights Monster and a Phantom Knights Magic Card. It's over, Yuto had failed. he had failed to fight back and protect his homeland and his family...his friends...everyone else... Yuto closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. However…

"Stop right there!" A voice yelled. Yuto looked to his right and saw a familiar face.

"Dad!" Yuto exclaimed out of relief. If he was alright, then his family should also be fine. They were all together when he had left the house. He directed his attention to Ryon, who was walking in between the two, "Wait! Father, stay back!"

Ryon didn't listen and walked in between Yuto and the Academia student. The student clearly seemed annoyed.

"Out of the way old man. This is for the new generation only!" The student yelled.

Ryon ran towards the student and they had a scuffle, in which Ryon was dominating.

"Yuto! Run! Go! Leave me! I'll be fine! Just go find the rest!" Ryon yelled.

"No! I can't just do that to you dad! Family doesn't just ditch family!" Yuto protested. At that moment, the student took advantage of the situation and threw Ryon to the ground. Ryon let out a yelp of surprise. The student held up his Duel Disk and pointed it at Ryon and was about to click a button.

"Dad!" Yuto yelled as he tried running over to his dad to help, however, not only was he fatigued from running and getting attacked, but he fell because of a nearby explosion. Then, to Yuto's horror, the button was placed, Ryon was covered in a purple light, and his body was no more. Then, a Card fell to the floor, the student picked it up and looked at it. He then showed the card to Yuto and smiled maliciously.

"FATHER!" Yuto shouted at the top of his lungs, tears as images were flashing in his head as he heard a really loud, angry roar. It was very similar to Dark Rebellion, but Yuto could tell that the dragon wasn't Dark Rebellion. Yuto heard a voice in his head.

 _Destroy him… take away what he took from us… card him… kill him… DESTROY HIM… DESTROY EVERYTHING!_ was what the voice was saying. Yuto started clutching his head and groaning. He closed his eyes as a dark aura formed around him. Yuto opened his eyes, however, his eyes were completely blue, and his pupils could not be seen. The student saw Yuto and got scared, he started backing away.

"W-what? What are you?" The student asked.

"Who am I? I am the one who is going to destroy you. Then, we will destroy more people. We will keep winning. We will keep surviving, UNTIL WE DESTROY EVERYTHING!" Yuto yelled, clearly not himself.

"For what you did… you will pay dearly. RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! MY TURN! I DRAW!" Yuto yelled as he drew his Card with so much force, a dark type of energy, shockwave or wind blew the student back.

"What the hell is this guy?" The student mused, his lips parting.

"I activate Pot of Greed! I draw 2 Cards! Now! I Summon Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet!" Yuto yelled as a new Monster appeared.

 **Rusty Helmet: Level 3 400 Atk, 800 Def**

"I activate its effect! I discard Phantom Knights Dusty Robe in order to Special Summon this, Phantom Knights Recruiter!" Yuto yelled.

 **Recruiter: Level 4 1400 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Recruiter's effect activates, I target a Monster on the Field, then I declare a level, that Monster's level becomes the declared level. I target Rusty Helmet! I also declare level 4!" Yuto explained as the student started to back away more.

 **Rusty Helmet: Level 3-4**

"2 level 4 Monsters..." The student murmured under his breath, his feeling of excitement soon turning to fear.

"I, using the level 4 Phantom Knights Recruiter, and Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet, overlay!" Yuto yelled as his Monsters went into the portal.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace appeared.

"I now activate Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights' Launch! Using this Card, and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I can Xyz Summon a Monsrer who is 1 Rank higher!" Yuto explained.

"From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

 **Dark Requiem: Rank 5, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

"Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's effect activates, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target one level 5 or higher Monster on your Field, and until the end of the turn, that Monster's Attack becomes 0, and Dark Requiem gains the lost amount! Requiem Salvation!" Yuto yelled as lightning from Dark Requiem's wings struck Chaos Giant, who crouched down as it lost it's power.

 **Chaos Giant:4500-0 Atk**

 **Dark Requiem: 3000-7500 Atk**

"What! 7-7500 Atk!" The student exclaimed as he took a step back.

"Battle! Go Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, attack Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!" Yuto yelled as he pointed his hand at Chaos Giant. Dark Requiem flew up into the air and spread out it's wings. The wings started to be colored with church like stained glass.

"GO TO HELL!" Yuto yelled as he punched the air towards Dark Requiem. "REQUIEM OF DISASTER DISOBEY!"

Dark Requiem's fangs had electricity on them, then, the dragon started diving down with impressive speed, piercing the Chaos Giant, destroying it. The student screamed to the sky as he was blown back far by the attack.

 **Student: 4000-0 LP**

Dark Requiem started to disappear as Yuto was breathing heavily, he clutched his head and closed his eyes. The dark aura started to dissipate. Yuto opened his eyes, his pupils were noticeable again. However…

"Huh? What happened? Last thing I remember was… Dad getting Carded!" Yuto widened his eyes out of horror. Yuto noticed the student who Carded his dad was lying down unconscious. Yuto ran over to him and grabbed his collar. "HOW DO YOU REVERSE THE CARDING?! TELL ME!"

No response.

Yuto noticed a Card nearby, he walked over to it and picked it up. It was his dad's Card. "Dad…" Yuto said as he started to tear up once again, Yuto looked up at the sky and yelled, "DAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"

Memories of his dad popped into his head. When he took Yuto to the amusement park for the first time. When he gave him his Phantom Knights Deck (except Dark Rebellion). The Phantom Knights deck. Yuto thought. That was the thing that he cherished from his dad the most. He would never ditch the Deck, as it would mean disrespecting his father. He would also be disrespecting the Phantom Knights. The Phantom Knights were like a secondary family like Dark Rebellion. Unless you were to count friends as a secondary family.

"I'll find a way. I'll find a way to get you back… and that includes everyone of Heartland!" Yuto yelled. He froze, he saw 6 people walking around. Instantly., he recognized them by their hair. It was Ruri, Sayaka, Allen, Shark, Rio, and Kaito.

"Guys!" Yuto yelled. The 6 figures turned to look at Yuto. They instantly started running towards him.

"Yuto!" They yelled. However, Ruri was running the fastest, Yuto was also running towards the others. Ruri jumped towards Yuto and knocked to the ground, while giving him a hug and crying.

"You idiot! I thought I lost you! Don't ever do that again!" Ruri cried.

"Ruri…" Yuto whispered. She had worried for him this much.

"Don't worry Ruri. I'll be here for you. I'm never going to leave your side."

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet Level 3 Dark, Warrior: Once per turn, you can discard one card, then, special summon 1 Phantom Knights monster from your hand, deck, or grave. Once per turn, you can banish this card from your grave, add one banished Phantom Knights card to your hand.**

 **Phantom Knights' Recruiter: Once per turn, you can target one monster, declare a level, that monster's level becomes the declared level. Once per turn, you can banish this card, special summon 1 Phantom Knights monster from your hand or deck.**

* * *

 **Done! Here it is, the debut of Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, hope you enjoyed the chapter,**

 **Next chapter, there is a small chance that I'm going to do 2 duels. The people dueling is from Kaito, Allen, or Sayaka.**

 **SSJ Gamer YT: I agree with you about Yuya. He had much more character development. Especially in the Xyz and Fusion arc. Lol, Dark Yuya did kinda help with that actually. So, he lived up to what the author said he would be. As for my Yuya… well, we'll see how it goes. I got 2 plans for Yuya. You're not gonna like the first one. You might like the second one.**

 **Fanime1: lol, I see the reference, if you are making a reference to Avatar that is. Well, Yuto just found his dad carded in front of his eyes. You're going to have see if I am gonna card the others. Sorry I haven't been using the cards you suggested yet. I most likely will next chapter, for whoever duels. Yep, Yugo is coming. I might change that part of the plot drastically though. Yugo is still going to come, and he and Yuto will most likely still duel though. Last thing, Sho is "Dead" (as in carded). As for Kaiser Ryo, he hasn't found out yet. Just gonna let you know, right now he is JUST Kaiser Ryo. He is not HELL Kaiser Ryo...yet**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. By the way, I will include flashbacks of Yuto and his Dad in later chapters to show you guys the relationship they had.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	7. Symbol of Friendship

"Hey guys, where is Shun?" Yuto asked as he signaled Ruri to get off of him.

"He's going to make sure his and Ruri's parents are safe." Rio told him.

"He was really worried about you. Where did you go?" Shark asked.

"I went to go get my deck. I already got it, but then one of those giants tried to shoot me." Yuto said as he got back on his feet.

"Let's go guys." Kaito rushed.

"Wait." Yuto retorted with a hint of sadness and started looking around. He saw a card lying on the ground, the card he dropped when Ruri tackled him. He picked up the card.

"Who's is that?" Allen asked.

Yuto didn't respond and he kept staring at the card. Sayaka noticed Yuto started to clench the fist that didn't have the card.

"It's my fault!" Yuto yelled as the memory of his father getting carded appeared in his head, he also remembered blacking out but he didn't think much about it cause of what happened.

"Yuto, what do you… Oh my god!" Ruri yelled as she saw the carded person. It was Ryon, Yuto's father. Now that she thought about it, she swore she heard Yuto yelling before they met up. Yuto was probably mourning his father.

"Yuto… I'm so sorry." Ruri said as she stepped closer to Yuto while putting one hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. It was mine. I could have stopped the carding. I could have helped someone. I could have saved my FATHER!" Yuto exclaimed as more tears came down his face.

"Yuto..." Ruri whispered as tears were coming into her eyes.

"We'll find a way to reverse the carding." Kaito told Yuto. However, he gasped when he heard Yuto's response.

"HOW! HOW CAN WE FIND A WAY TO REVERSE THE CARDING. WE'RE BEING UTTERLY ANNIHILATED! HOW CAN I HELP PEOPLE AND RESTORE HEARTLAND TO PEACE IF I CAN'T SAVE ONE PERSON! LET ALONE MY FATHER! ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE TO ME IN MY LIFE! IF I CAN'T SAVE THE ONES CLOSET TO ME, THEN HOW CAN I SAVE OTHERS!" Yuto yelled at the top of his lungs with anger clear on his face.

Kaito couldn't blame him. After all, if that happened to his family, he wouldn't know what he would do. He would go out of control and lose himself. However, Shun had a different feeling.

Shark walked up to Yuto and punched so hard in the face he fell to the ground. Yuto yelled out in pain as Ruri gasped at the sudden attack.

"Ryoga!" Rio yelled.

"Wake up Yuto!" Shark yelled as he grabbed Yuto by the collar and picked him up. "Sure you couldn't save your dad, but that doesn't mean you quit! We WILL find a way to reverse the carding and return Heartland to normal. I swear to you, on my life, we WILL find a way. Besides, you said YOU can't save people. But, what about all of us, and other people?" Shark asked.

Yuto gasped. How could he be so stupid, he wasn't alone. His friends were with him all the way. He could always count on them to have his back and they could count of him to have their backs. That's what friends do, they look out for each other.

"You're right. Thanks Shark. I needed that. I have you guys with me. I was so stupid to think I was alone." Yuto said.

"Whatever happens, we will be with you." Sayaka told Yuto.

"What they said! We got your back!" Allen told Yuto as he gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright. Let's go." Rio said. However, as Yuto tried to walk he started to fall. Thankfully, Shark used his fast reflexes to catch him. Shark and the others had a concerned look on their face.

"Damn! He's unconscious." Shark cursed.

"Well, carry him. We need to go find Shun." Kaito told him.

* * *

Another area in Heartland

Shun:100 Lp

Blue student: 4000 Lp

Red student: 4000 Lp

Shun had nothing on his field. He had 1 card in his hand and no cards on the field. Both students had no cards in their hand and they both had an Ancient Gear Chaos Giant on the field.

"Give up." The blue student said.

"Yeah! There is no way you can win!" The red student exclaimed.

"Give up? No, I will never give up. I WILL win. My turn, draw!" Shun looked at the card, it was just what he needed.

"I summon Raidraptor-King's Lanius." Shun said.

King's Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 650 Def

"I use it's effect to special summon Raidraptor-Retrofit Lanius!" Shun yelled.

Retrofit Lanius: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1200 Def

"Retrofit Lanius can be treated as 2 monster when used in an xyz summon. I use my 2 level 4 Retrofit Lanius and my King's Lanius to overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as he slapped his card onto the duel disk. His ace monster appeared to the field.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

"Only 100 attack? You must be out of your mind." The blue student mocked. However, he lost his smile when Shun kept going.

"I use Rise Falcon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, it gains attack equal to the attack of all special summoned monster's that you control!" Shun yelled.

"What!" The red student yelled.

Rise Falcon: 100-9100 Atk

"But! There are two of us. On our next turn we wi…" The blue student was interrupted by Shun.

"There won't be another turn for you bastards. Raidraptor-Rise Falcon, can attack every special summoned monster you control!" Shun yelled.

"Unbelievable!" The red student yelled as he and the other student started to take a step back.

"GO! Rise Falcon! Tear all of our enemies to shreds! BRAVE CLAW REVOLUTION!" Shun yelled as Rise Falcon zipped through both Chaos Giants, destroying them. Both students were yelling as they were flying back.

Both students: 4000-0 Lp

"TIme you taste what it feels like for the people of Heartland to become cards!" Shun yelled as he walked over to both duelists and took of one of their duel disks. Shun pressed a button, and a purple light was shone, both students were covered in it. Then, 2 cards were seen falling to the ground. Shun picked up the cards and took them with him.

Shun then looked out into the battlefield. _Why did these strangers attack us?_ Shun saw something, he saw people running towards him. He recognized them as his friends. He saw Yuto being carried, and immediately started running towards them.

* * *

Later

"Are you guys alright?" Shun asked.

"Yeah. Yuto fell unconscious but other than that he is fine." Allen told him.

"Well… physically he is fine…" Kaito trailed off.

"Emotionally…" Shark trailed off.

"No." Sayaka finished.

"Why? What happened?" Shun asked with concern.

"His father was carded on front of him, and he blames himself for it. He almost lost all hope. But thanks to Shark, we avoided that" Ruri informed. Upon hearing this, Shun gasped, Yuto was ready to give up? That wasn't like him. Also, his dad was carded in front of him. Although Shun didn't show it, he felt sorry for Yuto inside.

"Well, let's go. I heard they are making a camp for the survivors. We should go there to rest up, it seems like the fight is calming down." Shun told them.

"Alright." Ruri responded.

"No." Allen told them. Shun looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Shun asked.

"I'm not coming. I'm gonna stay for the rest of the attack, and help out as much people as possible." Allen told him.

"Same." Shark and Rio told Shun.

"I'll join you guys later then." Kaito told them.

"Alright, then. Here's our plan, Ruri, Sayaka, you come with me to the camp. You 2 would be good at helping around. Also, we need to help Yuto." Shun told them as he took Yuto from Shun and held him over his shoulder.

"Alright, then as we said, Kaito, Allen, Rio and I will help the other people. In order to protect as many people as possible." Shark told them.

"What about the civilians? Like Kaito's family, Yuto's family, our family?" Ruri asked.

"Our family should be safe at the camp. As for Kaito and Yuto's family I don't know." Shun responded.

"I should get my parents then. Sayaka, I'll get your family for you, I swear, I know how much they mean to you." Allen told her.

"Allen… you would do that for me?" Sayaka asked. She was surprised, he would risk his life for her parents.

"Of course, we're friends, that's what we do!" Allen flashed a thumbs up to Sayaka.

"Ok… Thanks!" Sayaka told Allen with a small smile, it was good to have an idiot friend like Allen.

"Oh yeah, Ruri, Sayaka, you 2 also get nearby civilians and help them along with us. We need as many survivors as possible." Shun told them.

"Alright! Let's move out!" Rio exclaimed.

Shun, who was carrying Yuto, Ruri, and Sayaka walked together towards the camp. On the other hand, Rio, Shark, and Kaito split up, while Allen went to find his and Sayaka's families.

"Ryoga, I'll go find Mom and Dad." Rio told Shark.

"Ok be careful." Sharl told her, he didn't want to lose her because of their enemies.

* * *

Later

Allen was running as fast as he could, looking around for his and Sayaka's families. He stopped to see 2 students crowding people. Allen knew they were civilians, so he had to help out.

"Hey! You guys! Stop right there!" Allen yelled.

The two students looked at Allen, one student had a yellow jacket and the other was wearing a red jacket.

"Oh yeah. What are you going to do about it?" One asked.

"I will duel you!" Allen yelled.

The people who were getting crowded looked at Allen, this was Sayaka's mother and father. They instantly recognized Allen, he was the most frequent guest and Sayaka's best friend. They actually thought both of them were an item, but they denied it every time.

"Allen! Stay away!" The father yelled.

"NO! I told Sayaka that I would bring you guys to her safe." Allen yelled back.

"Aww, you made a promise to your girlfriend?" One student mocked.

"Shut up! I'm going to save these people, but not only that, but I'm going to find out some stuff about you bastards!" Allen yelled.

"Oh… well… I guess we could tell you a bit of why we were invading." The student in yellow said.

"Ok, we're only going to say this once so you better listen. Our group is called Academia, we are attacking your city because we are following the Professor's orders. Orders to make a perfect and grand world." The red student told Allen.

"Academia… Perfect and grand utopia...Professor?" Allen questioned. What was going on here? Was the thing that was in his head, and what the student told him gave him even more questions. What is Academia? Who is the Professor? Why would they attack innocent people in order to make a "perfect" world? Why are they sealing innocent people into cards?

"Never mind! I'm going to beat the hell out of you guys!" Allen yelled as he readied his duel disk.

"You are welcome to try!" The student in yellow exclaimed.

DUEL!

* * *

Another area in Heartland

Rio was helping batches of survivors get away from the fighting and to safe places. She also told them where the camp was, and that they could go there when it is safer. She was now running around to see if she could find another batch.

While she was running around a corner she saw 2 students carding a family. Two cards fell to the ground. Also, these two students looked different from the others, they had some mask covering their eyes. The students finally noticed Rio.

"Oh! A duelist. Finally, we have been waiting for a challenge!" One student said as he readied his duel disk.

"Don't think we are easy to beat, we are the Obelisk Force, the most elite of Academia!" The other student told her as he also readied his duel disk.

"You bastards! I'll make you pay for everything you have done! For the people of Heartland!" Rio yelled as she backed up and activated her duel disk.

DUEL!

* * *

Back with Allen

"I'll go first! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" The red student exclaimed.

Hunting Hound: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I use it's effect, dealing you 600 points of damage!" The student exclaimed as the Hound shot Allen with fire. The fire didn't burn his clothes, but he took damage.

"AAAAARRRGH!" Allen groaned in pain as he fell to the ground.

Allen:4000-3400 Lp

"I set 2 cards and end my turn." The red student concluded his turn.

"My turn, draw! I also summon Ancient GEar Hunting Hound, and use it's effect to deal you 600 points." The yellow student explained as Hunting Hound jumped into the air and came down headbutting Allen in the face.

Allen groaned in pain as he closed his eyes and clutched his face. A little more of this and he might pass out. He was only a kid and he was being thrown into battle like this. He wasn't as strong as Yuto, Shun, Kaito and Shark physically. He also had a less tolerance for pain.

"I set one card and end my turn" The student in yellow concluded.

"My turn, draw!" Allen froze as he saw the card. _This is… the card that Sayaka gave me._ Allen closed his eyes as he remembered that he was not alone. Sayaka was, although not with him right now, fighting with him in spirit. He knew what to do.

"I summon Heavy Armored Earth Monorail!" Allen yelled as his train appeared. **(On a side note, special thanks to Fanime1 for making this card, hope you don't mind this as being a symbol of Allen and Sayaka's friendship.)**

Earth Monorail: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1800 Def

"That card!" Sayaka's father exclaimed. He was there when Sayaka gave the card to Allen. He had remembered it like it was yesterday.

* * *

Flashback, 2 months ago

" _Allen, I want you to have this." Sayaka told Allen as she gave him a facedown card as Allen was about to leave her house, her father was right next to her._

" _Huh? What is this?" Allen asked as he flipped over the card, however, confusion soon turned into happiness as he saw the card. This could help out his deck. It was Heavy Armored Earth Monorail._

" _Cool! Thanks Sayaka!" Allen yelled as he hugged Sayaka, who blushed, but returned the hug._

" _You 2 sure you're not an item?" Sayaka's father asked. Immediately, they broke the hug and started stammering._

" _N-n-n-n-NO!" They yelled._

" _Sorry Allen. But, think of that as a symbol of friendship." Sayaka told Allen._

" _Ok. Thanks. I'll make sure to take good care of it." Allen responded._

* * *

Now

"Heavy Armored Earth Monorail can be treated as 2 monsters when used in an xyz summon." Allen explained.

"Oh… an xyz summon." The yellow student said.

"Don't lose Allen, you have got this!" Sayaka's mother yelled.

"I do this for you… Sayaka." Allen whispered to himself.

"I, using the 2 level 4 Earth Monorails, overlay! Train that travels at the speed of sound, and arrive here and now faster than a blink of an eye! Xyz summon! Show yourself! Rank 4! Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker!" Allen chanted as in a blink of an eye, his ace monster rushed to the field, making a choo choo sound as it appeared.

Sound Breaker: Rank 4, 2600 Atk, 1600 Def

"Bring it on!" The red student yelled.

"We're not scared!" The yellow student yelled.

"It doesn't matter, I am fighting with my friend, and I said I would bring her family back to her safe! I make that one of my top priorities! I am not letting her down!" Allen yelled, referring to Sayaka as "her".

* * *

Card Catalog

 **Big thanks again to Fanime1 for this card.**

 **Heavy Armored Earth Monorail Level 4 Machine, Earth, 1600 Atk, 1800 Def: When this monster is used for an xyz summon, you can treat this card as 2 monsters.**

* * *

 **Finished. Ok, to be honest, I think this was the worst written chapter yet on this fanfic.**

 **I kind of made this all over the place, and I said I would do a duel for you guys last chapter, but I only started a duel and did the last turn of Shun's duel. Allen's duel will finish next chapter, so will Rio's probably. I will start Shark's duel next chapter or at least lead up to it.**

 **To make up for going against my words, I tried to make this chapter as fast as I could. Sorry if you guys were disappointed at all.**

 **SSJGamerYT: Glad you caught that, I wanted to see if someone got that! :) Thanks for the advice. Also, yeah that was a mistake on my part, I forgot to mention Rio but I left Shun out on purpose. Lastly, I'll be on the lookout then for your story, best of luck man.**

 **Fanime1: Umm, well, here is an otk by Shun. Since Shun is one of the major characters, he will be dueling more in Standard than in the Xyz dimension here. As for Kaito and the gang, I am planning those duels out right now. Also, for the third time I am saying this, big special thanks for the suggestion. I'm sorry for taking a while to put in your suggested card.**

 **Just a reminder, like Fanime1 has done, you guys can suggest a card for any character. Well, there are some exceptions. For example, I don't think we need any suggestions for Jack and Crow, they have enough cards to work with but those guys are a long ways away anyway.**

 **Also, I forgot to mention in chapter 1 that there might be minor violence, just like people getting punched or kicked in the face or stomach from time to time.**

 **Yes, I will have Sayaka and Allen have a little relationship. It won't be as big as people like Yuto and Ruri, but I'll include from time to time. In my eyes, they make a cute couple. They cared about each other a lot in the anime so I thought why not make it a relationship. Besides, some people do it already.**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	8. Deeper into despair

Shark was running through Heartland, looking for both his family and more survivors. Hopefully, some of the survivors were duelists. However, a lot of the duelists are either injured, carded, or missing.

"Damn it!" Shark cursed.

He then realized where he was. "This place is…"

This was the park where Shark, Rio and other members would go to for special occasions. The park looked so different in a complete warzone. This place also used to be filled with so many people, but now it's like a barren wasteland.

"Better times huh." Shark told himself out loud.

"I think you'll have better times in a card." A voice said.

"What?" Shark asked as turned his head towards the voice.

"He said you're going to have better times in a card!" An Academia student in blue told him.

"I don't think so!" Shark exclaimed as he readied up his duel disk.

"Let me ask you something, what happens to the carded people?" Shark asked.

"I don't know. You're going to have to ask the Professor that question, but then again, you guys won't be able to reach one mile within the Professor's place." A student in yellow responded as he and the student in blue also readied their duel disks.

DUEL!

* * *

In another area

"Augh. What happened?" Yuto asked as he woke up.

"Thank goodness, you're up!" Ruri exclaimed.

"You were unconscious, I guess from the duel." Shun told him.

"Where are we going?" Yuto asked as he got off Shun's shoulder and onto his own feet.

"We're going to the camp. The survivors are there. As you can see, we have been taking survivors with us." Sayaka told Yuto as she pointed to the other people walking in their direction.

"By the way, if you're going to ask about Shark, Allen, Kaito and Rio, their fine." Ruri told Yuto.

"What are we going to do? We don't have many people left." Yuto said as he continued walking.

Sayaka stopped walking as a thought came into her head. "Hey, what about Yusho-sensei!"

"That's right! I haven't seen him at all!" Ruri exclaimed.

"He ditched out on us, great, a scaredy cat." Shun said. Sayaka immediately felt an ache in her heart after hearing that.

"No! Take that back brother!" Ruri yelled.

"Shun, I never met him in person, but from what I've heard, Yusho Sakaki doesn't seem like the person to run away from a fight. I think he's gone for a reason." Yuto told Shun.

"So you mean he could have been carded?" Sayaka asked with a sad look on her face. A person like Yusho didn't deserve to be carded, he just wanted peace and for everyone to have a good time.

"Either that or he's injured and away from any people, he's hiding, he's captured by the enemy and for some reason isn't sealed into a card or… he has… perhaps ran away." Yuto told her grimly. No matter what, none of those possible outcomes were good for them. Yusho could have been a very big help in this war. He was an expert duelist, and he was very unpredictable, you may never know what he has up his sleeve.

"I hope he's alright." Ruri said.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A voice asked sarcastically.

"What!" Shun exclaimed. The survivors came to a halt and looked around for the voice.

There were two soldiers coming their way.

"Great, just what we needed." Yuto said.

"Sayaka, Ruri, Yuto you guys stay back and make sure no one gets in danger. Also, make sure to look out for any survivors, and make sure no enemies are trying to sneak up on you. I'll take them." Shun told them.

"No way." Yuto told Shun as he stepped forward. "I'm not letting you fight 2 on 1 alone." He could feel and hear his heart beating with both fear and regret. Fear that if Shun fought them alone, he might lose and get carded. Regret that he let his dad get carded by one of these people.

"But…" Shun started.

"But no! Comrades don't abandon each other. The same goes for friends." Yuto told Shun with a firm voice as he readied his duel disk.

"Fine." Shun sighed. There was no stopping Yuto when he was like this. Shun readied his duel disk. The soldiers did the same as well while Ruri, Sayaka, and the survivors ran away to the camp, making sure no one followed them.

"So you're sacrificing yourself so your worthless comrades be safe?" The soldier in blue asked.

"It's not sacrificing if we're going to make it out." Shun replied.

"Oh, looks like we have a confident person. Well then, no need to hold back then." The soldier who was wearing yellow said.

"We will make it out! I'm doing this for my father, my friends, and the rest of Heartland!" Yuto yelled as he activated his duel disk. Yuto had to admit, although he was acting tough on the outside, on the inside, he was very weak. He was nervous of losing. If he lost, his best friend would get carded. Also, Ruri, Sayaka, and the other survivors would get into danger. Why did he have to fight? Sure it was for the right cause but... Why? He and most of the other people fighting in this war were only about 14 years old. Yet they get thrown into a war zone and are expected to fight a fight they never wanted. They also have immense pressure on them. If they lost, they are most likely not coming back or dueling in this war ever again. If they lost, it could be over for the people of Heartland. But nonetheless, Yuto had to push on. For what was right!

DUEL!

* * *

In another location

"Time to lose little girl! My turn! Draw! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" Obelisk Force 1 said.

Hunting Hound: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"It's effect activates, dealing you 600 points of damage!"

Hunting Hound ran to Rio and headbutted her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

"Augh..." Rio groaned as she slumped over and clutched her stomach in pain.

Rio: 4000-3400

"Hah! Gonna give up already?" Obelisk Force 2 asked.

"NO!" Rio yelled as she ignored the pain and rose back up.

"I set one card. That's all." Obelisk Force 1 ended his turn.

"My turn, draw! I also summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, and use it's effect to give you 600 more points of damage!" Obelisk Force 2 yelled.

Hunting Hound shot Rio with a fireball, who was screaming as she was sent flying and started rolling on the ground.

Rio: 3400-2800

She got dirt on her clothes, skin, and face, something that Obelisk Force 2 laughed at.

"Something funny?" Rio asked.

"No, it's just that watching you squirm in the dirt is just good to see. Unlike your wimpy comrades, you can take a hit." Obelisk Force 2 informed. At that comment, Rio got ticked off.

"Don't insult my comrades like that!" Rio yelled.

"But you know I'm right." Obelisk Force 2 responded.

"You bastard! I'm so gonna beat you to the ground!" Rio yelled.

"Not yet, cause I use Fusion in order to fuse the Hunting Hound on the field, with the two in my hand, and the Ancient Gear Wyvern in my hand! Fusion summon! Come forth, level 10! Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!" Obelisk Force 2 yelled as Chaos Giant's shadow covered Rio. It tried to have a cheap shot on Rio, but she managed to jump out of the way.

"Cowards!" Rio yelled.

"Coward or not, you're not in a good position." Obelisk Force 1 told Rio.

Rio took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but she couldn't! She still had the sense of fear in her head. It wouldn't get out. Then, she noticed something as she was about to draw her card, her hand was shaking. She was scared. Although, she didn't want to admit it, she was scared. The Chaos Giant scared the life out of her. Also, she thought about what the Obelisk Force member said.

 _He's right! I'm not in a good position. But, if I don't do anything, then I will lose!_ Rio thought. If she lost and got carded, Ryoga would lose it. She would lose her peaceful life, she would lose her friends, she would lose her family. But also... she would lose her entire life.

* * *

In another location

"I activate the effect of Sound Breaker, once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target one monster on the field whose original attack is lower than this card, then, I can inflict the difference to you as damage!" Allen explained.

"What!" The student in red exclaimed.

"I'll be destroying your Hunting Hound." Allen said as he pointed to the red student. Sound Breaker shot the Hunting Hound, which whimpered in pain before getting destroyed. The explosion caused the red student to fly back.

"AHHHHHH!" The student yelled in pain as dropped to the floor.

Red student: 4000-2400 Lp

"Now battle! Go, Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker, attack the Academia student directly! SOUND BREAK!" Allen yelled as Sound Breaker sped towards the red student so fast the student couldn't even see the train before feeling a sharp pain.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The student yelled in pain as he dropped to the ground unconscious

Red student: 2400-0 Lp

"Alright!" Allen yelled.

"Damn! You're going to pay for that!" The student in yellow yelled.

"No! You're going to pay for everything that you have done to us. We were just living our peaceful lives like normal people, and then you people just come out of nowhere and start invading our town!" Allen yelled at the yellow student as he gritted his teeth. His life had completely changed the moment he heard the first blast.

"Allen…" Sayaka's mother said.

"He's changed a lot." Sayaka's father said.

"Hmph, idiot. Don't you realize that what we are doing is for the better? For a better, perfect world. This is necessary, and so are sacrifices." The yellow student told Allen.

"How can you make a perfect world by hurting people? No matter what the pain and despair that everyone has went through will still be ingrained in their memories." Allen counterned. He kept seeing terrified looks on people's faces in his eyes.

"Grrr. Hurry up!" The student yelled.

"I set 2 cards, I end my turn." Allen concluded.

"My turn, draw!" The yellow student yelled. I activate Fusion! I fuse 2 Ancient Gear Golems and Ancient Gear Statue, and the Hunting Hound on my field. Fusion Summon! Show yourself, level 10, Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!" The student chanted as Chaos Giant appeared.

Chaos Giant: Level 10, 4500 Atk, 3000 Def

"That monster." Allen said as he clenched his fist. Allen wanted it off the field as soon as possible. "I activate the effect of Sound Breaker, once during player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can banish a monster in my grave, then, until the end of the turn, my monster gains that monster's attack!" Allen exclaimed.

Sound Breaker: 2600-4200 Atk

"Useless, battle! Go, Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, destroy Sound Breaker! When Chaos Giant battles, you can activate spells and traps until the battle ends!" The soldier yelled. The Giant stepped on Sound Breaker, crushing it. However, it wasn't over, Chaos Giant kept lifting up its foot and stomping on Sound Breaker. Allen felt a fire lit in his chest the moment he saw what was happening to his monster. He wasn't even fazed by the damage.

Allen: 2800-2500 Lp

"STOP THAT! THAT'S IT! FIRST, YOU ATTACK MY HOMELAND OUT OF NOWHERE, START SEALING THE INNOCENT PEOPLE INTO CARDS, AND TORTURED MY MONSTER! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! Trap activate! Steam Reborn, when an earth type Machine monster is destroyed, I can special summon it back to the field! Also, it can't be destroyed by battle, or card effects, and I don't take any battle damage for the rest of the turn!" Allen exclaimed. The fiery feeling in his chest wasn't even close to going out. He wanted to give this bastard a piece of his mind. Sayaka's parents gasped as they heard this outrage from Allen.

The student clicked his tongue. "I end my turn."

Allen closed his eyes, when he opened them, purple fire appeared in his eyes. He heard people screaming and Giants destroying buildings. Seeing these invaders called Academia going around carding people WHILE LAUGHING really made his blood boil.

"My turn, draw! From my hand I activate Rank Up Magic Speed Force! Using this card and my Sound Breaker, I can xyz summon a monster that has 1 rank higher than my monster! Train that travels at the speed of sound, go beyond the sound barrier, and reach those break neck speeds the light runs at! Rank Up Xyz Change! Show yourself, Rank 5, Heavy Armored Train Light Breaker!" Allen chanted as his new monster appeared.

Light Breaker: Rank 5, 3200 Atk, 2300 Def

"Allen did a Rank Up Xyz Summon!" Sayaka's mom exclaimed. She had never seen Allen do this before.

"A new monster. Hmph, it's still too weak!" The yellow student.

"We'll see about that! I activate Light Breaker's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, I can destroy any monster on the field, and the difference between Light Breaker's attack and that monster's attack is dealt to you as damage!" Allen exclaimed.

"What! The same effect as Sound Breaker but no limitation!" The yellow student exclaimed.

"Take this!" Allen yelled as his monster started moving at the speed of light. Chaos Giant was looking around trying to find it, however, Light Breaker sped right through Chaos Giant, destroying it.

"Ahhhhhhh!" The yellow student said as he was thrown against a wall.

Yellow student: 4000-2700

"This is the end! Go, Light Breaker! Attack him directly! LIGHT SPEED BREAK!" Allen yelled as once again Light Breaker started moving. It was too fast for the student to dodge, so he got hit hard.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The student yelled as he flew into the wall again, denting it and rendering him unconscious.

Allen's monster disappeared, he looked at Sayaka's family, who were looking with a surprised look on their face. The fire in Allen's heart was put out, and he calmed down.

"Are you alright? Sayaka has been worried sick about you two." Allen told them as he started walking towards them.

"Yes. We're fine." Sayaka's mother told him.

"Thank you for saving us." Sayaka's father told Allen.

"Don't mention it. I told Sayaka I would bring you two safely to her, and I will." Allen replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find our daughter." Sayaka's mother rushed. She was eager to see her daughter.

"Sure, she's out getting some survivors, we said we would meet up at the camp." Allen told them.

"So we're going to this camp, right?" Sayaka's father asked. Allen nodded in response as they started walking.

"I'll walk you a little close to the camp, but at some point I'm going to have to leave you two. I need to go find my parents." Allen told them. At that moment, both Sayaka's mom and dad froze and stopped walking, they had a nervous look on their face.

Allen also stopped walking. "What's wrong?" Allen asked.

"Allen…" Sayaka's mother started but couldn't finish as she bursted into tears.

"We don't want to tell you this but…" Sayaka's father trailed off, hoping Allen would realize what they were saying so he wouldn't have to say it.

Allen was still oblivious. "What?"

"Oh great. Umm, Allen… your mother was carded. We don't know when, but your father came to us and said that she was carded in front of his eyes. He told us not to tell you but… she was your mom… so you had the right to know." Sayaka's mother managed to tell as she kept crying.

Allen couldn't believe what he was hearing, his mother was gone, he was about to tear up, but then got worried about something else.

"Wait! What happened to my father?" Allen asked.

"We don't know. He left after telling us your mother was carded. We don't know if he's carded or somewhere else now." Sayaka's father told him.

Allen got really worried, first his mom's gone, now his father might be gone too or injured or worse… dead. That's even worse than getting carded. If he was carded there might be a way to return him to normal… but if he was actually dead…

Allen started to tear up, memories of his parents filled his head, he started to tear up, he could feel like a big part of him was missing. He could feel the ache of his heart, but this ache wasn't of pain or sadness, it was of disappointment.

What was he going to do? His family were one of the most important people in the world to him. Now, his mom was gone and his dad might be too. He's alone, he's separated from his friends, and knowing luck his friends are going to get carded as well. Then what, what will happen if they lose this war. Allen was losing hope in a blink of an eye. He just wanted to live in peace. He just wanted to hang out with his friends. He just wanted to have his family back.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Rank Up Magic Speed Force Quick-Play Magic: Target one Machine type xyz monster, special summon an xyz monster from your extra deck whose rank is 1 higher than the targeted monster using this card and the targeted monster (Xyz materials that were attached to the xyz monster are attached to the new xyz monster. Also, this counts as an xyz summon.) During your main phase only, you can banish this card from your graveyard and then special summon 1 xyz monster in your grave.**

 **Heavy Armored Train Light Breaker Earth Machine Xyz: Once during either player's turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this card, then, target one monster on the field, destroy, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference in attack between this card and the destroyed monster. Once per turn, if this card has no xyz materials, you can attach an Earth Machine type monster as xyz material from your hand or grave. If this card is destroyed, special summon 1 Machine type monster except this card.**

* * *

 **Done. Sorry I didn't do any progress on Rio's duel, Shark's duel, and Ruri and Sayaka's duel. I think I will set up a duel for Kaito next chapter, but I won't do any progress in it until the other duels are finished. I am going to try my best to finish two duels next chapter. If i don't, then I will either finish one and do a little of another one, or, I will do a little of every duel, and finish them in the chapter after that.**

 **Yugo is coming very soon. I've actually been really excited for Yugo to come. Also, when Yuri captures Ruri, I'm going to show their full duel, or at least most of it. Rin… I will most likely have them duel, but if I remember correctly in the anime they don't duel and Yuri just knocks out Rin. For this fanfic, I will either have Yuri duel Rin or have him knock her out, by like picking her up and throwing her against the wall or just having him punch her in the stomach really hard (Yuri isn't polite like that, so don't expect him to feel resentment for hitting a girl.) I will most likely have them duel though.**

 **Fanime1: I took your advice for this chapter, I kind of feel stupid not including those kind of stuff.**

 **Also, one more thing, I am going to have Yuto gain pendulum cards somehow. Who knows, maybe I'll give people like Yugo and Yuri pendulums. Yuya will already have pendulums by the way.**

 **Next chapter, we have Rio dueling the Obelisk Force and Shark dueling the students. Also, we will be seeing how things in the Fusion dimension are going. Who knows, maybe you guys will get a small scene with Yugo and Rin in the Synchro dimension. Maybe even the Standard dimension. *Wink* *Wink***

 **One final thing, there will be no Number cards or Chaos Numbers or CXyz monsters for that matter.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. Take care, good bye!**


	9. Shun's assault

Yuto and Shun were staring dead into the student's eye. Neither side was making any sudden movements.

"Here's how it goes, I'll go first, the the one with the cape will go next, after him is my partner in yellow, then, the guy with the purple trenchcoat will go last." The soldier in blue told Yuto and Shun.

"Fine with us, as long as you two get annihilated." Shun responded as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"Calm down Shun!" Yuto exclaimed as he put his hand on Shun's shoulder.

"But Yuto, they have invaded our home and started innocent people into cards!" Shun rebutted as he shook of Yuto's hand. His heart was boiling anger, rage, aggression, and revenge.

"I would recommend listening to your friend with the stupid eggplant hair." The soldier in yellow exclaimed with a smirk.

"Enough talk! Let's get this over with!" Shun exclaimed with an angered face.

"One more thing, no attacking anyone who hasn't had a turn!" Yuto yelled. Knowing these people, they might start cheating in order to avoid losing.

"Fine! My turn! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" The soldier in blue yelled.

Hunting Hound: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I use it's effect, I 600 points to you!" The soldier yelled as he pointed to Yuto. Hunting Hound shot Yuto with a fireball. Yuto winced as his life points went down.

Yuto: 4000-3400

"Are you alright Yuto?" Shun asked with a tiny bit of worry in his voice. He didn't want to show weakness in front of his enemies.

"I'm fine." Yuto assured Shun with a nod. However, Yuto was more worried about Shun. He had noticed Shun had started to be more rash and cruel with his actions.

"I activate Fusion!" The soldier exclaimed as Yuto and Shun got angered face after hearing the card. "I fuse all the Ancient Gear Hunting Hound on the field and the Ancient Gear Hunting Hound in my hand! "Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits, flock together and become one with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Level 5! Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog!"

Double Bite Hound Dog: Level 5, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def

"Did you actually think I would go along with that rule! Go, Double Bite Hound Dog, attack him directly!" The soldier yelled as Double Bite Hound Dog ran towards Yuto.

"From my hand I activate the effect of my Phantom Knights Guard! When a direct attack is declared, I can negate the attack and special summon this card!" Yuto yelled as he special summoned his monster. A shield appeared around Guard and Hound Dog crashed into it. The shield exploded, knocking away Hound Dog.

Phantom Knights Guard: Level 4. 900 Atk, 2300 Def

"I activate Bite Hound dog's effect! Once during any player's turn, when you normal summon or special summon a monster, I can place a gear counter on that monster! Next I activate the quick-play Fusion Advance, I half the attack of my Hound Dog, and it gets to attack again!" The soldier in blue yelled.

Hound Dog: 1400-700 Atk

"Now attack!"

"What?" Yuto and Shun questioned.

"Double Bite Hound Dog's effect activates, when it battles a monster with a gear counter, I can destroy that monster!" The soldier in blue exclaimed as Hound Dog bit Phantom Knights Guard, destroying it.

"From my hand I activate the effect of Phantom Knights Fragile Armor! When a Phantom Knights monster is destroyed, I can special summon this from my hand!" Yuto exclaimed.

Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Hmph, I end my turn." The soldier ended.

* * *

Synchro Dimension- Commons area

A boy with blue and yellow colored hair was standing with towels in his hands with had words that listed participation on it, while a girl around his age that had green hair was standing next to the boy while scolding him. 3 people were seen on a pedestal. One was on the one that said 1 and was holding up a trophy while smiling with pride.

"Yugo! You need to focus more! If you had been focusing more on the duel you would have been able to win!" The girl scolded.

The boy, now named Yugo, lashed back at the girl and started yelling back. "I know! You're such a nag Rin!"

The girl now known as Rin sighed. "Well, we'll have to wait till next time, I guess we could go practice riding on the d-wheel and get ready for the Friendship Cup."

"Fine." Yugo responded as they started to walk back to the orphanage.

* * *

Minutes later

Yugo was a little bit ahead of Rin because he was walking so fast, excited to ride on the d-wheel.

Then, Rin felt the air around become a little more pale, and more scary. She felt that someone was watching her from somewhere.

 _Again! About 10 times in the past week I feel like I am being watched, and this is only happening when I am away from the orphanage. Maybe I should tell Yugo about this._ Rin thought.

"Yugo! Wait up! I need to tell you something!" Rin yelled as she ran up to Yugo. Yugo stopped and turned around.

"Sure, what is it?" Yugo asked with a smile.

"For the past week, I have been feeling like someone is watching me." Rin told him.

"Someone is watching you! Don't worry Rin, I'll protect you! It's probably a stupid gang or something. Don't worry, I'll protect you Rin!" Yugo exclaimed with thumbs up.

Rin the. Smacked Yugo on the head hard. Yugo groaned from the pain. "What was that for?!"

"I'm not some kind of princess you know!" Rin yelled. Still, it was good to know that Yugo was there to help her if needed.

Then, from far away, behind a wall, two eyes were seen peeping through a wall. The pupils were violet. The boy revealed his face and got a sadistic grin. The boy had a resemblance to Yugo. The bit wore a cloak to further hide his identity.

"Oh, so she knows, kind of. This makes the hunt more fun!" The boy exclaimed as he slit his eyes like a serpent.

* * *

Xyz dimension-Heartland

"My turn, draw! I summon Phantom Knights Cloven Helm!" Yuto said.

Cloven Helm: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 500 Def

"Now, using the both the level 4 Cloven Helm and Fragile Armor, I overlay! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Double Bite Hound Dog's effect, once when you normal or special summon a monster I can place a gear counter on that monster." The soldier in blue explained.

 _With Dark Rebellion's effect he can do more damage. But…_ Shun thought.

"Battle! Go Dark Rebellion, attack Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog!" Yuto yelled.

"Idiot! Did you forget? When Double Bite Hound Dog is battling a monster with a gear counter, that monster gets destroyed!" The soldier in yellow.

"Of course I didn't, I activate the effect of my Phantom Knights Guard from my grave, when a monster(s) I control would be destroyed, I can banish this card and negate the destruction, and it can't be destroyed for the rest of the turn." Yuto explained while he wiped some sweat off his brow. This duel was putting some pressure on him. He could literally hear his heart beating over all of the fighting.

"Now that Dark Rebellion is still standing, the attack continues!" Yuto exclaimed. "REBELLIOUS LIGHTNING DISOBEY!"

Dark Rebellion's fangs started glaring with electricity as it dipped its fangs into the ground, all the while charging Double Bite Hound Dog, then, Dark Rebellion flew upwards, stabbing the Hound, destroying it. The soldier was thrown back yelling.

Blue Soldier: 4000-2900 Lp

"I set 3 cards. Turn end." Yuto concluded. "Huh?" Yuto looked confused as he heard the student in yellow laughing.

"What's so funny Fusion Scum?" Shun asked.

"Nothing, it's just the fact how stupid your friend is for not attacking me directly." The soldier in yellow mocked.

"Shut up! Yuto isn't like you cheats!" Shun exclaimed.

"Whatever, anyways, it's my turn now. Draw! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, I use it's effect to deal 600 points of damage to you!" The soldier in yellow exclaimed as he pointed at Shun. Hunting Hound ran to Shun and headbutted him in the chest. Shun grunted in pain as he slumped over in pain.

Shun: 4000-3400

"When I take effect damage, I can special summon Raidraptor-Avenge Vulture!" Shun yelled as Avenge Vulture was special summoned in defense mode.

Avenge Vulture: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 100 Def

"I activate the quick-play Fusion Cancel, I can target one fusion monster on the field, I can send it to the extra deck…" The soldier in yellow started.

"Then, if the fusion materials in the grave, I can special summon them. So come forth, my two Hunting Hounds!" The soldier in blue continued.

"Now, I activate the second effect of my Hunting Hound, if I control another Ancient Gear monster, I can fusion summon a monster using the monster's on my field or hand. I fuse all 3 Hunting Hounds. Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits, flock together and become one with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" The soldier in yellow chanted.

Triple Bite: Level 7, 1800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Now I use Fusion! I use the Triple Bite Hound Dog on my field and the Hunting Hound in my hand. Fusion summon! Come forth, level 7 Ancient Gear Ultimate Hound Dog!" The soldier in yellow chanted.

Ultimate Hound Dog: Level 9, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Phantom Sword! Now Dark Rebellion 800 attack!" Yuto exclaimed.

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3300 Atk

"I activate the equip spell Ancient Gear Tank! My monster gains 600 attack." The soldier explained.

Ultimate Hound Dog: 2800-3400 Atk

"Go! Ultimate Hound Dog, attack Dark Rebellion!" The soldier yelled. Ultimate Hound Dog shot multiple fireballs at Dark Rebellion, who hunched over in pain. Yuto didn't flinch as he made a move.

"I use Phantom Sword's effect, I send it to the grave in order to negate the destruction!" Yuto exclaimed as Dark Rebellion let out a roar after the bullets hit him.

Yuto: 3400-3300 Lp

"Too bad! Go, Ultimate Hound Dog, attack Dark Rebellion again!" The soldier yelled.

"From my hand, I activate Phantom Knights Healer! I can banish this card from my hand, and target the banished Phantom Knights Guard, I can now copy it's banished effect, so that means I can negate Dark Rebellion's destruction once more!" Yuto exclaimed. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

Yuto slid back but then came to a halt, with sweat coming down his face.

Yuto: 3300-2500 Lp

"Fine! One more time! Attack!" The yellow soldier yelled.

"Dark Rebellion isn't destroyed! AHHHHHHHH!" Yuto yelled as he got knocked away again.

Yuto: 2500-1600 Lp

"Yuto!" Ruri exclaimed as she tried to run to Yuto.

"Stop, Ruri!" Shun yelled at her, who stopped running immediately. Shun looked at Yuto. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Yuto told him.

"I end my turn." The soldier in yellow concluded.

"BOTH OF YOU FALL NOW! My turn,draw! I summon Raidraptor-Vanishing Lanius!" Shun yelled.

Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def

"Now, if I control a Vanishing Lanius, I can special summon another one!"

"3 level 4 monsters…" The blue soldier trailed off.

"I, using the 2 level 4 Vanishing Lanius, and Avenge Vulture, overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as in a burst of flames his ace monster rises from behind him.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force! I use Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon and its overlay units as overlay units in order to xyz summon a Raid Raptors xyz monster from the extra deck whose rank is 1 higher than Rise Falcon! The unseen bold falcon. Reveal your wings' unknown power here and now! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 5! Raidraptor - Étranger Falcon!" Shun chanted as his monster appeared up in the sky soaring down at high speeds.

Etranger Falcon: Rank 5, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Etranger Falcon's ability, once per turn, I can detach an overlay unit, then, I can target one monster you have, I destroy it, and you take it's attack as damage!" Shun exclaimed. Etranger Falcon flew around in the air while shooting Ultimate Hound Dog, ultimately destroying it.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The yellow soldier yelled as he flew back.

Yellow Soldier: 4000-600 Lp

"I activate Rank-Up Magic Soul Shave Force. AHHHHHH! I pay half of my life points in order to special summon an xyz monster in the grave, I choose Rise Falcon!" Shun exclaimed as his monster appeared. Electricity appeared around Shun signifying that he took damage.

Shun: 3400-1700 Lp

"Now I can use that monster as an overlay unit and special summon a Raid Raptors monster whose rank is two bigger than Rise Falcon's! Prideful falcon. Spread your wings, dyed in the blood of heroes, and charge through the path of revolution! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 6! Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon!" Shun chanted as he lifted his fist in the air as flames sprout out from behind him, out of those flames came Revolution Falcon.

Revolution Falcon: Rank 6, 2000 Atk, 3000 Def

"Revolution Falcon!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"This isn't good." Ruri said as she was keeping some people back. She knew that when Shun summons Revolution Falcon, he's dueling seriously.

"Now at the end of the turn I would take damage equal to Revolution Falcon's attack due to Soul Shave Force, however, if you think I'm done then you're hardly mistaken! I now activate Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force! I use Revolution Falcon and his material already attached to it as overlay units, then, I special summon a Raid Raptors xyz monster from my extra deck whose rank is two higher than Revolution Falcon's!" Shun exclaimed.

"What! Revolution Falcon is a rank 6!" The yellow soldier exclaimed.

"The next monster has a rank who is…" The blue soldier trailed off.

"Two higher than Revolution Falcon. Which means a rank 8." Yuto said, closing his eyes, it was over. A quick wave of relief ran over his body when he saw the good news.

"Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Rank Up Xyz Change! Soar! Rank 8! Raid Raptors - Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun chanted with an angered face as two eyes lit up on Satellite Falcon as it came crashing down to the ground, slowing down so it doesn't hit the ground.

Satellite Cannon Falcon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

"BATTLE! GO ETRANGER FALCON, END HIM!" Shun yelled as he pointed at the student in yellow, who gasped in fear. Etranger Falcon shot the yellow soldier with a big energy ball.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The soldier yelled as he crashed to the floor.

Yellow Soldier: 600-0 Lp

The blue soldier got a face full of fear, with lots of sweat going down his face. Etranger Falcon did that to his partner, and Satellite Cannon Falcon was even stronger. His chest and heart were pounding rapidly, all thinking the same thing, they were in trouble.

"PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" The blue soldier begged.

"ANYTHING? LEAVE ME ALONE?!" Shun questioned loudly, making the soldier flinch. "DO YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO BE SPARED, AFTER YOU AND YOUR COMRADES ATTACKED US OUT OF THE BLUE! ALL OF THE CARDED INNOCENT CITIZENS WERE BEGGING FOR MERCY, BEGGING, AND WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU CARDED THEM ANYWAY DESPITE THEIR CRIES, AND NOW YOU DESERVE TO BE SPARED, AND THE OTHER INNOCENT PEOPLE DON'T?! BULLSHIT!"

Shun let out all of his anger and Yuto couldn't help but agree. Why should they deserve to be spared. But this one side of Yuto disagreed. This side of him wanted to end the war, and eventually make peace with the invaders. However, the question is… Which side should he take? Yuto doesn't know the answer to that. Another thing, this war has completely changed Shun, he couldn't blame him though. But soon, that built up anger and rage might get the best of him.

"GO! SATELLITE CANNON FALCON! END THIS!" Shun yelled as Satellite Cannon Falcon flew up high into the air, and went into space. It started charging its guns, and the falcon glowed purple as well. Finally, the falcon roared out loud and shot its missile. The missile landed right next to the soldier, however, the falcon made sure to hold back. Although he wants them to feel pain, he didn't want to kill them, especially Shun and Yuto.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The blue soldier yelled as he tumbled across the ground, with scratches and tears on his uniform.

Blue Soldier: 2900-0 Lp

The duel ended, and Shun and Yuto's monsters disappeared. Shun walked up to the soldiers while Yuto made sure Ruri, Sayaka, and the other survivors are safe. Shun took a duel disk out of his pocket, it was a duel disk he took from a different student. He held it towards the yellow soldier, and pressed a button, a purple light came, and the yellow soldier was turned into a card. Hearing the sound, Yuto turned around and saw Shun going to do the same thing to the blue soldier, who was unconscious so he couldn't do anything.

"Stop! Shun! Leave him, we can get some information about these invaders!" Yuto yelled. Immediately, Shun had stopped. _How could I be so stupid?_ Shun thought. So instead, Shun took brought the soldier up to his feet and took his arms and pinned them to his back.

"Ruri, Sayaka, go take the survivors to the camp. Shun and I will interrogate this person. Stay safe." Yuto told them.

"Right!" Sayaka responded while Ruri just nodded. She couldn't believe what she just saw, this was the first time she had seen Shun act like a total monster in a duel.

"Yuto." Ruri said.

"Yeah, what is it?" Yuto asked.

"Can you make sure Shun doesn't lose himself?" Ruri asked.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it." Yuto told her as he followed Shun, who was taking the student to a place where they couldn't be interrupted.

Minutes later

The blue soldier opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was being beaten in a duel. He felt Shun pinning his arms and saw Yuto in front of him and immediately got worried.

"W-what do you want?" The soldier asked.

"We have some questions for you. Don't lie, or else something bad happens to you." Yuto told him with a serious face.

* * *

Card Catalog

 **Phantom Knights Guard Dark, Warrior: If you are attacked directly, you can activate this card, negate the attack, then, special summon this card. If this card is in your graveyard and a monster(s) you control would be destroyed, you can banish this card and negate the destruction. Also, for the rest of the turn, monsters you control cannot be destroyed, you can only use each effect of Phantom Knights Guard once per turn.**

 **Phantom Knights Healer Dark, Warrior: You can activate this card from your hand or when this card is on the field, banish this card, then, you can target one Phantom Knights monster in the banished zone. You can use that monster's banished effect as if it was this card's own. (For example, I banish this and target Silent Boots in the banished zone, I can use Silent Boots banished effect, which means I can add a Phantom spell or trap card to the hand.)**

* * *

 **Done! Sorry for the wait. I had some stuff to do. I won't bore you telling you what I did, so don't worry about it. Even though it wasn't anything negative in the first place.**

 **Anyways, sorry I only one duel. Next chapter, we might see Yuto and Shun interrogate the student. Just letting you guys know, Yuto and Shun already did this in the anime. There are just a few differences. For example, the person who is being interrogated is an Obelisk Blue in the fanfic, where in the anime it was a Slifer Red. Also, at that point, the Resistance had the ability to card people. As you can see, they don't yet, as Shun used an Academia duel disk to card then in this chapter and a previous chapter.**

 **Anyways, more about next chapter, more of Shark's duel, and I will finish up Rio's also. I might start either a tag duel with Ruri and Sayaka or a duel with Kaito vs two soldiers next chapter. Actually, if I do Kaito, I will probably skip a bit of his duel and tune in to the last like 3-4 turns. If I do Ruri and Sayaka, I will do part of the duel next chapter, and the rest in the chapter after that.**

 **Fanime1: Umm, you should be sad lol. I guess it depends on who the person is. I imagine that if I were to have someone kill the Doctor everyone would be glad. Now about how Yuto gets them… Reiji might give some of the cards to him. But his first couple of Pendulum cards will be attained in a different way. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **One last thing, I was actually thinking of having Yuto end the duel, but I decided against it and instead have Shun go rampage on the soldiers.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. As always, take care, goodbye!**


	10. In Deep Water

"My turn, draw!" Rio yelled. "I activate Pot of Greed in order to draw 2 cards! I summon Blizzard Falcon!"

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1500 Def

"I activate the magic card Blizzard Vision, this allows me to special summon this card as a normal monster, also only with the monsters on my field, the card copies a Water monster's Type, Attribute, and Level!" Rio exclaimed as the magic card disappeared from the Spell/Trap zone and was placed in the monster zone in defense position.

Blizzard Vision: Level 4, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"2 level 4 monsters!" Obelisk Force 1 exclaimed.

"An xyz summon?" Obelisk Force 2 asked.

"Not yet! I activate the magic card Blizzard Change! If I control two or more Water monsters with the same level, I can declare a level, then, those monster's level becomes the declared level. I declare 5!" Rio exclaimed.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4-5

Blizzard Vision: Level 4-5

"What!" Both Obelisk Force members exclaimed.

"I, using the level 5 Blizzard Falcon and Blizzard Vision overlay! Princess of the Ice, freeze everything in your way and carve a path to victory! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 5, Ice Princess Zereort!" Rio chanted as her monster appeared in a light blue wave of ice.

Ice Princess Zereort: Rank 5, 2500 Atk, 2100 Def

"I activate the magic card, I target my Zereort, she can now attack twice this turn, and I can choose one monster on your field, that monster loses 1000 attack. I choose your Chaos Giant!" Rio exclaimed.

"So what? My monster is unaffected by your magic and trap effects! Your monster may be able to attack twice, but it's still far too weak!" Obelisk Force 2 yelled.

"Are you sure?" Rio asked as she revealed a card. "I activate the magic card Blizzard Jet! With this, my Zereort gains 1500 attack points!"

Zereort: 2500-4000

"4-4-4000 attack points!" Obelisk Force 2 yelled in shock.

"That isn't the best part! This is, I activate the effect of my Zereort, by detaching an overlay unit, I can make the attack of one monster you control 0! So, I'll be making you Chaos Giant's attack 0!" Rio exclaimed.

Chaos Giant: 4500-0 Atk

"Hah, but still, she can only take out one of us. Besides, I have this! Continuous Trap, Fusion Trench, now only fusion monsters can attack!" Obelisk Force 1 exclaimed.

"Hmph, you ruined the surprise because I have Fusion Trench too!" Obelisk Force 2 activated the same trap.

"Well, I'll activate Twin Twisters, I discard one card and then I'll destroy both of your traps!" Rio exclaimed.

"NO!" Obelisk Force 2 yelled.

"But still, one of us will still be in the game. You don't have any more cards in your hand! Furthermore, you already used the effect of your monster!" Obelisk Force 1 exclaimed. Rio laughed at that comment.

"What's so funny?" Obelisk Force 2 asked.

"You would be right…" Rio trailed off as she then got a serious look on her face. "If my monster's effect was only once per turn."

"Wait what?" Obelisk Force 2 asked.

"I activate of my Zereort! By detaching an overlay unit, I can use her effect again! So I make Hunting Hounds attack 0!" Rio exclaimed, which the Obelisk Force member gasped in shock.

Hunting Hound: 1000-0

"Oh no!" Obelisk Force 2 exclaimed.

"Not only are the attack of our monsters 0… But also her monster has 4000 attack and can attack twice!" Obelisk Force 1 yelled.

"This is the end! GO! Ice Princess Zereort, attack both Hunting Hound and Chaos Giant and end this duel! Ice Stream!" Rio yelled as her monster flew up into the air. Then, she released a cold stream of ice at the Obelisk Force's monsters. They started shivering and their machine parts started falling apart. Eventually, their monsters exploded.

"AHHHHHHH!" Both Obelisk Force members yelled as they were blown away.

Obelisk Force 1: 4000-0 Lp

Obelisk Force 2: 4000-0 Lp

"It's over." Rio said as she wiped sweat off of her face. For a second she actually thought she was going to lose. Her heart was beating so fast it was unbelievable.

"I need to go tell the others about this." Rio said out loud. She started running in a random direction.

* * *

Another area in Heartland

Allen was really pissed now. He was too weak to save people, his own family. He was lucky to be successful in saving Sayaka's father and mother. He has too make sure they don't get carded.

"L-let's go." Allen told Sayaka's parents in a shaky and depressed tone as they started walking towards the camp.

"Allen… I'm sorry for bringing that up about your parents." Sayaka's father apologized.

"I-it's ok. I'll find a way to reverse the carding. Plus, I would rather know the fate of my parents instead of being in the dark about it." Allen told him.

"No it's not… As an adult, it was really irresponsible of me to just tell you information like that." Sayaka's father said.

"Let's just drop the subject. We're going to the camp right Allen?" Sayaka's mother asked.

"Yeah. Sayaka, Shun, Ruri and Yuto should already be there right now." Allen told him.

"Thank goodness." Sayaka's mother said. She was relieved Sayaka and her friends were still fine. But then she realized two names weren't said. They were also two of Sayaka's best friends.

"Allen. What about the other two. The ones who are brother and sister. Umm… Shark and Rio Kamishiro." Sayaka's mother asked.

"I don't know. Shark went to go look for his family and Rio is looking for survivors." Allen responded.

"Ok." Sayaka's mother responded.

"I can feel it, the first wave of this war is ending soon." Sayaka's father said.

"Yeah. We'll be able to get prepared. Hopefully, in the second wave we can pull through and make a comeback in this war." Allen responded.

But even though the first wave was over, the three of them knew, that the war has only just begun.

* * *

Another area in Heartland

"I'll be going first. My turn, draw!" Shark yelled.

"I set a monster. Then, I will set two cards. Turn end." Shark concluded.

"Hah, that's all? I'm disappointed." The blue soldier told Shark. However, Shark just kept his angered expression and didn't respond.

"Something wrong, gonna cry to your mama?" The yellow soldier taunted. At that comment, Shark got even more pissed off.

"Because of you bastards, my mother might not even be around anymore." Shark told them.

"Oh I feel so sorry for you. Anyways, it's my turn, draw! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound. I use it's effect to deal 600 points of damage to you!" The yellow soldier exclaimed.

Hunting Hound: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"No! I activate the trap card Life Regeneration. When I would take damage from a card effect, I gain life points instead!" Shark exclaimed.

Shark: 4000-4600 Lp

"Go! Hunting Hound, attack the face down monster!" The soldier yelled as Hunting Hound pounced at the facedown, however…

"I activate the trap card Zeus' Breath! I can negate your attack, now normally, if I controlled a water monster I could deal 800 points of damage to one of you, but I don't have a water monster on the field." Shark informed.

"Damn you." The soldier cursed as he gritted his teeth.

"I end my turn." The soldier concluded with a frustrated look on his face.

"My turn, draw! I activate the magic card Fusion! I fuse the Ancient Gear Golem in my hand, with the Ancient Gear Wyvern and Ancient Gear Engineer and Ancient Gear! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!" The blue soldier yelled. Shark looked at the monster with a shocked face.

Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem: Level 10, 4400 Atk, 3400 Def

"4-4400 attack!" Shark exclaimed as he widened his eyes. Immediately, his heart started pounding fast, and every pound it got faster. Shark was sweating bullets down his face.

"Scared? You should be! Go! Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem, attack his facedown. You don't have anyway to stop this one! Furthermore, whenever Ultimate Golem attacks a defense position monster, it deals piercing damage!" The blue soldier exclaimed as Ultimate Golem crushed the facedown with one of it's hands.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shark yelled as he was thrown away by the impact. Shark fell to the ground and tumbled.

Shark: 4600-1000 Lp

"The monster you destroyed was Shocktopus! When it's destroyed in battle, I can equip to the monster that destroyed it. That monster can't change battle position and it's attack points drop to 0! Say goodbye to your Ultimate Golem's power!" Shark exclaimed as a ghostly image of Shocktopus appeared as it attached itself to Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem. Ultimate Golem slumped down to signify how weak it was.

Ultimate Golem: 4400-0 Atk

"What!" Both soldiers exclaimed.

"Hmph, not so scary now." Shark told them.

"Grr… I end my turn!" The yellow soldier exclaimed.

"Time to end this! My turn, draw! I activate Pot of Greed in order to draw two more cards! Now, since I used a normal spell card this turn, I can special summon this card! Show yourself, Big Jaws!" Shark exclaimed.

Big Jaws: Level 3, 1800 Atk, 300 Def

"Now, when a Fish type monster is special summoned to my field, I can special summon Shark Stickers!"

Shark Stickers: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1000 Def

"I summon Starfish!"

Starfish: Level 3, 300 Atk, 300 Def

"Guess what! I have another Shark Stickers that I can special summon!"

"What!" The yellow soldier exclaimed.

"It can't be… He has 4 level 3 monsters!" The blue soldier exclaimed. He didn't know what Shark was doing next, but he knew that it wasn't going to be good for him, or his partner.

"I, using the 2 level 3 Shark Stickers, Starfish, and Big Jaws to overlay! Xyz summon! Come, emperor of the sea! Rank 3, Fanged Shark Emperor - Shark Kaiser!" Shark chanted as his monster appeared above him.

Shark Kaiser: Rank 3, 1800 Atk, 2000 Def

"Starfish's effect activates, when it is used as xyz material, the xyz monster gains 500 attack points." Shark said.

Shark Kaiser: 1800-2300 Atk

"Huh. All of that and only a monster with 2300 attack. That's disappointing." The yellow soldier told Shark.

"What's disappointing is the fact that you won't be able to do anything except cry out of fear after this! However, you can do that in a card! I activate the magic card Xyz Barrage! With this, I can detach an overlay unit from a monster, then, that monster gains 1000 attack points and it gets to attack twice until the end of this turn!" Shark exclaimed as one of the overlay units surrounding Shark Kaiser disappeared.

Shark Kaiser:2300-3300

"Now I activate Shark Kaiser's effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, Shark Kaiser gains 1000 attack equal to the difference between this card's original amount of overlay units compared to it's current! The difference is 2, so Shark Kaiser gains 2000 attack points!" Shark exclaimed.

"What!" The blue soldier exclaimed.

Shark Kaiser: 3300-5300 Atk

"4800 attack points!" Both soldiers yelled.

"Battle! Go, Shark Kaiser, attack Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!" Shark yelled as Shark Kaiser shot Ultimate Golem with a torrent of water. Electricity surrounded Ultimate Golem, which exploded, knocking away the blue soldier who was yelling in pain as fell to the ground unconscious.

Blue Soldier: 4000-0 Lp

"Sadly, I can't end you now, but you're sure as hell taking a lot of damage! Go, Shark Kaiser!" Shark yelled. Shark Kaiser rammed into Hunting Hound, destroying it.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The yellow soldier yelled out in pain, who fell to the floor unconscious.

Yellow Soldier: 4000-0 Lp

Shark Kaiser disappeared and Shark walked up to both soldiers. Shark took the blue soldier's duel disk and pressed a button. A purple light came out and after the light dissipated, two cards of the soldiers were on the ground. Shark picked up the cards and looked at them.

"That's for the people of Heartland you bastards."

* * *

Another area in Heartland

Kaito was running through the ruins of his street. He now knew his family was safe and he had already told them where the camp was. Now, he was trying to find any survivors on his street. However, he wasn't having any good luck. Other than his family, he hasn't seen one person.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" A voice asked. Immediately, Kaito pulled out his duel disk and got into a battle stance. He saw one person coming his way. It was an Academia student dressed in Blue. However this wasn't like the other soldiers. Although Kaito didn't know this, he was face to face with an Obelisk Force member.

"What do you want?" Kaito asked with a dark tone.

"Oh... me. Nothing, just your suffering and your card as a trophy!" The Obelisk Force member exclaimed.

Kaito sighed. "Foolish person. I'll beat you and have you slumping back to your leader in shame!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Well, there is only one way to find out who is going to get the better of who." The Obelisk Force member said as activated his duel disk.

"We may be completely different people, on completely different sides, and have completely different goals, but we solve our problems in the same way. In a duel!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Get ready to get carded!" The Obelisk Force member told Kaito.

DUEL!

* * *

Another area in Heartland

"Why did you people start to attack us?" Yuto asked the soldier with a strict and firm voice while Shun was holding the soldier so he wouldn't escape.

"Our leader, the Professor, has a plan to make a perfect world by uniting the four worlds." The soldier responded with fear present in his voice.

"Four worlds? What nonsense are you spouting?" Shun asked with even more force.

"Well… The world is separated into four. Each but one is divided by a certain summoning method. We are in what we call the Xyz dimension, where the residents only use xyz summoning. Us Academia members rein from the Fusion dimension, where residents only use Fusion summoning. Next, there is the Synchro dimension, where he duelists there only use a method called synchro summon." The soldier informed Yuto and Shun.

"Synchro what!" Shun said.

"Wait, you said there were four worlds, what about the fourth?" Yuto asked.

"The fourth world is an unusual case. The duelists there emit a weaker summoning energy compared to the other dimensions. However, that dimension has access to all three summoning methods Synchro, Fusion, and Xyz." The soldier said.

"How do we get to your leader?" Shun asked.

"I'm not going to tell you that. Haha, what do you take me for, a fool?" The soldier joked, which made Shun's blood boil greatly.

"Why you!" Shun yelled as pushed the soldier to the ground and pulled out an Academia duel disk.

"If you won't talk then I will just card you instead!" Shun yelled but was stopped by Yuto who put a hand in front of him.

"Stop! That's not going to solve anything!" Yuto exclaimed.

"But Yuto! They have been doing this to innocent people, they deserve the same fate!" Shun yelled back.

"Even still, carding people isn't going to end conflict or this war! Just let him go Shun." Yuto told Shun who sighed and put down the duel disk. Them, he got an angered expression.

"You're lucky Yuto was here, otherwise you would be in a card! You better run now before I change my mind!" Shun yelled at the soldier who immediately got up and ran away as fast as he could yelling.

"Yuto… How can you be so forgiving?" Shun asked.

"Believe me Shun… I want nothing more than for things to be back to normal, and I also want to card them VERY badly. But… I know… that if I went down that path… then I will never be able to turn back."

* * *

Fusion dimension-West Academia

"Professor Cobra, we have just gotten more information on Central Duel Academia!" A random person told a man with dark gray hair. The man didn't have any eye brows, he was sitting on his chair in his office.

"What did you learn?" Cobra asked.

"Central Duel Academia is going into a war against a place they call the Xyz dimension." The person said with respect.

"Damn it. That bastard Akaba Leo! I already told him that this wasn't a good idea of making a perfect world." Cobra said out loud. He already had an idea of what would happen to the losers, they would get carded, Akaba Leo already showed him the function.

"What should we do?" The person asked.

"Go get Austin O'Brien. I will need to talk to him." Cobra commanded. The person bowed and left the office, while Cobra waited.

* * *

Minutes later

"You have called me, Professor Cobra?" A young man wearing a red tank top, with a black sleeveless vest and pants asked.

"I need you to head to the Xyz dimension. Help out the residents, we need to stop Akaba Leo's plan. Can I count on you, Austin O'Brien?"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Blizzard Change Magic: When you control two or more Water monsters with the same level, you can declare a level, those monster's levels become the declared level.**

 **Xyz Barrage Magic: Target one xyz monster on your field, detach one overlay unit from it. That monster gains 1000 attack points and it can attack twice until the end of the turn.**

* * *

 **Finished with another chapter.**

 **So yeah. I got some stuff to talk about. Nothing major, just want to clear something up and also tell you guys something.**

 **So, remember how I said in chapter one I might add or change effects to certain cards. Well, I did that with Starfish. It still has it's original effect from Zexal, but I added a second effect to where if the card is used as xyz material, the xyz monster would gain 500 attack points.**

 **I also changed something with Hunting Hound. I don't think anyone noticed since no one pointed it out, but Hunting Hound's burn effect states that the opponent had to control a monster in order for it to be used. But for this fanfic, I changed to where the opponent doesn't need a monster to use the burn effect.**

 **One more thing, I might skip part of the Sayaka and Ruri tag duel because I kind of want to get to the bigger part of the war. You know, when Yuto and Shun travel to the Standard dimension.**

 **Fanime1 (Funny thing is, I saw you review the last chapter right after I finished this chapter): Just going to let you know, when I say soldier, I mean student and vice versa. I don't know why I write two different things for each of them. However, the Obelisk Force is completely different from the soldiers/students. Also, I think you mean Etranger Falcon along with Satellite Cannon finished him off. Revolution was used as an overlay unit for Satellite Cannon Falcon. Lastly, you are right indeed good sir.**

 **Yeah, I added Professor Cobra (Thelonious Viper in the dub) and Austin O'Brien (Axel Brodie in the dub) from Gx. Cobra won't have a dueling role. He won't even appear that much to be honest. But O'Brien will have an impact since he is going to help the Resistance. I always liked how Austin was, too bad he appeared in season 3 of Gx and didn't do much. All he really did was free Judai from the Supreme King's influence.**

 **By the way, if you guys didn't know what Central Duel Academia is, it is just the Academia that is invading Heartland right now.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now. See ya later. Take care, goodbye!**


	11. Queen of Judgement

Ruri and Sayaka were currently in the middle of a duel between two members of the Obelisk Force. The civilians went ahead while they dueled the Obelisk Force. Yuto and Shun weren't with them as they were interrogating a blue student currently.

Right now, Ruri has 3400 Life points and one face down, and Assembly Nightingale with 4 overlay units and 400 attack points on the field. Sayaka on the other hand, had 4000 Life points as well as Fairy Hope Girl on the field who has one overlay unit with 4100 attack one facedown.

On the other side, Obelisk Force 1 had an Ancient Gear Chaos Giant and 4000 Life points while his teammate was about to start his turn with 4000 life points. The turn order was, Ruri, Obelisk Force 1, Sayaka, and Obelisk Force 2.

"My turn, draw! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" Obelisk Force 2 exclaimed.

Hunting Hound: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I use it's effect to deal 600 points of damage to you!" Obelisk Force 2 exclaimed as he pointed towards Sayaka. Hunting Hound raced over to Sayaka and headbutted her in the stomach. Sayaka gasped for air as she dropped to the ground.

Sayaka: 4000-3400 Lp

"Going to give up?" Obelisk Force 1 asked Sayaka.

Sayaka got up from the ground with determination in her eyes. "No!"

"I activate the trap Damage=Attack! When I take damage, I can give attack equal to the damage to a monster I control until the end of the turn!" Sayaka exclaimed as Fairy Hope Girl was surrounded in a yellow aura.

Hope Girl: 4100-4700 Atk

"Damn! I activate Fusion! I fuse the Hunting Hound on field, with the Ancient Gear Golem in my hand, along with the Ancient Gear Wyvern. Fusion summon! Come forth, Level 10! Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!" Obelisk Force 2 chanted as his monster appeared.

Both Ruri and Sayaka started sweating. Their hearts were pounding fast as fear rushed into their bodies in the blink of an eye.

Ultimate Golem: Level 10, 4400 Atk, 3400 Def

"Battle! Go, Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem, attack Lyrilusc-Assembled Nightingale!" Obelisk Force 2 exclaimed. Ultimate Golem tried to punch Assembled Nightingale, however Ruri had a plan.

"I activate the effect of my Assembled Nightingale, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the destruction, and I don't take damage!" Ruri exclaimed. A shield formed around Assembled Nightingale as Ultimate Golem's punch collided with the shield.

Assembled Nightingale: 400-300 Atk

"Damn. I end my turn." Obelisk Force 2 concluded.

"At this moment, the effect of Damage=Attack ends, and Fairy Hope Girl loses the boost." Sayaka explained.

Fairy Hope Girl: 4700-4100 Atk

"My turn, draw! I activate the magic card Lyrilusc-Mourning Xyz! I can perform an xyz summon using Lyrilusc monsters in my graveyard. Now, using the 2 level 1 Cobalt Sparrow, I overlay! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 1, Lyrilusc-Recital Starling!" Ruri exclaimed as her monster appeared.

Recite Starling: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"When this card is xyz summoned, I can target one monster on the field, that monster gains 300 attack points for every overlay unit attached to this card. I target Assembled Nightingale." Ruri explained.

Assembled Nightingale: 300-900 Atk, 0-600 Def

"I activate the magic card Lyrilusc-Life! I target one monster on the field, and I get life equal to half of that monster's attack points! I target Chaos Giant!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Chaos Giant can't be targeted by your spell or trap effects." Obelisk Force 2 countered.

"Then I'll target Ultimate Golem, his attack is 4400, so I gain 2200 life points!" Ruri exclaimed.

Ruri: 3400-5600 Lp

"Battle! Go, Recite Starling, attack Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!" Ruri exclaimed.

"What! That monster doesn't have any attack. You will lose in one blow!" Obelisk Force 1 exclaimed.

"When Recite Starling battles, you take all the damage that I take!" Ruri exclaimed.

"What!" Obelisk Force 2 yelled. Recite Starling crashed into Chaos Giant, Recite Starling exploded. Both him and Ruri flew back by the explosion of Recite Starling.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Both yelled in pain as they fell to the ground and tumbled.

Obelisk Force 1: 3400-0

Ruri: 5600-1100 Lp

Obelisk Force 1 stayed on the ground unconscious and his monster disappeared since Obelisk Force 1 was defeated while Ruri slowly got back up on her feet. She felt so much pain throughout her entire body, but she decided to push forward.

"Damn you!" Obelisk Force 2 cursed at Ruri.

"Ruri!" Sayaka exclaimed as she ran over to her comrade. "Ruri! Are you alright?"

Sayaka helped Ruri up the rest of the way. Making sure she won't fall down to the ground again.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me Sayaka." Ruri assured Sayaka. She gave her a small smile to Sayaka, calming her down a bit.

"I'm not done just yet! Assembled Nightingale can attack you directly even if you have a monster on your field. Furthermore, she can attack equal to the amount of overlay units she has! She has 3 overlay units, so she can attack you directly 3 times!" Ruri exclaimed.

"What! But she has 900 attack points so that means… I'll be receiving 2700 points of damage!" Obelisk Force 2 exclaimed with a shocked face.

"That's right, now go, Assembled Nightingale, attack him directly 3 times!" Ruri exclaimed as Assembled Nightingale flew over Chaos Giant and went towards Obelisk Force 2. "First attack!" Assembled Nightingale kicked Obelisk Force 2 in the face, who groaned in pain. "Second attack!" Assembled Nightingale scratched Obelisk Force 2 with her claws, who stepped back and grunted in pain. "Final attack! Go! Assembled Attack!" Assembled Nightingale flew away and rose into the air as it started charging a purple beam of energy. It released the beam, striking Obelisk Force 2 in the chest, who slumped down.

Obelisk Force: 4000-1300 Lp

"I end my turn." Ruri concluded as Obelisk Force 2 got back up onto his feet, clearly angered.

"My turn, draw! I may not be able to take out that Nightingale, but your friend's monster isn't safe! Battle! Go, Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, attack and destroy Fairy Hope Girl!" Obelisk Force commanded as Fairy Hope Girl screamed as she was crushed by Chaos Giant. Sayaka stepped back a bit because of the attack.

Sayaka: 3400-3000 Lp

"I set one card and end my turn. Make your move!" Obelisk Force 2 commanded.

Sayaka looked at her current hand, there wasn't anything she could do. She couldn't do anything, so it all came down to this next draw.

"My turn, draw!" Sayaka exclaimed. She smiled when she saw the card. "I activate the quick-play Fairy Tail **(To Fanime1, I kinda changed the card so it could be a two choice spell. Also so it could be quick-play, hope you don't mind. Thanks for making this card,)** with this, I can special summon a Fairy type monster from my deck! I special summon this, Fairy Rank Gainer!"

Rank Gainer: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def

"When this card is summoned, I can add a rank-up magic card from my deck to my hand. I add Rank-Up Magic Fairy's Revival Force, and I'll activate it! From the grave, I special summon a Fairy type xyz monster from my grave, I special Fairy Hope Girl! Furthermore, using this card and that monster, I can xyz summon a monster whose rank is 1 higher than the xyz monster I special summoned! Fairy with cheers of hope, evolve into a Queen with sharp judgement! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear before us, Rank 6, Judgement Queen!" Sayaka exclaimed as her new monster arose from a shine of light.

Judgement Queen: Rank 6, 2800 Atk, 2600 Def

"I activate her effect, when she is xyz summoned, I can return every special summoned monster except her to the hand, or in this case, extra deck!" Sayaka exclaimed as Judgement Queen let out an aura of light which caused Assembled Nightingale and Chaos Giant to disappear

"I-impossible." Obelisk Force 2 said.

"So pretty." Ruri said as her eyes were shining with light and excitement.

"This is the end! Go, Judgement Queen, attack him directly! LIGHT OF JUDGEMENT!" Sayaka yelled as her monster released a beam of light that struck Obelisk Force 2, sending him flying.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Obelisk Force yelled as he fell to the ground.

Obelisk Force 2: 1300-0 Lp

Judgement Queen disappeared as Ruri and Sayaka quickly started to run to where the camp was, leaving the two Obelisk Force members unconscious and on the ground.

* * *

In another area

"My turn, draw! I activate the magic card foolish burial, with this I can send one monster to the grave, I send Cipher Caller to the grave! Now, I summon Cipher Soldier!" Kaito exclaimed.

Cipher Soldier: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1500 Def

"I set one card and end my turn." Kaito concluded.

"My turn, draw! I summon Ancient Gear Wyvern!" Obelisk Force yelled.

Wyvern: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 1200 Def

"I use his effect! When he is normal or special summoned, I can add one Ancient Gear card from my deck to my hand. I add Ancient Gear Fusion, and I will now activate it, this allows me to fusion summon an Ancient Gear monster from my extra deck using monsters from my hand or field as materials. So, I use the Wyvern on the field, along with the two Hunting Hounds and Wyvern in my hand! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, level 10! Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!" Obelisk Force yelled as Ancient Gear Chaos Giant rose.

Chaos Giant: Level 10, 4500 Atk, 3000 Def

"Battle! Go, Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, attack Cipher Soldier!" Obelisk Force yelled as Cipher Soldier was Chaos Giant, getting destroyed. Kaito grunted as he was pushed back.

Kaito: 4000-1300 Lp

"I activate the effect of Cipher Soldier, when it's destroyed, I can banish a Cipher monster from my grave to bring it back to the field, I banish Cipher Caller to do just that! Now, the effect of Cipher Caller activates, when it's banished, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Cipher monster from my grave! I special summon Cipher Protector! It's effect activates, when it is summoned, Cipher monster's can't be destroyed, and I don't take damage for the rest of the turn!" Kaito exclaimed.

Cipher Protector: Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1800 Def

"Damn! I set a card and end my turn." Obelisk Force concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate Cosmic Cyclone, I pay 1000 life points in order to banish a magic/trap card, I banish your face down!" Kaito exclaimed as he flinched by losing life points. Obelisk Force gasped as a cyclone covered his face down, which disappeared after the cyclone dissipated. The face down card was Fusion Trench.

Kaito: 1300-300 Lp

"I summon Cipher Wing!" Kaito exclaimed.

Cipher Wing: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def

"I use it's effect, by releasing it, the levels of all Cipher monsters I control are doubled!" Kaito exclaimed.

Cipher Protector and Soldier: Level 4-8

"I use both level 8 monsters to overlay! Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Kaito chanted as his ace appeared.

Cipher Dragon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

"I use Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, until the end of the turn, I can take control a monster you control, it's name becomes "Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon" and it's attack becomes the same this card! Cipher Projection!" Kaito exclaimed as Galaxy Eyes shot a blue beam at Chaos Giant, Chaos Giant reformed into Cipher Dragon all the while flying over to Kaito's side.

"What!" Obelisk Force exclaimed.

Ancient Gear Chaos Giant-Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon: 4500-3000 Atk

"The downside is the new monster can't attack. but I have a backup! Trap activate, Double Cipher! I can target one Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon, I detach all overlay units it has, and then I can special summon another Cipher Dragon from my extra deck!" Kaito explained as another Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon appeared.

"N-no way!" Obelisk Force yelled in disbelief.

"This is the end! Go, both Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragons, attack him directly! CIPHER STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!" Kaito yelled as both of his dragons flew high into the air and shot an energy blast from their mouths. Obelisk Force yelled in pain as he was hit by both blasts, he dropped down to the floor hurting really bad. It felt like he was ran over by about 100 trucks.

Obelisk Force: 4000-0

As Kaito was about to walk over to the Obelisk Force, he shot back up, slightly having a pained expression. He ran as fast as he could away from Kaito.

"Hmph, that will teach you to mess with my homeland." Kaito said.

* * *

On the way to the camp

Yuto and Shun were finished interrogating the soldier. They had also got contacted by Ruri and Sayaka that they were already safe at the camp. They also said that Allen was there with Sayaka's parents and that Rio, Shark, and Kaito were coming back, so they decided to head over there since the fighting has died down temporarily.

"We should be close." Shun said. Shun's ears perked up as he heard someone make a footstep, and it wasn't his footsteps or Yuto's. As a result, he quickly readied his duel disk and got ready in a battle stance.

"Academia scum! Where are you? Reveal yourself!" Shun yelled. The person revealed himself. He had a red tank top and a black sleeveless vest and pants.

"Sorry about the scare. My name is Austin, Austin O'Brien." O'Brien introduced himself to Yuto and Shun. Shun took a good look at his duel disk, it looked like it was custom made.

"Are you Academia?" Yuto asked with a suspicious look.

"...Yes, kind of..." O'Brien started but was cut off by Shun.

"You are!? That's all I needed to hear, get ready to suffer a fate worse than death!" Shun yelled.

"No! I'm not here with the others. I'm against them. I come from the same dimension as them, yes. But I come from a different Academia." O'Brien told them.

"Explain." Yuto told him.

"You see, there are 5 Academia schools in my dimension." O'Brien told them.

"5!" Shun exclaimed with a look of utter shock.

"Yes. I come from the West Academia. The Academia that is attacking you right now is the Central Academia. Us at West Academia found out about Central Academia's plan. So, the Professor at my Academia sent me to help you guys." O'Brien told them.

"What about the other 3?" Yuto asked.

"I-I don't know about them." O'Brien responded.

"I still don't believe you. I'll just card you and get it over..." Shun was cut off by Yuto who held his hand in front of Shun. Shun looked at Yuto. He knew the look Yuto was giving him meant to trust O'Brien.

"Fine. I'll trust you, but any funny moves and I'll kill you myself." Shun told O'Brien with a menacing voice, while O'Brien just remained still.

"I will help you with technology purposes." O'Brien told them.

"Ok. That's fine with me. We need the technology in order to defeat our enemy." Yuto told O'Brien.

"Less talk, I heard about a camp while being here. Let's hurry before more Academia soldiers attack!" O'Brien said, to which Yuto and Shun nodded as all 3 of them started to head towards the camp.

* * *

Minutes later, at the camp

Yuto, Shun, and O'Brien walked into the camp, on top of the main tent, they saw a flag that read "The Resistance."

"This should work for now." Yuto said.

"But not for long, we need to hurry before Academia attacks again." O'Brien told them.

"For once, I agree." Shun says.

"Maybe we should keep the fact that O'Brien is from the Fusion dimension a secret." Yuto told Shun and O'Brien.

"Agreed." Shun said.

"Yuto, Shun!" A voice yelled. Yuto and Shun turned towards the voice to see Ruri, Allen, and Sayaka were running towards them.

"Ruri! Sayaka! Allen!" Shun exclaimed, relieved that they were safe.

"Is Shark, Rio, and Kaito back?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah, they are resting." Allen told them.

"Who's this?" Sayaka asked.

"I am Austin O'Brien." O'Brien introduced himself.

"O'Brien will work with technology stuff for the Resistance." Yuto told them.

"How will you get the materials?" Allen asked.

"We'll see." O'Brien said.

"Well, Kaito's father Dr. Faker is already working with technology things. Maybe O'Brien can assist him." Sayaka suggested.

"Sure thing." O'Brien said.

"Everyone, get some rest. We have a war to fight soon." Yuto told the group.

* * *

Hours later, outside of the camp

Dennis was standing on a building looking at the building that contained the camp. Suddenly, a purple light came from behind him. Then, a boy in a cloak jumped out. The boy had violet eyes.

"You're finally here Yuri." Dennis said.

"Yes. Where's my target Dennis?" Yuri asked with a cocky smile. He was ready to get into action.

"In there. That is the camp where the Resistance is. Your target is there. No one knows I'm with Academia, so if we both go there and hide our duel disks we will be fine." Dennis informed Yuri.

"Fine. Let's go." Yuri told Dennis as they started walking towards the camp.

* * *

In the camp

Ruri was giving some supplies to some people while Yuri and Dennis arrived. After the people left, Ruri turned and saw Dennis. She waved to him, relieved that he was ok. Dennis waved back with a smile on his face.

"There she is. Wait until later to take her." Dennis told Ruri.

"Ok, I'll just hide out until she's alone then." Yuri told Dennis.

"What about the target in Synchro?" Dennis asked.

"Oh, I will take care of her. First comes this one though." Yuri responded.

"Well, I'll see you later then." Dennis said to Yuri as he walked away.

"Yes. Later." Yuri responded as he walked away with a sadistic grin on his face. His heart was beating with excitement. This was the moment he was waiting for. The moment where he could finally join in on the action. Until now, he was stuck to the sidelines. But now, it was time for him to get to work.

* * *

In another area of the camp

"Seriously! Your parents got carded!" Yuto yelled with shock at Allen, who had a sad look on his face.

"Yeah." Allen responded as he started to tear up. He was missing his family.

"Don't worry. You have us until we find a way to reverse the carding." Yuto said as he put his hand o. Allen's shoulder.

"Thanks Yuto. You really know how to cheer a guy up." Allen responded as he gave Yuto a small smile.

* * *

Later

Ruri was out of the camp to get some supplies, telling her brother that she will be fine. Surprisingly, her brother said ok as long as she was careful.

However, now she had a feeling that she was being watched. Meanwhile, Yuri was following Ruri on the rooftops.

Ruri decided to take a look up and saw Yuri standing there. Immediately, she knew that it wasn't a good person and that it might be Academia. She started running faster, while Yuri jumped off the building and stated running after Ruri. They continued this for minutes, until Ruri ran into a dead end. Yuri surrounded her and had a sadistic smile. It was at this moment Ruri realized that this person was in the camp AND he looked like Yuto.

"Yuto. If this is some kind of joke it's not funny, especially in the situation we're in." Ruri said.

"Who's Yuto? I am Yuri." Yuri told Ruri. This sent chills running down Ruri's spine. This guy just by looking at her gave her a lot of pressure. Sweat was falling down her face as her heart started to beat faster.

"Anyway, you are cornered, so just surrender yourself and come with me. Or else this will get rough!" Yuri exclaimed as he licked his lips, sending more chills down Ruri's spine as she pulled it her duel disk and attached it to her arm.

"Oh, you're going to fight back? I like that, but you're going to regret challenging me!" Yuri exclaimed as he pulled out his own duel disk.

"How about this, you win, I will let you go free. I am a man of my word. However, if and when I win, you will be coming with me back to Academia!" Yuri exclaimed.

DUEL

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Damage=Attack. Trap: When you take damage, you can target one monster you control, that monster gains attack points equal to the amount of damage you took until the end of the turn.**

 **Lyrilusc-Life Spell: You can target one monster on the field, gain life points equal to half of it's attack points**

 **Fairy Tale Quick-play (Big thanks to Fanime1 for this card) :When this card is activated, you can activate one of the following effects.**

 **1\. You can special summon one Fairy monster from deck.**

 **2\. You can either increase or decrease the level of all Fairy type monsters you control by one**

 **Fairy Rank Gainer Light, Fairy: When this card is summoned, you gain add one Rank-Up Magic card to your hand**

 **Rank-Up Magic Fairy's Revival Force, Quick-play: You can target one Fairy type xyz monster in your graveyard, special summon. It, then, using that monster and this card as materials, special summon one xyz monster from the extra deck who's rank is one higher than the special summoned monster. (This is treated as an xyz summon.)**

 **Judgement Queen, Light, Fairy (Thanks to Fanime1 for making this card. Really helped with this chapter!) : When this card is xyz summoned, you can return all special summoned monsters on the field back to their owners hand (except this card.)**

 **Cipher Soldier. Light, Machine (Again, Thank you Fanime1, you really helped out with this chapter.) : When. This card is destroy Rd, you can special summon this card from the grave by banishing a Copper monster on your graveyard.**

 **Cipher Caller, Light, Machine: When this card is banished, you can special summon one Cipher monster from your deck.**

 **Cipher Protector, Light, Machine: When this card is summoned, until the end of the turn, all Cipher monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, furthermore, you don't take damage.**

* * *

 **Whew, do e with a other chapter. Sorry for the late update guys, I was just getting some ideas down for a short one to two chapter fanfic. So after this chapter, this story won't be updated until November 1st, that's when I'll start working on chapter 12.**

 **Instead, hopefully, on Halloween, I'll most likely be putting out a Halloween fanfic where the Arc v characters are celebrating Halloween. Yes, I know other people are doing something similar but I just wanted to join in.**

 **The fanfic will be in an AU where the boys and girls were split after Arc V ended and all of the characters like Yuri has atoned for their sins. The AU will not be connected to this fanfic in any way. If I decide not to do the Halloween thing, then I will start try to get chapter 12 out as fast as I can. But either way, be patient for chapter 12.**

 **Anyways, next chapter, we will witness Ruri vs Yuri and potentially Yuri vs Rin. Thanks for Fanime1 again for the cards. They really helped while making this chapter.**

 **Big Duels: Thanks!**

 **Anyways, that is all for now guys. See you later, take care goodbye!**


	12. Dragon of Venom

Yuri was staring at Ruri with a creepy look. This made Ruri start sweating bullets, something that Yuri got happy about.

"Are you alright? You seem pretty scared there. Tell you what, since I'm SUCH a 'nice' guy, I'll let you go first." Yuri told her with a grin, putting emphasis on such and putting imaginary quotes over nice to signify the fact that he is the complete opposite.

"F-fine then. My turn, draw! If there are no monsters on my field, I can special summon Lyrilusc-Silver Robin!" Ruri exclaimed.

Silver Robin: Level 1, 300 Atk, 100 Def

"Her effect activates, I can add one Lyrilusc monster from my deck to my hand! I add Sapphire Swallow! Now, when I control a Lyrilusc monster I can special summon Sapphire Swallow from my hand along with a another level 1 monster! Come forth! Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri exclaimed.

Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def

Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"Hoh, that's 3 monsters already, not bad." Yuri complimented. "However, they're all weak."

"Just wait, Cobalt Sparrow's effect activates, when she is special summoned I can add another one to my hand! I now normal summon a second Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Now, using the 2 level 1 Cobalt Sparrow, Sapphire Swallow, and Silver Robin, I overlay! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri chanted as her ace monster appeared.

Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"An Xyz summon with for monsters! Impressive, but that monster doesn't have any attack points. It's useless." Yuri told Ruri.

Ruri ignored him, but even ignoring him wasn't enough to get rid of the fear running up his spine. "Assembly Nightingale gains 100 attack for every overlay unit attached to it. She has 4, so she gains 400 attack points!"

Assembly Nightingale: 0-400 Atk

"I end my turn." Ruri concluded.

"Time for some fun! My turn, draw! I summon Predator Plants Ophrys Scorpio!" Yuri exclaimed.

Ophrys Scorpio: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 800 Def

"I use it's effect, I discard Stapelia Work in order to special summon Predator Plants Darling Cobra!" Yuri said excited.

Darling Cobra: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1500 Def

"His effect activates, I can Fusion from my deck to my hand!" Yuri explained. Ruri shuddered in fear after hearing.

"Hmm. That monster I'd weak, but it might be a bait. So, I'll battle! Go, Scorpio, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Yuri exclaimed. Scorpio leaped at Nightingale, however, the attack collided with an invisible shield.

Ruri quickly reacted. "I use Assembly Nightingale effect, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the destruction, and I don't take damage!" Ruri exclaimed.

"But, your monster loses 100 attack, and my Cobra can attack! Which will happen now!" Yuri exclaimed. Cobra tried to rap itself around Nightingale, but the shield prevented it from doing so.

Assembly Nightingale: 400-200 Atk

"Hmm, you know what, I'm feeling daring today, I end my turn." Yuri concluded with a smirk.

Ruri gasped. Just like that, he isn't going to use Fusion. He's just going to end his turn. He is so sure of his victory that he is holding back!

"My turn, draw! I discard Lyrilusc-Booster! Her effect activates, I can target one xyz monster I control, then, I can target monsters in the grave up to the amount of overlay units the xyz monster currently has, then, I can attach the monsters to the xyz monster as material. Assembly Nightingale has 2 overlay units, so I attach 2 Cobalt Sparrows as materials." Ruri explained.

Assembly Nightingale: 200-400 Atk

"Ok. What is that 400 Atk monster going to do?" Yuri asked with confusion.

"Assembly Nightingale can attack you directly equal to the amount of overlay units she currently has. So, she can attack you directly 4 times!" Ruri exclaimed.

"What? That's not bad." Yuri said but was cut off by a 4 kicks to the face by Assembly Nightingale.

Yuri: 4000-2400 Lp

"Well, that was very rude!" Yuri exclaimed.

"I set one card and end my turn." Ruri concluded.

"Time to end this! My turn, draw! I activate Fusion! I fuse Ophrys Scorpio and Darling Cobra! Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs. Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!" Yuri chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Starve Venom: Level 8, 2800, 2000 Def

"What is that? This pressure, it's so immense!" Ruri exclaimed as her hand started shaking.

"Starve Venom's effect activates, he gains attack equal to the amount of attack of all special summoned monsters you control!" Yuri explained.

Starve Venom: 2800-3200 Atk

"I can still use Assembly Nightingale's effect though." Ruri reminded.

"I know that. You think I forgot? I'm not stupid. Anyways, I activate Instant Fusion! I pay 1000 life points in order to special summon a level 5 or lower Fusion monster from my extra deck, however, it can't attack! I special summon Predator Plants Toxic Flower!" Yuri exclaimed.

Yuri: 2400-1400 Lp

Toxic Flower: Level 5, 1900 Atk, 2300 Def

"I use Toxic Flower's effect, once per turn, I can shuffle a Predator Plants monster back into my deck, then, I can choose monster on the field, then those monster's effects are negated! I shuffle Ophrys Scorpio into the deck and negate Assembly Nightingale's effect!" Yuri explained.

"What? That means..." Ruri trailed off as she saw her Assembly Nightingale gain a purple aura as it fell to the ground.

Assembly Nightingale: 400-0 Atk

"That's right, no protection effects or attack points! Now, I'll fix my last problem now! I summon Predator Plants Cephalotusnail!" Yuri exclaimed.

Cephalotusnail: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1200 Def

"Oh no!" Ruri exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Sayaka was walking through a destroyed building near the two, but not so close that they could see or hear her. She saw Ruri dueling someone, and hid behind the building, scared.

"You put up a good fight... I suppose. Well, you did better than my other opponents. Now, let's finish this! Battle! Go, Cephalotusnail, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Yuri declared as Assembly Nightingale was destroyed knocking Ruri backwards, who whimpered in pain.

Ruri: 4000-2700 Lp

"Now end this, Starve Venom Fusion, attack her directly! Starving Toxic Blast!" Yuri yelled as Starve Venom released a toxic substance that blasted Ruri off of her feet.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ruri screamed as she crashed into the rubble behind her.

Ruri: 2400-0 Lp

Meanwhile, Sayaka just looked on in fear as Yuri walked up to Ruri, who was covered in dirt and rubble and unconscious. She wanted to do something to help Ruri, but for some reason she couldn't move. It was like her feet had a mind of their own. Yuri picked up Ruri and held her over his shoulder.

"The Professor is going to be happy! Time to go back to Academia!" Yuri exclaimed as he transported back to Academia with Ruri. At that moment, Sayaka lost it snd ran way back towards the camp.

* * *

Hours later-At the Camp

"Yuto, do you know where Ruri is?"Rio asked.

"No, I haven't seen her ever since she left to get supplies." Yuto responded.

"You don't think she was captured by Academia do you?" Rio asked with worry.

With that, Yuto got up. "I don't know. I'll get Shun and some others and we'll search. Hopefully, the worst that happened was that Ruri got lost and that she is safe."

* * *

Later

"Shun! Ruri hasn't came in a while, we and some other people should go looking for her." Yuto told Shun, who got pissed.

"Damn! Alright, I'll go get Allen, Shark, and some others to come." Shun responded.

"I'll go start the search early." Yuto told Shun.

"Wait, Yuto, Shun." Shark said as he walked towards them.

"What's up?" Shun asked.

"Dr. Faker and O'Brien are done making the materials we need. They made some communicators and... they put a carding function into some of the duel disks. Sp you guys should get your duel disks back now." Shark told them. This was something Yuto flinched at. He wanted to avoid carding people if possible.

"Alright, thanks Shark. Well, we'll head out later then." Yuto told Shun, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

Later-On the search outside of the camp

"We should split up." Allen suggested, to which most of the other Resistance members with him agreed to.

"Are you sure?" Shark asked.

"No, Allen's right. We should split up, we can cover more ground that way." Shun said.

"I'll go alone." Yuto told them, to which the three of them gasped.

"Are you crazy?!" Shark asked with shock.

"Yuto, you're going to be an easy target alone." Allen told him.

"Plus, I noticed that for the most of this war, Academia has been attacking in numbers, something we are dropping in. We can't afford to lose you, you're one of our best duelists. So if we lose you, we would have lost one of our best soldiers. Plus, your our friend. We don't want to lose you." Shark added.

"He's right you know." Shun told Yuto.

"No, I'll be fine, really. Tell you this, if I am in trouble, I'll just call you guys, deal?" Yuto asked.

Allen, Shark, and Shun got into a group huddle to talk about this decision.

"He said he'll call us." Allen said.

"But that's not enough." Shun said.

"Maybe we should go along with it, I mean, it's Yuto. Knowing him, if we say no, he's going to leave later." Shark told them.

"Then it's decided, we'll let Yuto leave for a bit. But we're going to meet up later." Shun told them. They turned back to Yuto, who was already gone.

"He's gone." Allen said.

"I think he thought that we were going to say no. So he just left while he had the chance." Shark said.

"Ugh, whatever. We'll have to find him later. Let's try finding Ruri." Shun told them as he, Allen, and Shark joined the other Resistance members in their search for Ruri.

* * *

Academia-Fusion Dimension

Yuri was presented Ruri to the Professor.

"Here she is, the girl you told me to get." Yuri said.

"Excellent work Yuri. There is one more girl I need you to get, then you can take a temporary break. Here she is." The Professor told Yuri as he pulled a screen of Rin, a resident of the Synchro dimension.

"Oh, it's the one you told me to keep an eye on for a while." Yuri said.

"Yes. Now is the time to take her, get to it." The Professor commanded.

"Yes Professor." Yuri responded as he walked out of the Professor's throne room.

* * *

Another area in Acadcemia

"Oi, you. Do you know where my brother is?" A young man in blue asked a student in yellow.

"I don't know. What's your brother's name?" The student responded.

"Sho Marufuji." The man replied.

"Oh crap! You're Ryo Marufuji?! Your brother umm... Got carded by the Professor... For speaking out against his plans of attacking the xyz dimension.", The student said.

"What?!" Ryo exclaimed in shock. He knew something was up. Ryo particularly wasn't interested in the war. Actually, he had the idea. But now his brother was gone because of it, and he didn't fight! Ryo was pissed now, soon he was going to disband from Academia. However, he decided to play it cool.

"Ok. Thank you for telling me." Ryo responded. He seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was really pissed. The Professor carded his brother. He already thought about leaving Academia because of the dimensional war, he was disgusted by the idea. But he stayed. Now he was definitely going to leave. However, he has to get his brother's card back somehow.

 _I'll need to leave Academia. Get some people who will believe me. Then, I can head back here and hopefully overthrow Academia. Plus, the same thing that happened to his brother happened to the people in Heartland. So, he was going to force the Professor on answers, answers on how to return the carded people to normal._

* * *

Synchro Dimension-1 hour ago

Yugo was currently playing around with the younger kids in the orphanage. Meanwhile, Rin appeared in her normal attire.

"Oi, Yugo! I'm going to go to the nearby store and buy some supplies. I'll be back in 45 minutes." Rin told Yugo, who looked up at her.

"Alright! Be careful Rin." Yugo told her. The reason why Yugo is saying this is because Rin is feeling like she is being watched from time to time.

"Don't worry about me." Rin responded as she left.

* * *

Now

Rin was currently running away from a clock figure. She was coming back from the store after finding nothing useful, only to be followed by this guy. Rin knew that it was the same person who had been watching her for the past couple of weeks. Eventually, Rin ran into a dead end, and with no way to go, she turned around with a frightened look on her face, the cloaked person cane closer. Rin then realized the person's face looked very similar to Yugo, a spitting image in fact.

"This game of tag is over. Now, come with me." Yuri said.

"Yugo! Is that you?" Rin asked.

"No. Gosh you're like the other girl named Ruri. I am Yuri thank you very much." Yuri responded with a hint of annoyance, changing from giving Rin a malicious look to a serious look. Rin took a step back.

"What do you want?" Rin asked.

"Come, I'll take you to the Professor." Yuri told Rin.

"P-professor? What is that?" Rin asked.

"A fricking daycare at the Zoo. Oh what the hell do you think a Professor is!" Yuri exclaimed with a lot of rage in his voice.

"Anyways, come with me." Yuri pleaded as he got a malicious grin and took a step closer to Rin, who stepped back again.

"So, are you coming with me? Or are you going to fight?" Yuri asked with interest.

Rin reached into the back pocket of her shorts, she pulled out a duel disk. She then revealed it to Yuri and put it on, immediately activating it.

"Hoh, you want to duel? Fine then! But trust me on this, you won't be winning!" Yuri exclaimed as Rin started to sweat. Yuri activated his duel disk and took a few steps back, much to Rin's relief.

DUEL!

* * *

Heartland

"Ruri! Ruri!" Yuto yelled as he ran around the wreckage of Heartland. He has been searching for a while now, but there was still no sign of Ruri.

"Shun. Shun, have you found anything?" Yuto asked Shun through his communicator that was in his ear.

"Nothing yet. Damn!" Shun cursed through his communicator back to Yuto.

"Should we meet up?" Yuto asked.

There was a long pause between the two, until Shun broke the silence. "Keep looking for about a half an hour. After that, contact me."

"Alright!" Yuto responded.

* * *

Minutes later

Yuto was looking around, finally taking a second to look at the destroyed city that was once his home. This place used to be so peaceful, but in a few hours that all changed.

"No matter what, I will return everything to normal!"Yuto yelled.

"That sounds nice. But keep telling yourself that in a card!" A voice exclaimed.

"What!" Yuto exclaimed as he turned towards the voice. He saw a soldier in blue with a mask on his face.

 _Obelisk Force. This must be those people that Rio and Kaito told me about! I need to be careful._ Yuto thought tho himself.

"So, I see you have a duel disk. You're a member of that Resistance group thing, right?" Obelisk Force asked.

"Yeah, but that's all I'm going to tell you!" Yuto responded.

"Whatever. Anyways, either let me card you or duel me for your survival!" Obelisk Force exaomed as he activated his duel disk.

"Fine! I will! For the sake of the future of Heartland and it's people! I will survive and fight another day! That's how we of the Resistance fight!" Yuto exclaimed as he also activated his duel disk.

DUEL!

* * *

At the Resistance camp

"Dr. Faker. I might have found a way to help win this war!" O'Brien said.

"Hmm. What is it? Anything to help end this war, then that is fine." Dr. Faker responded.

"Well, I dueled one of the soldiers and interrogated them. They told me that the Professor had a son. His name is Akaba Reiji, while the father is named Akaba Leo. The soldier also told me Leo's son is in the dimension known as Standard. For some reason, Leo is in the Fusion dimension. Anyway, my idea was to make it so our duel disks could allow us to travel between dimensions. We go to Standard, then we draw out Akaba Reiji and capture him. Then, we use him as bribing material in order to get out Leo." O'Brien lied. He wasn't lying about Reiji being Leo's son. He was lying about the fact that he beat a soldier to get the information. He already knew this before coming to the Xyz dimension.

"Hmm. That's not a bad idea. We do have the duel disk Shun took from the soldiers. We could make a dimensional transportation device based off their device. However, to do that, I will need your help. So how about it?" Faker asked as he held out a hand.

"I'll help. We will end this war."O'Brien responded as he shook Faker's hand.

"Good to know that you're on our side." Faker told O'Brien with a small smile. "I use to admit, for a youngster like yourself you sure know a lot about this kind of stuff. Kind of like me and Kaito. Very impressive." Faker added.

"Thank you. But it's nothing really. Anyways, we should take a little break, then get to work on the dimensional transporter." O'Brien told Faker as he started to walk away.

"Perhaps you're right. This old man might break if he doesn't get a break sooner or later." Faker told O'Brien with a small laugh."Wow, it's been a while since I had a genuine laugh."

"Hopefully that normal laugh will return if we defeat Academia." O'Brien said, to which Faker nodded, as they left their tent to go do something else.

* * *

Synchro Dimension

"I'll go first. My turn! I activate the magic card Wind-Calling Bell Chime! I can reveal one level 4 or lower Windwitch monster in my hand, then, I can special summon a Windwitch monster with the same name from my deck! I reveal Windwitch-Glass Bell, in order to special summon a second one from my deck!" Rin explained as her momster appeared in a rush of cold wind.

Glass Bell: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1500 Def

"Her effect activates, I can add a Windwitch monster from my deck to my hand! I add Ice Bell! Now I normal summon Ice Bell!" Rim exclaimed.

"Now her effect activates, once per turn, if she is normal or special summoned, I can deal 500 points of damage to you!" Rim pointed to Yuri as a gust of wind blew into Yuri's face, making his cloak fly back, however, Yuri had it hooked to his jacket, so it stayed on Yuri, however, Rin managed to see his Academia clothes.

Yuri: 4000-3500 Lp

"Those clothes! You're from the tops!" Rin exclaimed with shock.

"Cute, because I am the top duelist from where I come from, but no. I come from a prestigious school called Academia. If you didn't know, it's a school where students are taught dueling! However, our leader, the Professor, has a plan to make a perfect world! However, his plan includes 4 girls, you are one of them. The Professor already has two of them. One of them actually takes classes at Academia. However, despite her skill as a duelist, she is treated like trash! I almost feel bad for her honestly. And the other one, well, yours truely brought her to Academia by force! Just like I am going to do to you right now!" Yuri exclaimed as he slit his eyes like a serpent, immediately sending chills down Rin's spine.

"I tune the level 3 Ice Bell with the level 4 Glass Bell!" Rin exclaimed.

"Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Windwitch-Winter Bell!" Rin chanted as her ace appeared.

Winter Bell: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"Oh, a Synchro Summon? Very impressive. Actually, I'm a little excited, this is the first time I have ever fought a Synchro monster before! I hope you entertain me." Yurt told Rin with a smile, creeping Rin out even more.

"I use Winter Bell's effect, I can target one even 4 or lower Windwitch monster in my grave, then, until the end of the turn, the feet of this card becomes that monster's effect! I choose Ice Bell! Which means you get dealt. 500 more points of damage!" Rim explained as Yuri was hit by another gust of wind.

Yuri: 3500-3000 Lp

"I set a card and end my turn." Rin concluded.

"That's it? Wow, and I expected more! My turn, draw! I activate Fusion! I am going to fuse my Predator Plants Lilyzard and Preadator Plants Stapelia Worm! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Level 7! Preadator Plants Chimerafflesia!" Yuri exclaimed as his monster appeared.

Chimerafflesia: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"I use it's effect, I can banish one monster on the field who's level is equal to or lower than this card! I banish your Winter Bell!" Yuri exclaimed as he pointed to Rin's monster. Chimerafflesia let out it's fangs and almost touched Winter Bell, but a rush of wind stopped it.

"I activate my continuous trap Shield of Wind! When a Wind-attribute monster(s) would leave the field, I can shuffle a Wind-attribute monster in my graveyard into the deck instead! I shuffle Glass Bell into the deck to do that!" Rin exclaimed as a shield formed around Winter Bell.

"Then I will battle! Go, Chimerafflesia, attack Winter Bell!" Yuri exclaimed.

"I use Shield of Wing again! I shuffle Ice Bell to negate destruction!" Rin exclaimed.

"But you'll still take the damage, and when Chimerafflesia battles, your monster loses 1000 attack and Chimerafflesia gains 1000! Sadly, this change only lasts for the battle!" Yuri yelled.

Chimerafflesia: 2500-3500 Atk

Storm Bell: 2900-1900 Atk

Rin winced in pain as Winter Bell stood standing.

Rin: 4000-2400 Lp

"Hmph, you're very persistent, I will admit. I end my turn." Yuri concluded.

"My turn, draw! I summon Windwitch-Snow Bell!" Rin said.

Snow Bell: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"I tune the level 7 Winter Bell and level 1 Snow Bell! Witch of midwinter wind, glide through the storm and bring forth a new storm! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8, Windwitch-Storm Bell!" Rin chanted as her monster appeared.

Storm Bell: Level 8: 2900 Atk, 2450 Def

"I activate her effect! When she is Synchro summoned, I can target one Windwitch monster in my graveyard and return it to my hand! Then, you take damage equal to that monster's level times 200! I return Winter Bell to my hand, or in this case, extra deck, and now, you take 1400 points of damage!"Rin explained as Yuri hit by another gust of wind, although he only took a step back and grinned, worrying Rin more.

Yuri: 3000-1600 Lp

"I use Effect Veiler's effect, by discarding it, I can negate one monster's effect until the end of the turn, I choose Chimerafflesia! Battle! Go, Storm Bell! Attack Chimerafflesia!" Rin exclaimed as Storm Bell destroyed Chimerafflesia with a gust of ice. Yuri still kept his grin on his face the whole time.

Yuri: 1600-1200 Lp

"I end my turn." Rin concluded.

"Not bad! You almost got me. But it isn't enough you know. You're not going to win. Especially since it is my turn now." Yuri told Rin as he slit his eyes.

* * *

Heartland-With Yuto

"I'll go first! I summon Phantom Knights Cloven Helm!" Yuto exclaimed.

Cloven Helm: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 500 Def

"I set a card and end my turn." Yuto concluded.

"No Xyz Summon! Are you mocking me? I'll show you! My turn, draw! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" Obelisk Force said.

Hunting Hound: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I use it's effect to deal 600 points of damage!" Obelisk Force explained as Yuto got struck by a fireball from the Hunting Hound. Yuto groaned in pain as he lost life points.

Yuto: 4000-3400 Lp

"I set a card and end my turn." Obelisk Force concluded.

"My turn, draw! I summon Phantom Knights Fragile Armor!" Yuto exclaimed.

Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"2 level 4 monsters! An Xyz Summon!" Obelisk Force realized.

"I use the level 4 Cloven Helm and Fragile Armor to overlay!" Yuto declared as his monster's traveled into the portal.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Not so fast! I activate the continuous trap Fusion Trench! Now only Fusion monsters can attack! So much for your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Obelisk Force exclaimed, to which Yuto growled in response, with his anger slowly rising. First, they take away his father and ruin his homeland, now they took Ruri away, and they act like this is some game! Yuto was certainly not going to forgive this.

"I set another card and end my turn. Make your move!" Yuto rushed.

"Very well. I will do my best to "entertain" you, scum! My turn, draw!" Obelisk Force yelled as he drew his card.

* * *

Synchro Dimension-At the Orphanage, with Yugo

Yugo wasn't feeling right. Rin had told him about an hour ago that she was going out to the store to look around or something like that. But she hasn't come back yet, and Yugo knows that when Rin says she is going to be done with something by a certain time, she WILL work her tail off to be done with that thing by her specified time. It was just the kind of person Rin is, and to think that she is late now, Yugo figured that something was wrong.

"Hey care keeper or whatever it's called! I'm going out to find Rin, she's been gone for a while now! Kids, don't make to much trouble while I'm gone!" Yugo exclaimed with a wide smile on his face as he left the orphanage and to his d-wheel.

"Alright, hope nothing is wrong with you, because I am going to need your help!" Yugo told the motorcy-I mean d-wheel. Yugo got on to his d-wheel and sped off, starting his search for Rin.

* * *

Back at the duel with Rin and Yuri

"My turn, draw! I activate the effect of Chimerafflesia in my grave, on my standby phase, I can add one 'Fusion' card from my deck to my hand! I add Re-Fusion! I now activate Re-Fusion! I pay 800 Life points in order to special summon a Fusion monster in my grave! Come forth! Chimerafflesia!" Yuri exclaimed with a grin.

Yuri: 1200-400 Lp

"I summon Predator Plants Sundew Kingii!" Yuri exclaimed.

Sundew Kingii: Level 2, 600 Atk, 200 Def

"I activate it's effect! During my main phase, I can use Fusion summon a Dark Fusion type monster from my extra deck using monsters in my hand or on my field including this card! I fuse the Chimerafflesia on the field with Sundew Kingii! Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs. Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!" Yuri chanted as his ace appeared.

Starve Venom: Level 8, 2800, 2000 Def

"W-what is that?" Rin asked in fear as she took a step back.

"It's my most treasured card of course. It's been with me all of my life!" Yuri told her as Starve Venom let out a loud roar.

* * *

Somewhere else in Synchro

"What was that?" Yugo asked himself. He had just heard a dragon's roar. Then, Yugo felt a weird pain in his chest.

"Augh! What is this pain? It feels like it wants me to go somewhere. No, it's telling me to go somewhere. It's telling me to go... this way! Maybe Rin is this way!" Yugo exclaimed as he rode turned left on a corner and kept on riding.

* * *

Back with Rin and Yuri

Unknown to Rin, Yuri had one small sweatdrop. Something that Yuri himself realized.

 _Why am I sweating? I'm not scared. Whatever! I gotta bring this girl back, and I'm doing it now!_ Yuri thought to himself as he made his move.

"Starve Venom's effect activates! When this card is fusion summoned using monster's on the field, he gains attack equal to all of the special summoned monsters on your field!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Not so fast! I activate Storm Bell's effect, I send a Glass Bell in my hand to the grave in order to negate activation of your monster's effect, then, that monster is destroyed!" Rin exclaimed.

"What?!" Yuri exclaimed as Storm Bell let out a breeze of wind, covering Starve Venom, destroying it.

"YES! Next turn, I can attack you directly and end this!" Rin exclaimed, however, she stopped celebrating when she heard Yuri laughing at the top of his lungs.

"I'm just kidding! Starve Venom has another effect! When it is destroyed, I can destroyed all special summoned monsters you control, then, you take damage equal to the attack!" Yuri yelled with an evil laugh.

"What!? No way!" Rin exclaimed as she saw a purple explosion occur, destroying Storm Bell, then, a purplish-greenish slime-mud came rushing at Rin, the glob raised upwards engulfing Rin, who got blown away as she screamed in pain. It was as if Rin was being choked to death, to her surprise, she survived, however, everything went black went her body smashed against the wall behind her. Rin let out one last yelp of pain as she hit the wall, before falling to the ground unconscious.

Rin: 2400-0 Lp

Yuri walked over to Rin and picked her up, holding her over his shoulder.

"Finally done. She didn't do that bad. She did as good as Ruri did." Yuri told himself before the wall was getting shined on by a light. Then, Yuri heard a voice, angry one at that.

"Hey! What are you doing with Rin? Give her back!" The voice yelled.

Yuri turned around and showed his face to the person, which immediately gave a shock to the person. _What? He has the same face as me, how?_ Yugo thought in shock.

 _Wait, I have an idea! The Professor told me I have an Xyz person and a Standard person who looks like me. I'll direct this loser to my Xyz counterpart. Then, this guy will confuse me for him and they will start a predicament. Well, I'll stay there for a bit, I don't even know if this guy can travel to the different dimensions. Even still, it's worth a shot._ Yuri thought to himself, sporting an even bigger grin.

"I don't have time for you! Magic card! Violet Flash, activate!" Yuri exclaimed as a purple light blinded the person's eyes (The person is Yugo if you didn't know.)

When Yugo opened his eyes, he saw that Yuri was gone.

"What! Where did he go? God damn it!" Yugo yelled in anger.

* * *

Xyz Dimension

"Not bad! As you know, I am an Obelisk Force. I am one of the most elite in Academia. Because of this, I get very special cards, like this one! I activate the magic card Power Bond! I can send Fusion materials on my field or in my hand to the grave that are needed for a Machine-type Fusion Monster, then, when the required cards are sent to the grave, I can Fusion Summon that monster from the extra deck! I send the Hunting Hound in my hand and the Hunting Hound on my field to the grave! Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits, flock together and become one with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Level 5! Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog!" Obelisk Force chanted as his monster appeared behind him.

Double Bite Hound Dog: Level 5, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def

"What's the point? There's got to be more." Yuto assumed, keeping his guard up for anything that the Obelisk Force member might throw at him.

"You're right. Power Bond has another effect, the Fusion Summoned monster's attack is doubled by it's original attack!" Obelisk Force explained.

"What!" Yuto exclaimed.

Double Bite Hound Dog: 1400-2800 Atk

"Battle! Go, Double Bite Hound Dog, attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! And remember, when Double Bite attacks, you can't activate any Magic or Trap cards!" Obelisk Force reminded. Double Bite jumped onto Dark Rebellion and kept biting at it's winds. Dark Rebellion was destroyed. Yuto growled in anger.

Yuto: 3400-3100 Lp

"If you think I'm done then you are hardly mistaken, I activate the magic card Fusion Bullet! I can inflict damage to you equal to the current attack of a level 7 or lower Fusion monster! Take 2800 points of damage!" Obelisk Force yelled. Double Bite Hound Dog hit Yuto with two fireballs, one from each mouth. Yuto yelled in pain as he fell to the ground face down.

Yuto: 3100-300 Lp

"I end my turn. At this moment, since Power Bond was activated this turn, I take damage equal to the original attack points of the special summoned monster." Obelisk Force explained as Double Bite gained a blue aura, Obelisk Force winced in pain as his life was reduced.

Obelisk Force: 4000-2600 Lp

"How's that. You're finished, next turn I will end you. Then, you will be carded, just like the remaining citizens and loved ones you cherish so much!" Obelisk Force told Yuto as he grinned maliciously.

At that comment, Yuto snapped. He felt the anger slowly rising. His heart beating faster with hatred. He girt his teeth. A dark aura surrounded him as memories of his father getting carded replayed in his head. Then, a vision of what would happen to his friends and family if he failed occurred in his head. Yuto closed his eyes, he heard the roar of the dragon from the duel that ended his father. Yuto opened his eyes, they were pure blue, his pupils not in sight.

"Lay one finger on them... AND YOU WILL DIE A PAINFUL DEATH YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" Yuto yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Woah! W-what is happening?" Obelisk Force asked as he took a step back in fear.

"For what you and your people have done... I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" Yuto yelled. Somewhere nearby, Yuri appeared behind a building, his chest throbbing in pain. His eyes flashing purple for a second. Rin was unconscious next to him, Yuri watched the duel. _Hoh, how interesting._

* * *

Synchro Dimension

"Damn it! He took Rin, and now I don't know where he is! I must find Rin! I will find Rin! If it is the last thing I do!" Yugo yelled. At that moment, a greenish light shone from his extra deck from his d-wheel, catching Yugo's attention, he walked towards his d-wheel. He picked up his extra deck and looked at the top card. It was the card that was shining.

"Clear Wing... Synchro Dragon. What are you doing pal?" Yugo asked. Suddenly, a light engulfed Yugo. Yugo yelled as he disappeared from the city.

* * *

Standard Dimension-Miami City

"What is this! After an awesome assault from Yuya Sakaki, Strong Ishijima counters even better. This isn't looking good for Yuya!" An announcer dressed in yellow and black stripes exclaimed.

Yuya: 400 Lp

Strong: 4000 Lp

"It's your turn! Draw a card! Or will you choose to surrender? Turn your back and run, just like your father?" Strong asked Yuya.

"NO! I'll never ru- But, all I've got in my hand are monsters... what can I do?!" Yuya told himself.

"Kgh." A man in a red and orange jumpsuit growled. This man is Yuya's instructor Shuzo Hiragi.

"Yuya..." A girl with pink pigtails wearing a bracelet, a school uniform, and having a face resembling Ruri and Rin whispered in concern.

 _Is it over for you Yuya?_ A big man thought to himself. This was Gongenzaka Noburo, Yuya's best friend.

 _Now, Yuya. What will you do?_ A blonde woman thought. This was Yuya's mother, Yoko Sakaki.

"It was hopeless after all... how could I ever take Dad's place?" Yuya asked himself, ready to give up, until...

 _When you feel like crying, laugh._ A voice played in Yuya's head, making him think back.

 _The more you push, the more it'll come back._ Yuya thought back to his younger self seeing his father swing a pendulum in front of him.

 _If you're frozen in fear..._ The voice started.

"You can't do anything." Yuya joined in as he stood back up, with a depressed look in his eyes. "Have courage and step forward..." Yuya trailed off.

He lifted his head with a look of determination. "If you want to win!" Yuya yelled, unknown to him, his pendulum started shining and it started swinging.

"Swing, pendulum! More and more!" Yuya yelled as he drew his card, his pendulum shone even brighter. 3 cards in his hand started glowing blue, Yuya looked at them with a shocked face. They were changing in front of his face. He then looked at Strong. He knew what he needed to do to win. Yuya took two cards and showed them to Strong.

"I, using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician with the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya declared as he slapped his cards on the edge of his duel disk as letters that formed "Pendulum" appeared.

"With this I can summon any monsters between levels 2 and 7 at the same time!" Yuya exclaimed.

"What is this?" Strong asked.

"Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether. Pendulum Summon! Come Forth! My monster servants!" Yuya yelled as 3 beams came out of the circle under the big pendulum in between the magicians.

"First is Entermate Whip Viper! Second is Entermate Sword Fish! Last but not least, the dragon with wonderful and beautiful dual-colored eyes, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya yelled.

"What..." Yuzu started.

"...is this?" Gongenzaka finished as he, Yuzu, Shuzo, and Yoko looked on in shock.

* * *

Xyz Dimension

"I-I end my turn." Obelisk Force said as he took another step back. Yuto clenched his fist as his dark aura became bigger.

"My... TURN!" Yuto yelled as he drew his card. He looked at it, it was time.

"From my hand, I activate Rank-Up Magic Phantom Knights Awakening! I can special summon a Dark Xyz monster from my grave, which will be Dark Rebellion! Now, using this card and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I can Xyz Summon a monster who's rank is higher than Dark Rebellion. The choice I have is depending on the number of Phantom Knights monsters I have in my grave. I have 2, so if I wanted to, I could Xyz Summon a Rank 6, but I will Xyz Summon a Rank 5! From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his monster appeared.

"I-I use Double Bite Hound Dog's effect, when a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, I can place a gear counter on those monster(s)!" Obelisk Force exclaimed, before letting out a sigh of relief.

"DON'T THINK I AM DONE, BECAUSE I AM NOT! I activate the effect of Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, until the end of the turn, I can make a level 5 or higher monster's attack 0! Also, Dark Requiem gains the lost attack! Requiem Salvation!" Yuto yelled as Dark Requiem let out electricity which struck the Hound.

Double Bite Hound Dog: 2800-0 Atk

Dark Requiem: 3000-5800 Atk

"5-5800 Atk! Whatever, it doesn't matter, with Fusion Trench on the field, you can't attack!" Obelisk Force reminded Yuto.

"FOOL! YOU THINK I WOULDN'T HAVE A PLAN FOR THIS! I activate the Magic card Phantom Knights' shot! I can banish a Phantom Knights monster from my grave, then I can destroy a card on the field! I banish Fragile Armor from my grave, I destroy your Fusion Trench!" Yuto yelled.

"What!" Obelisk Force faked with worry. _Fool, you know that if you attack Double Bite I can destroy your monster because of the gear counter, victory is all mine!_

"It's over. It's that guy with the dragon's win." Yuri said from afar. He had a feeling that there was more to that dragon than attack reduction.

"Battle! Go! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon! Attack Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog!" Yuto yelled as he pointed at Hound Dog.

"Idiot! I use Double Bite Hound Dog's effect, if a monster I control battles a monster with a gear counter, the monster with the gear counter is destroyed! Obelisk Force yelled.

"I detach another overlay unit from Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon in order to use it's effect! From the grave, I Special Summon Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, and negate your Double Bite Hound Dog's effect!" Yuto yelled.

"What!" Obelisk Force yelled in shock as he backed away even more. His heart was beating very fast. Dark Requiem flew up high into the sky, letting out it's wings. The wings were colored like stained glass from a church (I think, I can't remember.)

"THIS IS THE END! REQUIEM OF DISASTER, DISOBEY!" Yuto yelled as Dark Requiem's fangs gained electricity. Dark Requiem flew down at great speed, it flew upwards right next to Double Bite, with it's fangs stabbing Double Bite. Double Bite exploded, getting destroyed. The explosion blew Obelisk Force away, who yelled in pain. He fell to the ground, he was still conscious, but just barely.

Obelisk Force: 2600-0 Lp

Dark Requiem and Dark Rebellion disappeared. Yuto, however, was still not himself. He walked to the Obelisk Force soldier, who looked at him in fear. He tried to run away, but Yuto pinned to the ground.

"NOW YOU MEET THE FATE OF ALL PEOPLE IN HEARTLAND!" Yuto yelled as he pressed a button on his duel disk, a blue light came out, engulfing the soldier. A card fell to the ground, it was the Obelisk Force soldier. Yuto clutched his head in pain.

"Argh. What happened?" Yuto asked himself. His eyes weren't purple anymore, and the dark aura was gone. Yuto looked down in horror, he had carded the Obelisk Force soldier he was facing. Yuto picked up the card and made a pained expression on his.

"No. I carded someone." Yuto put the card in his pocket and clenched his fist.

"I-I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." Yuto told himself. Suddenly, Yuto heard the sound of an engine. He then heard someone yelling. He looked to where the sound came from. He saw a person in white clothes on a white motorcycle which was on a tattered building. Meanwhile, Yuri saw the person and grinned. _My plan worked!_

"I found you! Don't even think about running away you bastard! Give me back Rin!" The man yelled at Yuto. Yuto ignored this question.

"Are you from Academia?" Yuto asked with a serious and stern voice.

"HUH?" The person questioned with a confused look. What was an Academia.

"I heard something about Fusion!" Yuto said.

"WHO's FUSION?! I'M YUGO! And I'm not leaving until I beat you!" Yugo yelled as he activated the duel disk on his d-wheel.

"You _are_ from Fusion!" Yuto yelled as he threw his arm back, activating his duel disk.

Yugo rode off the building and towards Yuto. "Listen when people talk!"

DUEL!

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Lyrilusc-Silver Robin Wind Winged-Beast: When you control no monsters, you can special summon this card from your hand, then, you can add one Lyrilusc monster from your deck to your hand**

 **Predator Plants Toxic Flower Fusion/Plant: Once per turn, you can shuffle one Predator Plants one monster in your graveyard to the deck, then, you can target one face-up card on the field, negate it's effects until the end of the turn.**

 **Shield of Wind Continuous Trap: When a Wind-attribute monster you control would leave the field, you can shuffle one wind monster in your graveyard into the deck instead. Once per turn, on your main phase, if this card is in your graveyard, you can banish it, you can either special summon a wind monster from your hand or graveyard, or you can target one wind monster on the field, until the end of your opponent's turn, that monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, and you don't take battle damage.**

 **Windwitch-Storm Bell Wind Spellcaster: When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can target one Windwitch monster in your graveyard, return it to your hand, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the level of the monster times 200. Once per turn, if your opponent activates a card or effect, you can send one Windwitch monster on your field or in your hand to the grave, negate the activation, then destroy it. If this card is destroyed, you can special summon one Windwitch monster from your hand, deck, or graveyard.**

 **Fusion Bullet Magic: You can target one level 7 or lower Fusion monster you control, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's current attack.**

 **Rank-Up Magic Phantom Knights Awakening Quick-Play: You can target one Dark Xyz type monster in your grave, special summon that monster, then, you can Xyz Summon an Xyz monster from your extra deck, the amount of ranks it's higher than depends on the number of Phantom Knights monsters in your graveyard. (For example, in the duel, Yuto brought back Dark Rebellion. He had two Phantom Knights in the grave. So, if he wanted to, he could have xyz summoned a Rank 6 monster, but he also has the option to xyz summon a Rank 5. So, if I had 4 Phantom Knights monsters in my grave and I used the first effect to get back Dark Rebellion, I could Xyz summon a Rank 8 monster, or I could xyz summon a Rank 5, 6, or 7 monster.) During your Main Phase, you can banish this card, add one Rank-Up Magic card or one Phantom Knights card from your deck to your hand.**

 **Phantom Knights' Shot Magic: Banish 1 Phantom Knight's monster in your grave, target one card on the field, destroy it. Once per turn, if this card is in your grave, you can banish it on your Main Phase, target one banished Phantom Knights card except this one, return it to the grave.**

* * *

 **Done!**

 **Ok, so I am just gonna make this clear right now. I am REALLY sorry for the late update. Since it has been a while, I decided to make the chapter longer than usual. I might not do a chapter as long as this for a while. But, it might happen in the future. Hope you guys enjoyed the duels.**

 **Yep, Yugo and Yuto finally duel. I might change their duel a bit. Also, the aftermath will most likely be completely different from the anime. Some of you might like it, some of you might not, cause it doesn't make since cause of Yuto and Yugo's personalities. Don't worry, the thing I might be doing is not having one of the boys getting absorbed. It's something else.**

 **Anyways, soon, Yuto and Shun will be going to Standard. When they go to Standard, we won't be seeing the Xyz dimension much. However, I'll make sure to switch between one dimension and the Xyz dimension.**

 **So, as for Yuto carding someone. If you guys go re watch episode 18 (I think) of the anime. Yuto says he doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore. Then, Yugo just appears and they start dueling. The reason I made Yuto card someone is to give a bigger reason for Yuto to say he doesn't want to hurt anyone.**

 **There's really nothing to respond to review wise so none of that today. But thanks to big duels and Fanime1 for reviewing.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next chapter. Which will hopefully come in the next 2-3 days and not in the next million years. Take care, goodbye.**


	13. Dark Rebellion VS Clear Wing

**DUEL!**

"I'll go first!" Yuto declared as Yugo rode his d-wheel past Yuto.

"Fine! You'll need it bastard!" Yugo retorted.

"I set three Cards and end my turn." Yuto concluded as he kept his eye on Yugo, making sure he doesn't run him over or make any other suspicious movements.

"That's all? How could you beat Rin like that?" Yugo asked.

"Who is Rin?" Yuto asked, raising his voice so Yugo could hear him.

Yugo stopped his d-wheel to a halt and glared at Yuto. "You don't even know her name!"

"Seriously, who is Rin? I have never been out of home for a while!" Yuto informed Yugo. However, what he said fell on deaf ears.

"Stop playing jokes with me!" Yugo yelled as he drew his Card, beginning his turn. "I activate the Magic Card Speedroid Scratch! I can send a Speedroid Monster to the Grave, then I can add a Speedroid Monster to my Hand! I send Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice to the grave, then I add Speedroid Double Yoyo to my hand!" Yugo explained as Yuto narrowed his eyes.

"Speedroid? I never heard of those kind of Monsters before." Yuto said, sharpening his gaze at Yugo.

"Well let me tell you this! They are nothing to take lightly! Just like me! Now, I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo!" Yugo exclaimed.

 **Double Yoyo: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def**

"Double Yoyo's effect, I can Special Summon a level 3 or lower Speedroid Monster! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!" Yugo exclaimed.

 **Red-Eyed Dice: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"Tuner Monster?" Yuto asked.

"Don't you know what a Synchro Summon is? You can't do one without a Tuner!" Yugo told Yuto.

"Synchro Monster!" A memory of Yuto popped up into his head. Now that he thought about it, the soldier that he and Shun interrogated mentioned another dimension called Synchro. Maybe this Yugo guy was from the Synchro Dimension. Wait, but then…

 _He wouldn't be from Academia. Wait, Academia can travel to the other dimensions. Maybe they came to his dimension and taught him in their ways._ Yuto thought to himself. Although, little did he know, this was not the case.

"Alright! Prepare to see something you have never seen before! I tune my level 4 Double Yoyo to the level 1 Red-Eyed Dice! Lively soul of swordplay. Come, Level 5! High-Speedroid Chanbarider!" Yugo chanted as a machine like monster appeared to the field.

 **Chanbarider: Level 5, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"So that is a Synchro monster!" Yuto gazed upon the new Monster, a type he had never seen before.

"Now! Time for you to repent! Battle! Go, Chanbarider, attack him directly!" Yugo declared as Chanbarider let out a yell of enjoyment as it crashed down towards Yuto.

"Chanbarider gains 100 attack when attacking!" Yugo exclaimed.

 **Chanbarider: 2000-2100 Atk**

"Double Trap! Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace! I can choose one Monster you have, that Monster loses 600 attack, then I can Special Summon Lost Vambrace as a Normal Monster in Attack Position. Also, Phantom Knights Monsters can't be destroyed this turn." Yuto explained as Chanbarider was covered in a purple mist.

 **Lost Vambrace: Level 2, 600 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Chanbarider: 2100-900 Atk**

"Then I'll attack one of the Lost Vambrace!" Yugo declared. Chanbarider stabbed Lost Vambrace, after it backed up, the hole on Lost Vambrace was immediately repaired, like nothing had happened at all. Yuto grunted as he took the damage.

 **Yuto: 4000-3700 LP**

"Go, Quick-Play! Phantom Knights Double Badge! When I take Battle Damage, I can use two Phantom Knights Monsters with the same level, and with them I can perform an Xyz Summon! Piercing through ten thousand warriors, the cursed spear of rebellion entombed in darkness, descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!" Yuto chanted as his new Monster appeared in a blue flame.

 **Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def**

"Xyz Summon!" Yugo gasped in shock. He had never seen a Monster like this before. And what were those orbs orbiting it?

"Just like you, I have surprises of my own!" Yuto told Yugo.

"Grr. I end my turn." Yugo concluded. This guy would be trouble. He was starting to see why Rin would have trouble with him.

"My turn, draw! I activate the effect of Cursed Javelin, once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target a Monster you control, then, that Monster's Attack becomes 0 and its effects are negated." Yuto explained as Cursed Javelin pointed his spear at Chanbarider, out came a purple mist, which covered Chanbarider.

 **Chanbarider: 900-0 Atk**

"Battle! Go! Cursed Javelin, attack Chanbarider!" Yuto declared as Cursed Javelin jumped into the air and slashed Chanbarider with it's spear, destroying it. Yugo started riding away from the explosion so he could avoid any kind of injury. He grunted as he took damage and felt some of the explosion. Yugo kept circling around Yuto on his d-wheel.

 **Yugo: 4000-2400 LP**

"I set one Card and end my turn." Yuto concluded as he started running away to keep a distance between him and Yugo. A set Card materialized in front of him and it immediately disappeared.

"My turn, draw!" Yugo yelled as he glanced at the Card he drew. _Hmph. Now is the time._ He thought to himself.

"I summon Speedroid Bamboo Horse!" Yugo declared as a machine like horse appeared.

 **Bamboo Horse: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1100 Def**

"I use it's effect! I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Speedroid Monster from my Hand, however, for the rest of the turn, Speedroid Monsters can't attack. I special summon the Tuner Monster Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" Yugo exclaimed as a dice with three eyes came twisting to the field.

 **Tri-Eyed Dice: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Another Synchro Summon?!" Yuto exclaimed with shock. "But you can't attack with Speedroid Monsters!"

"Who said it was a Speedroid Monster I was going to Summon? Now, meet your reckoning!" Yugo yelled as he started riding his d-wheel at higher speeds.

"I tune my level 4 Bamboo Horse with the level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo chanted as his ace appeared with a loud roar to the skies.

"Kgh." Yuto grunted as he clutched his chest in pain. For some reason, his heart started to beat faster than usual. Also, for some reason, he had the urge to bring out Dark Rebellion and duke it out with this new dragon.

 **Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate Cursed Javelin's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I make Clear Wing's attack become 0, and the effect is negated!" Yuto yelled.

"Like I would let you!" Yugo exclaimed as he thrusted his fist at Clear Wing. "When an effect that targets a level 5 or higher monster is activated, I can negate it, and then destroy it!"

"What?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.

"Dichroic Mirror!" Yugo called out the name as Clear Wing let out a green light from her wings, the light kept hitting Cursed Javelin, eventually destroying it.

"Additionally, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, gains the Attack of the destroyed Monster until the end of the turn!" Yugo explained as Clear Wing was enveloped in a green aura, finally, when it dissipated, Clear Wing's eyes shined a little brighter.

 **Clear Wing: 2500-4100 Atk**

"4100 Atk?!" Yuto gaped at the sight of the Monster staring down at him.

"It's over! Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack him directly!" Yugo declared as Clear Wing flew high into the air, with her wings shining light green. "Whirlwind Hell Diving Slasher!"

"I don't think so! From my Hand, I activate Phantom Knights Guard! When a direct attack on me is declared, I can Special Summon this card and negate the attack!" Yuto countered as a Phantom Knights card appeared on the field, immediately, Clear Wing flew back into the air towards Yugo.

 **Phantom Knights Guard: Level 4, 900 Atk, 2300 Def**

"Damn! I end my turn. At this moment, Clear Wing Synchro Dragons effect ends, and his attack returns to normal" Yugo concluded.

 **Clear Wing: 4100-2500 Atk**

"My turn, draw! I Summon Phantom Knights Cloven Helm!" Yuto swiped the Card onto his Duel Disk as another ghostly Monster with armor appeared.

 **Cloven Helm: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 500 Def**

"Now using the level 4 Cloven Helm and Phantom Knights Guard, I overlay! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace Monster appeared.

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

A moment of silence was shared between Yuto and Yugo. Dark Rebellion and Clear Wing growled at each other, they glared at each other, they started roaring to each other, as if communicating with each other. It was like they had seen each other in the past, despite this being the first time Yuto and Yugo ever meeting. In fact, it looked like the dragons had multiple feelings right now. One feeling was joy of seeing one another, the other was a feeling of rush. It's unknown why they were feeling this way to Yuto and Yugo, who were clutching their chests, lots of sweat going down their faces.

Their hearts were racing really fast ready to burst out of their. They felt the adrenaline pumping through their veins. They felt as if they had only one goal, defeat the other person. However, despite this, Yuto continued.

 _I can use Dark Rebellion's effect, but he will just negate the effect with his Clear Wing. Then, he will destroy my Monster and it will be over. So then with this I'll make due!_ Yuto thought to himself.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Phantom Sword, I make Dark Rebellion's attack go up by 800!" Yuto told Yugo.

 **Dark Rebellion: 2500-3300 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Dark Rebellion, attack Clear Wing!" Yuto declared as Dark Rebellion flew towards Clear Wing.

"I activate the effect of Tri-Eyed Dice in my grave, by banishing it, I can negate an attack!" Yugo exclaimed as Dark Rebellion flew back to Yuto.

"Kgh, I end my turn." Yuto concluded as he looked at Yugo and his dragon.

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon… that must be the Monster you used to beat Rin!" Yugo exclaimed.

"Who is Rin?" Yuto asked again, he has never heard that name until now.

"Stop lying! I swear, I will beat you to the ground and get my friend back! My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Speed Reverse! I can Special Summon a Speedroid Monster in my grave! I Special Summon Chanbarider!" Yugo exclaimed as Chanbarider returned to the Field.

"Battle! Go, Chanbarider, attack Dark Rebellion!" Yugo declared.

"What? Chanbarider is weaker!" Yuto told Yugo.

"I know that. Now, Chanbarider would gain 100 attack if he battles. However, when a level 5 or higher monster activates its effect, Clear Wing can negate that effect, and destroy the monster." Yugo explained.

"What? Clear Wing has a second effect!" Yuto gasped in shock.

"Dichroic Mirror!" Yugo roared as Chanbarider was destroyed.

"Let me guess, Clear Wing will gain the Attack of the destroyed Monster until the end of the turn." Yuto said, more sweat pouring down his face.

"That's right." Yugo responded.

 **Clear Wing: 2500-4500 Atk**

"4500 attack!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Battle! Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Whirlwind Hell Diving Slasher!" Yugo yelled as both dragons rushed towards towards each other in midair while preparing to punch each other. Both Yuto and Yugo were roaring with their Monsters as the attacks collided. A loud explosion occurred, covering the dragons, and Yuto and Yugo.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Shun and the Others**

Shun's ears perked up, he heard an explosion from somewhere. He looked around his surroundings while the people around him froze. He turned to his comrades.

"Did you guys hear that?" Shun asked. He swore he heard the roaring of two people.

"The explosion? Yeah." Allen responded. Around here, explosions really meant only one thing...a Duel between Academia and a poor victim who got in their sights.

"Maybe it's Yuto. Maybe he is Dueling with an Academia soldier." Shark guessed.

"If that's the case, then we need to hurry." Shun said while the others nodded. Of it was an Academia soldier, then it was quite an intense Duel. Yuto might be in danger.

* * *

 **Back at the Duel**

"Argh!" Yuto grunted in pain as he was blown backwards by the explosion, he landed on his feet.

 **Yuto: 3700-2500 Lp**

Out of the explosion came Yugo on his d-wheel, Clear Wing roared and flew right next to him. They both stopped at the same time.

"What?!" Yugo widened his eyes under his visor as he saw that Dark Rebellion still remained on Yuto's Field. "But how…"

"I sent Phantom Sword to the Grave, Dark Rebellion's destruction was negated! However, now he will lose the attack boost.

 **Dark Rebellion: 3300-2500 Atk**

"Damn. I end my turn. I can see how you beat Rin. You're pretty good." Yugo complimented Yuto.

"Two things. One, I don't know who Rin is! Second, I won't lose to a Pawn of Fusion!" Yuto responded harshly, not taking his compliment to heart.

"I told you already my name is not Fusion, it's YU-GO! Stop lying about Rin! I know you took her! I saw the person, he had the same face as me, which in turn means he has the same face as you! Then, my dragon shined, and then I ended up in this place! I rode around the place and asked someone what happened. They didn't answer and told me this place was Heartland. Then they just ran away like they were scared of me! Then, I met you, we Dueledand here we are!" Yugo yelled.

"Hmm… Well, I don't know what to tell you. I haven't been out of Heartland since the invasion started." Yuto responded.

"Invasion?" Yugo asked. Was that the cause of all of this destruction he has seen?

"Yeah, some people from the Fusion Dimension came out of the blue and attacked us. We are barely living because we were caught off guard. Apparently, there are 4 dimensions, since you use Synchro Summoning, I presume you come from either Standard or Synchro." Yuto deduced.

"Well, I just got teleported here by my dragon. And where I come from, I have never seen Xyz summoning. Not once in my entire life. We only have Synchro and few people used Ritual Summoning, so it's like a lost art now." Yugo told Yuto.

"Anyways, ever since the war started, we had to keep on high alert, which is why I was a little persistent with the questions. In reality, I don't want to fight. I don't to hurt anyone… I just want things to be back to normal." Yuto told Yugo with a sad expression on his face. Yugo gasped. He had realized that this guy was about his age and he was fighting in a war. Were there other people fighting around his age?

"Wait, what happens to the people who weren't fortunate to make it out?" Yugo asked, partially afraid to find out, and partially interested also.

"This." Yuto responded as he showed Yugo a card of his father. "This is what happened to those who don't make it.

"What?! He's a Card!" Yugo stated the obvious. Yugo took off his helmet and it was at the moment he noticed Yuto's hand trembling.

"This was my father… they got to him and Carded him right in front of me." Yuto said as he clenched his fist.

"Bastards! No one deserves this!" Yugo yelled as he punched his hand.

"Exactly, we are trying to find a way to reverse the Carding. But even if we do that and end the war, the memory of the pain and suffering will still be a horrible memory to remember. And to make worse, I recently lost one of my closest friends. Her name was Ruri." Yuto said. "She was taken by the enemy. Also, there might be a chance, that since it seems like you are not from Academia, I think they have taken your friend Rin too."

"Rin…" Yugo said. She was the most important thing in the world to Yugo. Now that she was gone, Yugo didn't know what he would do. Because Rin was gone, he was dead set on beating up someone who didn't even have anything to do with his problem. If Rin was here, she would have stopped Yugo from doing something so reckless, but without her, Yugo was like a dangerous loose cannon with no control.

"Since you're not an enemy, there is no need to continue this duel." Yuto said as he took his Deck out of his Duel Disk, immediately causing Dark Rebellion to disappear.

Yugo gasped. "But are you sure?!"

"If you wish to settle a grudge that never existed, and take your anger out on me, then do it." Yuto spoke calmly as he closed his eyes.

Yugo pondered on what he said before making a decision. "I'm not a person to strike someone defenseless who hasn't even done anything to me." He also deactivated his Duel Disk by sliding out his Deck.

"I still am having a hard time trusting you… but I guess we can work together. I need to get Rin back, you need to save your Homeland and get your friend back. I guess it might work." Yugo proposed. This guy was strong, from what he had seen, he was about even with Yugo in terms of skill.

"I'm sorry for jumping out to a conclusion." Yuto said as he held out a hand.

"Huh?" Yugo gave a confused look. But that look turned into a smile as the Synchro Duelist got off his d-wheel and walked over to take Yuto's hand. However…

"Yuto!" A voice called out the name of the Xyz Duelist. Yuto's blood ran cold, it was Shun. Knowing him, he might not trust Yugo.

"Shun!" Yuto exclaimed as he turned to where he heard Shun's voice. When he saw, he also took note of the Resistance Duelists with him along with Ryoga and Allen.

"Yuto! Who is this?" Shun asked.

"I'm Yugo." Yugo introduced himself as he pointed to his face. Yugo had put his helmet on before, so Shun couldn't see his face and it's resemblance to Yuto's. However, he heard the name, and since in Japanese, Yugo's name sounded exactly like Fusion...

"Fusion! An enemy! Duel me bastard!" Shun snapped as he pulled out his Duel Disk, ready to pick a fight with the Speedroid user.

"I said Yugo not Fusion!" Yugo yelled.

"Shun, he isn't from Fusion. He is from the Synchro Dimension." Yuto told Shun.

"THANK YOU!" Yugo shouted to the sky.

"We still shouldn't trust him. He could be an Academia spy." Shun Said.

"Shun…lay off." Shark said as he put a hand in front of the Raid Raptor Duelist.

"Ryoga! Don't tell me you trust him!" Shun exclaimed out of shock and anger. He had thought Ryoga out of all people would be on his side.

"I don't trust this guy." Yugo's face fell when he head that. "But, if Yuto trusts you, then I will trust him for now." Shark responded.

"Shark…" Yuto whispered.

"Looks like you guys can't trust me. That's fine. I'll just find a way back to Synchro and find Rin on my own." Yugo said.

"No wait Yugo!" Yuto started.

"No, it's for the best… I guess. Well, see you later Yuto. Sorry for thinking you were the bastard who took Rin." Yugo said as he got on his d-wheel and rode away.

"That reminds me, what about Ruri?" Shun asked. Yuto closed his eyes and shook his head in response.

"Damn!" Shun cursed.

Meanwhile, Yuto looked at the direction in where Yugo had left. _Yugo, I hope I can trust you._ Yuto thought to himself.

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Well... I am sorry if you were disappointed by this chapter. By the fact that I changed the ending. But I did say I would change some things since Yuto is the main protagonist.**

 **Anyways, next chapter preview.**

 **Yuto, Shun, Allen, Shark and the other members return to the Resistance camp. They find out that and O'Brien have found a way to implant a dimensional transporter into the duel disk. However, because of their limited materials, they can only do it on 4 duel disks. Yuto and Shun said that only they will go travel dimensions and no one else should. However, O'Brien and Shark protest, saying that they will come also, because of this, Shun challenges O'Brien to a duel. First, to determine if Shark and O'Brien could come with him and Yuto. Second, to make sure O'Brien isn't an Academia spy.**

 **Big Duels: I was planning on having only Yuto and Shun go, but because of you, I got the idea for the next chapter as seen above. However, I am not having Rio go to Standard, she will stay in the Xyz Dimension in order to help the Resistance. After all, she is one of the strongest duelists there. Sorry about that! Anyways, thanks for the indirect idea! :)  
**

 **Sorry for the short chapter guys. The reason I made the last one really long was to make it up to you guys for not updating in a while. Also to help move the story along a bit.**

 **Anyways, please review and leave some suggestions, criticism is fine. It will help me realize a mistake and try to fix it.**

 **See you all in the next chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	14. Kurosaki's doubt Shun VS O'Brien

Ever since the incident with Yugo, Shun and Yuto haven't said a word to each other on the way back to the camp. It seemed like that their unbreakable friendship wasn't as unbreakable as they thought. Shark and Allen, noticed this, and noticed something was wrong. They noticed in Shun mostly, both of them changed, to the point where even their friendship was affected.

They returned to the camp to see that Kaito was running towards them.

"Kaito? Is something wrong? You look troubled." Yuto said.

"No. I'm fine. It's just that we may have found a turning point in this war!" Kaito exclaimed.

"What! How?" Shun asked. He wanted to end this war as soon as possible.

"Well, O'Brien told us that the leader of Academia, the Professor, has a son in the Standard Dimension. We made dimensional transporters, so we are going to head to the Standard Dimension, find the Professor's son, capture him, and use as a bait for the Professor." Kaito told them.

"Seriously? Kaito, that's huge!" Shark exclaimed.

"There is a problem though. Because of our lack of materials, only four of us can go to Standard." Kaito informed them of the bad news.

"That's fine! I just want the Professor to know that's it's US who are going to work this war!" Shun told Kaito.

"So who will go?" Allen asked.

"I don't know." Kaito responded.

"I'll go." Shun said.

"Are you sure? You have become really reckless Shun." Shark told him.

"Shut up! I'll go… for Ruri." Shun said.

"I'll go too. There is nothing you can do to stop me." Yuto told the group.

"Yuto, what about your family?" Allen asked with concern. Yuto gasped, how could he be so stupid, he forgot about his family.

"I'm going to have to work it out with them, especially mother." Yuto responded.

"Fine then, if you guys are going, then I will too." Shark said.

"No." Yuto told Shark.

"What! Why?" Shark asked.

"We won't need four people, that will give away our position easier. Also, the more strong duelists we have in the Resistance the better." Yuto responded.

"Well… you're going to also have to talk this out with O'Brien, he already said he was going to be one of the people who will go to Standard." Kaito mentioned.

 _O'Brien, going to Standard. Maybe he is going to greenlight an invasion there! Maybe he really is with Academia. I have to stop him!_ Shun thought to himself. Little did Shun know, he was completely wrong.

* * *

Later

Dr. Faker was currently trying to find a way to reverse the carding, but to no avail. He groaned in annoyance. He was getting tired, his vision was getting blurry because of his fatigue. O'Brien had offered multiple times for Faker to take a rest while he took over, but Faker refused. He was just a boy, he didn't need to do this kind of stuff as his age. Then, while he was wondering on what he should do, Yuto, Kaito, Shun, Allen, and Shun came into his tent.

"Ahh, hello boys. Good to see your still up and running." Faker told them.

"Faker, tell O'Brien he shouldn't come to Standard. Shun and I will go, this job only requires two people. More people will be a little overkill. Plus, we will need as many duelists as possible if we even want to have a chance at winning this war." Yuto told Faker.

"No! Faker, let me and O'Brien tag along." Shark said. Meanwhile, O'Brien was outside of the tent listening to their conversation.

"Boys, that's not something for me to decide. Personally, I think four people should go, and O'Brien does too. However, we have one way to settle this." Faker told them.

"A duel?" Allen asked.

"Yes. That's how we always solve our problems." (Not really but I'm just saying this cause I want at least one character saying this.) Faker responded.

"Fine then, I will duel!" Shun exclaimed.

"Fine, I will duel you, Shun!" Shark exclaimed.

"No. I'm not dueling you. You can come in now O'Brien." Shun called out to O'Brien, while he had his back towards the entrance. O'Brien walked into the tent, revealing himself.

"How did you know I was there?" O'Brien asked.

"Instinct. Now let's duel! I will expose you Academia scum!" Shun yelled as he activated his duel disk, to which O'Brien and the others gasped.

"Academia! O'Brien?" Faker asked.

"Yes. Yuto and I have been keeping this a secret. O'Brien is from Fusion, the same dimension Fusion comes from." Shun told them.

"I'm not here to invade! I am here to help, my Academia noticed what the Central Academia was doing and they sent me to help you guys win this war!" O'Brien retorted.

"I can't believe it." Shark said shocked.

"We trusted you!" Kaito yelled.

"I told you, I am not here to bring danger!" O'Brien yelled back.

"Then why didn't you tell us that you were Academia in the first place?" Allen asked. A long silence followed, O'Brien didn't know how to respond to that. However, Yuto saved him.

"He didn't want to alarm us. If he just went and told us that he was from the Fusion Dimension, then we would immediately try to eradicate him. He didn't tell the rest of the Resistance to keep the tension low." Yuto spoke for O'Brien. "So believe in him. I believe him, so why can't you all?"

"Yuto…" O'Brien said.

"... I still don't trust him! Besides, even if he isn't an Academia spy, this will decide whether O'Brien and Shark can come to Standard or not. This will also prove his innocence. So O'Brien, are you up for the challenge?" Shun asked with a glare.

"O'Brien, you don't have to accept the duel, I can take over in your place." Shark offered, though he was still shocked by the fact that O'Brien is from Fusion.

"No. I will accept this duel." O'Brien responded as he and Shun went out of the tent so they could duel. O'Brien activated his duel disk.

"Now you are feeling up to it!" Shun exclaimed as he also activated his duel disk.

DUEL!

"I'll go first. I activate Fusion!" Shun and the others flinched when they heard the card.

"I fuse the Volcanic Hammer and Volcanic Edge! Two sparks of fire burn brightly, now merge into one burst of flames that can never be put out! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Level 7! Volcanic Avenger!" O'Brien chanted as his monster appeared.

Volcanic Avenger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 2300 Def

"I use Avenger's effect! Once per turn, I can target a fire monster in my grave, I can deal damage to you equal to it's level times 200. I pick Volcanic Hammer, which is level 5. So, you take 1000 points of damage!" O'Brien yelled. Shun grunted as he fought through the fire.

Shun: 4000-3000 Lp

"Not so fast, when I take effect damage, I can special summon Raid Raptors-Avenge Vulture!" Shun explained.

Avenge Vulture: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 100 Def

"Wait, O'Brien uses a burn deck?" Allen asked.

"It seems like it, but we'll need to wait to be sure." Kaito told him.

"I set two cards and end my turn." O'Brien concluded.

"My turn, draw!" Shun yelled as he drew his card, but he was soon interrupted by O'Brien.

"Trap activate! Draw Blast! When you draw a card(s), you take 1000 points of damage." O'Brien explained.

"What?" Shun gasped in shock as he was hit by a fireball coming from O'Brien's trap. Shun slumped over in pain.

Shun: 3000-2000 Lp

"2000 points of damage already. Not bad." Dr. Faker mentioned.

"This will be a hard one for Shun to win." Yuto said.

"To be honest, I don't think Shun is going to win this." Shark told Yuto.

"Chipping away at my life points. Making a fool out of me, just like all of those Academia Scum!" Shun yelled in anger.

"I told you, I am not with them!" O'Brien exclaimed.

"Shut up! I will make you pay! I summon Raid Raptors-Retrofit Lanius!" Shun yelled as he slapped the card on his duel disk.

Retrofit Lanius: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1200 Def

"Retrofit Lanius can be treated as two monsters when used in an Xyz Summon for a Raid Raptors monster! So, I use the level 4 Avenge Vulture and the Retrofit Lanius treated as 3 monsters to overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as in a surge of flames, Shun's ace monster appeared while Shun also slapped his ace monsters card onto his duel disk.

Rise Falcon: Rank 1,100 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate the effect Rise Falcon, by detaching an overlay unit, Rise Falcon gains the attack of all special summoned monsters on the field! Your monster has 2600 attack, so Rise Falcon gains 2600 attack!" Shun explained.

Rise Falcon: 100-2700 Atk

"Battle! Go, Rise Falcon, attack Volcanic Avenger! BRAVE CLAW REVOLUTION!" Shun yelled as Rise Falcon soared towards Volcanic Avenger, destroying it. Because of the explosion, other people in the camp noticed the duel and came to watch.

O'Brien: 4000-3900 Lp

"Volcanic Avenger's effect activates, when he is destroyed, I can special summon a Fire-Type monster from my graveyard. I special summon Volcanic Hammer!" O'Brien yelled.

"Rise Falcon can attack every special summoned monster on the field, so I attack your Volcanic Hammer!" Shun yelled as Rise Falcon flew towards Volcanic Hammer and struck it's claws through it, destroying it.

"Damn." O'Brien cursed.

O'Brien: 3900-3600 Lp

"I set a card and end my turn." Shun concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic card Volcanic Possession! I pay 500 life points in order to take control of one of your monsters. I take control of Rise Falcon." O'Brien explained as Rise Falcon flew to O'Brien's field.

O'Brien: 3600-3100 Lp

"Now you use my monster? You sick bastard!" Shun cursed.

"Battle! Rise Falcon attack Kurosaki directly!" O'Brien yelled.

"I don't think so, I activate the Quick-play Rank-Up Magic Revolution Force! Since you control an Xyz monster, I can use that monster as Xyz material in order to special summon a Raid Raptors monster from my extra falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Raid Raptors - Blaze Falcon!" Shun chanted as his monster appeared.

Blaze Falcon: Rank 5, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Kgh. I end my turn." O'Brien concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the magic card Xyz Assault! Now, by paying 1000 life points, an Xyz monster I control can attack twice! Battle, go, Blaze falcon, scratch with your claws!" Shun yelled as Blaze Falcon struck O'Brien with his claws. O'Brien groaned in pain as he clutched his chest in pain.

Shun: 2000-1000 Lp

O'Brien: 3100-1100 Lp

"How does the pain of every carded person in Heartland feel? Do you feel guilt, fear? Well, you should! I won't stop until you and the entire Fusion Dimension is destroyed!" Shun yelled.

"Kurosaki… Fine. If you won't trust me… then I will just have to win this duel! I won't stop until I prove my worth to you! I never wanted this war to ever begin! It's all because of that bastard Akaba Leo! I won't stop, until he's defeated!" O'Brien yelled out his resolve, shocking everyone in the camp.

"He put me through a lot of pain! When he first came to my Academia, he did something to Professor Viper! What he did was horrible, after that, my life became one of survival, where even one slip up means you get carded!" O'Brien yelled.

Shun gasped when he heard that. But he regained his composure and continued. "Fine, then prove your resolve to me in this next turn! I set two cards and end my turn."

"Mom… Dad… lend me strength. DRAW! I activate the magic card Pot of Greed! I draw 2 cards! I activate Flame Draw! I banish 2 fire monsters in my grave, which will be Hammer and Edge, now I get to draw 2 more cards!" O'Brien exclaimed.

"Please, if you really think drawing cards is going to help you than your resolve is nothing but a weak one! Looks like you are low Academia Scum after all. Only Academia would resort to this!" Shun yelled.

"When will you learn? Just because I am from the same dimension, doesn't mean I am like the other people from Academia. My father and mother used to be very good people. They were nothing like the people at Academia, they actually cared. But then Akaba Leo came… and took them away from me! I don't know how, but they did." O'Brien said with an angry face.

"O'Brien…" Yuto whispered. He had now realized that he could trust O'Brien fully. Someone might think that he was lying, but Yuto felt it somehow. He could feel that O'Brien was telling the truth. It was just a feeling in his heart.

"Now then! Let's continue! Continuous Magic, Blaze Cannon! Now I send Blaze Cannon to the grave in order to activate the Continuous Magic card Blaze Cannon-Trident! Now I activate the Trap Volcanic Force! I send Blaze Cannon-Trident to the grave in order to special summon the fire that represents my survival, blood, and sweat from my hand, deck, or grave. Now, from the deck, I special summon Volcanic Doomfire!" O'Brien yelled.

"Not so fast! I activate a trap! Raptor's Storm! When you activate a Magic/Trap while I control a Raid Raptors monster, I can negate the activation and destroy it!" Shun exclaimed. Victory was his, or so he thought.

"From my hand, I send Volcanic Veil to the graveyard! I negate the activation of your card, and then destroy it! Then, you take 500 points of damage!" O'Brien countered as Shun's trap was destroyed.

Shun: 1000-500 Lp

"Now show yourself Doomfire!" O'Brien yelled as he lifted his fist into the air as his monster appeared.

Volcanic Doomfire: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 1800 Def

"Battle! Go, Doomfire, destroy Blaze Falcon and end this!" O'Brien yelled as Doomfire let out a beam of fire towards Shun's Falcon. Shun let out a yell as he lost the rest of his life points.

Shun: 500-0 Lp

"Alright! Nice job O'Brien! We can go to Standard now!" Shark exclaimed.

O'Brien walked over to Shun and held out a hand. Shun looked at it for a it for a while before taking it and getting up.

"Well, a deal is a deal. You and Shark can come with me and Yuto to Standard. I will also trust you...for now. But try anything funny and you will suffer a long and merciless death." Shun told O'Brien as he glared at him.

"Thanks. You can count on me." O'Brien responded.

"Well boys, it's about that time. You guys get the things you need, you will be departing for the Standard Dimension soon." Dr. Faker Yuto, Shun, Shark, and O'Brien.

* * *

Later

"Alright guys are you ready?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah, but are you?" Shun asked back.

Yuto sighed. "To be honest, I am kind of nervous. I will be going to a new world that I know nothing about. I guess that should be our first priority when we get there. Scan the area, get used to it, find good hiding and meeting spots." Yuto said.

"Alright… don't die you guys." Allen told the group as Yuto, Shun, Shark, and O'Brien looked towards the camp.

"Alright. We are going to be gone, stay safe everyone." Shark told the camp.

"You can count on us." Kaito told them.

"Don't leave!" Sayaka exclaimed. She had already lost Ruri, she didn't want to think about losing her other friends.

"Don't worry about us, Sayaka. We will be back soon, and soon we will win this war!' Yuto yelled, to which the camp cheered in response.

"Alright guys let's go." O'Brien rushed.

"Ready?" Shark asked.

"Yeah." Shun responded.

"Whatever happens, we need to be careful." Yuto told them.

"Let's go!" Shark exclaimed. Bot he was soon interrupted by his sister running to him.

"You are really going?" Rio asked.

"Yeah. Stay safe. I will be back soon.' Shark told her as he gave her a small hug.

"Alright, we don't have anymore time to waste. Let's go guys!" O'Brien yelled as all four duelists activated the dimensional transportation devices they have.

They disappeared from the Xyz Dimension and went to Standard.

* * *

Standard Dimension

"AHHH!" All four boys yelled as they fell to the ground.

"Damn." Shun cursed as he got up on his feet.

"Woah…" Shark gasped in amazement while looking at their surroundings. The place was beautiful, not as beautiful as Heartland before it was attacked but still beautiful.

"This is it." O'Brien said.

"The Standard Dimension." Yuto finished.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Volcanic Avenger Fire, Pyro: Once per turn, you can target one Fire monster in your grave, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the level of the monster times 200. When this card is destroyed, you can target one fire monster in your grave, special summon it.**

 **Volcanic Possession Magic: You can pay 500 Life points, target one monster your opponent controls, take control of that monster.**

 **Volcanic Veil Fire, Pyro: When your opponent activates a Magic, Trap, or monster effect, you can discard this card from your hand, negate the activation, then destroy that card, then, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.**

* * *

 **Done.**

 **Ok… I'm sorry if you found the duel between Shun and O'Brien disappointing. To be honest, I'm sorry if you found everything up to this point disappointing. I'll do my best to make it better.**

 **Anyways, if you guys were wondering what happened to O'Brien's parents, that will be explained in a future chapter most likely. Also, if you guys don't know who Austin O'Brien is because you watch the dub, I'll remind you. He is Axel Brodie from Yugioh GX, I'm just bringing him back as a legacy character.**

 **Anyways, next time, Yuto, O'Brien, Shun, and Shark arrive in Standard. Yuto decides to go look around the place, get some hiding places while they were in Standard. However, while at the docs, Yuto hears a female voice while on a rooftop. He turns to the direction of the voice, and to his shock he sees "Ruri". Which, in reality, is Yuzu Hiragi. He hears that she is challenging someone named Sawatari Shingo. However, before Yuzu gets to duel him, Yuto interferes. Instead, Yuto and Sawatari duel. Yuto begins his turn with an unpredictable move, however Sawatari still decides to taunt him, not knowing what Yuto has planned.**

 **Ok guys, so the next chapter, chapter 15, will be two parts. Chapter 15a, and chapter 15b. Chapter 15b will have an alternate duel between Yuto and Sawatari, however, the outcome will be the same as 15a.**

 **Anyways, please remember to review and leave some suggestions. Did I do something wrong here in this chapter? Do you think the duel should have ended in a draw or Shun winning?**

 **Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter. Take care, goodbye.**


	15. Revolt of Lightning Disobey!

Xyz Dimension-At the Camp

"Do you think we can last without them?" Rio asked.

"I don't know. But we have you, Kaito, Allen, Sayaka, and many others to help out. I'm sure we can at least stay in the war for a while." Faker responded.

"I sure hope you are right." Sayaka said, joining the conversation.

"Wait! Did anyone tell Yuto's family about his departure?" Allen asked.

"No. He didn't! But why would he forget, that isn't like Yuto!" Rio exclaimed.

"It's because he doesn't want them to worry about him." Kaito told the group as he walked towards them.

"Kaito." Sayaka said.

"He told me before he left." Kaito told them.

45 minutes earlier

"Are you nervous Yuto?" Kaito asked.

"A little yes. I mean, going to a new world and all. But I think I will manage." Yuto responded as he walked out of a tent with Kaito.

"If you want I'll go." Kaito suggested.

"No, it's fine. You stay here." Yuto told Kaito.

"Well… is there anything you need?" Kaito asked.

"No. Don't worry about it." Yuto told Kaito with a small smile on his face.

"Are you sure?" Kaito asked again. Yuto stopped walking, now that he thought about it, there was something Kaito could do.

"Ok. I need you to do this as a friend. Ok?" Yuto asked.

"Alright." Kaito responded. Yuto faced Kaito and gave him a serious expression.

"Don't tell my family about my departure to Standard." Yuto told Kaito, something that shocked him.

"What? Why? Your family has the right to know!" Kaito exclaimed.

"I don't want them to worry about me while I am gone. Plus, if I told them, my Mom would probably be against the idea, and even if she does allow me to go, she might try to come with me. I don't want them to get more involved than they already have. I don't want them to get hurt." Yuto told Kaito.

"But if they don't know where you are, they might think that you are out there hurt or carded, or captured even." Kaito said.

"Then tell them that I am out searching for survivors. The fight has died down quite a bit, so it seems like it is unlikely for me to be carded." Yuto told Kaito. Kaito thought about this. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Yuto might be right. Maybe it was for the best that Yuto's family doesn't know about his departure to the Standard Dimension. Kaito sighed in defeat.

"Fine. You have my word. I will also tell the others not to tell, unless we really need to." Kaito told Yuto.

"Thanks Kaito. I owe you." Yuto told him.

Now

"I see." Allen said, still taking the time to take this in.

"I really hope the guys are alright." Sayaka said with a worried look on her face. Again, she is unable to help her friends, just like with what happened to Ruri.

"Don't worry." Faker told her.

"Yeah. Those guys are tough. I don't know much about O'Brien, but he beat Shun in a duel. He has to be strong, and we already know Yuto, Shun, and Shark are tough guys. They never give up no matter how much the odds are stacked against them." Rio added, with a smile of hope on her face, as she and the others looked off into the distance.

Standard

Yuto, Shun, Shark, and O'Brien were hidden in an alleyway, viewing their surroundings, making sure no one if near them. 

"Ok. What should we do? We got this far, now we are out of ideas." Shark said.

"We should find some places to hide. Also, some supplies to keep us going while we are here." O'Brien said.

"How are we going to lure out the Professor's son?" Shun asked the obvious question.

"One second guys." Yuto suddenly said as he noticed something on the ground as he walked towards the object.

"Something wrong Yuto?" O'Brien asked.

Yuto crouched down and picked up something. It was a badge of some sort. It looks like something a person would wear. From the looks of it, someone accidently dropped it while in the alley. However, the thing that caught Yuto's eye the most were the 3 letters written on the badge. The letters were LDS. Yuto swore that he saw a tower that had the same letters on it.

"Look at this badge. The letters say LDS." Yuto told them as he showed the badge.

"Interesting. Hey, wasn't there a building with the same letters?" Shark asked.

"Yes. There was." Shun said.

"LDS. I don't know why… but that sounds like it would be the name of a school." O'Brien.

"Eh, and how would you know? Maybe you and your Academia friends know about this place." Shun mocked with a hint of suspicion in his voice. O'Brien looked down at the ground with a grim look. Shun still didn't trust him from the looks of it.

"Knock it off Shun. We are not here to fight amongst ourselves." Yuto told him as he held Shun's arm with force.

"Grrr!" Shun growled in annoyance, he gave O'Brien a look of disgust before looking away.

"Anyways, I will go look for some good places to hide or meet up." Yuto told the group as he walked away.

"Hold up, you can't just go walking out in the open!" Shark exclaimed.

Yuto turned his head towards Shark. "I know, which is why I am sticking to the rooftops and shadows."

Yuto walked away as he pulled some goggles over his eyes, put a mask over his mouth, and undid the scarf on his arm and put it around his neck.

Hours later-At the docks

Yuto jumped from the rooftops, making sure not to be seen. He stopped on warehouse 53, while looking out at the sun setting. It was such a beautiful sight. It reminded him of the better days of Heartland. It put an aching feeling in his chest as he missed the old days.

 _This place is almost as beautiful as Heartland was. Hopefully, nothing bad happens to this place and the residents of it._ Yuto thought to himself. He turned to the direction of the LDS tower, staring at it, while the wind blew on his cape and hair lightly.

The door to warehouse 52 was slid open. Two people came, one had food.

"Sawatari-san sorry for making you wait!" The guy who opened the warehouse exclaimed. (For the sake of consistency, let's call him henchman 1.)

"You're late!" The boy known as Sawatari scolded.

"Sorry! We got you your Sweet Milk Apple Berry Pie with Honey!" Henchman 2 exclaimed. Outside the warehouse, Yuzu was hiding behind a crate.

"Yuzu-oneechan…" A girl with red hair whispered with worry in her voice. This girl was named Ayu Ayukawa. (Funny how her first name is in part of her last name.) "Shouldn't we let Yuya-oniichan know?"

 _During the last duel, Yuya tried his best to save me. Now it's my turn to protect Yuya!_ Yuzu thought to herself as she remembered Yuya's duel against Sawatari in which he stole Yuya's pendulum cards and put herself, Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya in danger.

"Ayu-chan, you go back to You Show Duel School first!" Yuzu commanded as she gave Ayu a bag of ice cream.

"B-but…" Ayu stammered as Yuzu ran to the door of the warehouse. Yuto turned around on the rooftop as he heard Yuzu's footsteps and voice. She saw Yuzu run up to the door of warehouse 52. He gasped, the girl looked like Ruri. However, Yuto thought Yuzu WAS Ruri.

"What is she doing here?!" Yuto asked himself. Underneath his mask, he had a shocked expression on his face.

Sawatari was currently about to have his food as he admired. He took a bite out of it, but widened his eyes when he heard the door to the warehouse open. He saw Yuzu in the doorway, and she looked mad.

"You coward!" Yuzu yelled as Sawatari started choking on his food. Henchman 3 gave Sawatari a bottle of water, to which he accepted and gulped down immediately.

"'I'll do whatever it takes to crush Yuya' you said? I will never let you!" Yuzu exclaimed as she walked into the warehouse with her hands clutched into fists. Sawatari finished choking and looked at Yuzu with a shocked expression.

"Hiragi Yuzu? Why are you here?!" Sawatari asked.

"I don't need to explain that to YOU!" Yuzu yelled, putting emphasis on the "you." She pointed at Sawatari's mouth and said, "You've got some pie crumbs on your mouth."

"What?!" Sawatari exclaimed. One of Sawatari's henchman gave him a napkin.

"Sawatari-san, use this." Sawatari accepted the napkin and rubbed his face, before standing up and throwing away the napkin. Sawatari laughed.

"Hiragi Yuzu, you've fallen into our-"

"Duel me!" Yuzu interrupted Sawatari as she pointed a finger at him. Annoying Sawatari a tiny bit.

"And beca-"

"I'm going to beat the crap out of you!" Yuzu interrupted again.

"The goddess of victory is-"

"What's wrong? Are you afraid you'll lose to me!?" Yuzu exclaimed, making Sawatari's blood boil.

"LET ME TALK!" Sawatari yelled.

"I don't want to listen to you! You coward, sore-loser, second-rate duelist!" Yuzu exclaimed, making Sawtari freeze where he stood, taking that comment in.

"Second-rate you said?" Sawatari asked. Yuzu nodded her head.

"No! You're even below THAT! Third-rate! Fourth-rate! A hundred-rate duelist!" Yuzu yelled. Sawatari's hair covered his eyes so no one could see them. He looked at Yuzu, really furious.

"Now you've done it!" Sawatari exclaimed as the door behind Yuzu was closed, shocking her.

Meanwhile, Yuto heard the door close. Knowing it was his time to strike, he jumped off the warehouse he was on and started to slowly walk towards the door.

"What you just said… if you want to take it back now is your chance." Sawatari told Yuzu.

"Too bad! I don't feel like it! Not one bit! You cowardly, sore-loser, hundred-rate duelist!" Yuzu yelled, ticking off Sawatari even more.

"That ignorant attitude of yours…" Sawatari started as he put on his duel disk. At that moment, Yuto slowly opened the door to the warehouse. "I'm going to make you regret not knowing your place!" A scream was heard, shocking Sawatari. Yuto quickly opened the door and threw Henchman 3 to the floor. Yuzu gasped and looked towards Yuto.

Yuto walked towards Yuzu and the others. Henchmen 2 and 1 walked towards Sawatari defensively.

"Who are you?" Sawatari asked. Yuto ignored the question and kept walking.

"Stand down." Yuto commanded.

"Huh? What's with you?" Yuzu asked. Yuto again ignored the question and narrowed his eyes on Sawatari's LDS badge. Forgetting the fact that he thought this girl was Ruri.

"Showing up all the sudden, are you supposed to be the knight in shining armor that has come to save the damsel in distress of a princess?" Sawatari asked. Yuto ignored the sarcasm and thrust his hand back, flinging back his cape, revealing his duel disk. He activated his duel disk and got a serious expression under his mask.

"That's an odd duel disk you have there. So you don't intend to answer any of my questions then?" Sawatari asked with an interested look.

"Hold on. What are you doing? Butting in like this! This is my duel!" Yuzu exclaimed, as she was about to put on her duel disk. However, Yuzu put his hand over her arm where her duel disk should be.

"I don't want you to get hurt anymore." Yuto told her.

"What?" Yuzu asked.

"Well aren't you cool? But you should leave it at that, Knight-kun. You'll just embarrass yourself." Sawatari said.

 _This guy is really full of himself. Are all duelists in this dimension like this?_ Yuto thought to himself.

"This'll be a perfect chance to test out my new deck. I'll crush you!" Sawatari exclaimed as he activated his duel disk.

DUEL!

Both players drew their cards. _I can work with this!_ Yuto thought to himself.

"I'll go first." Yuto said.

"That's fine. Go ahead, Knight-Kun." Sawatari taunted.

"I set all cards in my hand. Turn end." Yuto concluded, shocking everyone in the room. Soon, Sawatari started laughing.

"Oi, oi! You come in here and act all cool, but that is all you can do?!" Sawatari taunted.

"Sawatari-San! End him!" Henchman 2 exclaimed.

"You didn't draw a single monster? I feel sorry for you, you don't got it do you? Sawatari asked with sarcasm.

 _They don't even know what my set cards are._ Yuto thought to himself.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I ended my turn." Yuto said again, getting a little irritated.

"Huh?" Sawatari questioned.

Meanwhile

Ayu was running into You Show a Duel School in a hurry. "Yuya-oniichan!" She tripped and fell and dropped the ice cream which flew towards Futoshi, luckily, Yuya caught her.

"Look out!" Yuya exclaimed. At the same time, Futoshi catches the bag. "Are you alright?"

"Yuya-oniichan!" Ayu tears up.

"Aww! The ice cream melted!" Futoshi exclaimed as he and Sora checked the ice cream.

"What a waste…" Sora said.

"What happened, Ayu? Where is Yuzu?" Yuya asked her while Ayu was taking deep breaths.

"Yuzu-oneechan is… Yuzu-oneechan is in danger!" Ayu exclaimed.

"What!" Yuya exclaimed.

Back at the duel

Yuto and Sawatari were standing across from each other, while Yuzu, Henchman 1,2, and 3 were watching.

"I'll show you my perfect dueling! My turn, draw! Allow me to use those set cards of yours." Sawatari said to Yuto.

 _What does he mean by that?_ Yuto thought.

"If my opponent has two or more cards in the Magic/Trap zone, I can special summon this card! Come forth, Escher the Vassal of the Ice Monarch! Sawatari exclaimed as his monster appeared.

Escher: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Now I release Escher in order to Advance Summon Mobius the Ice Monarch!" Sawatari exclaimed.

Mobius the Ice Monarch: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1000 Def

"Alright! In an instant he Advanced Summoned a 2400 attack monster!" Henchman 3 exclaimed.

"Mobius the Ice Monarch's effect activates, when it is successfully Advanced Summon, I can destroy two Magic or Trap cards on the field! Freeze Burst!" Sawatari exclaimed as Mobius let out a wave of wind and snow, revealing two of Yuto's set cards, destroying them.

"I'm just getting started! I activate the Magic card Advance Carnival! I can now Advance Summon again after one Advance Summon succeeds!" Sawatari exclaimed.

Yuzu gasped in shock. "He's going to release the 2400 attack Mobius and Advance Summon another monster?"

"That's right! I release Mobius the Ice Monarch to Advance Summon! Come forth, Mobius the Mega Monarch!" Sawatari exclaimed.

Mega Monarch: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Now, usually I would need to release two monsters but if it is a monster that was successfully Advanced Summoned, you can release it as two monsters!" Mobius the Mega Monarch's effect activates! When this card is successfully Advanced Summoned, I can choose three Magic or Trap cards on the field and destroy them." Sawatari explained as Mobius' fists started charging Ice.

 _Hmph. That's exactly what I want you to do._ Yuto thought to himself.

"Hey Knight-Kun, how about using those cards before they get destroyed." Henchman 3 taunted.

"It's pointless! If this monster was Advanced Summoned using a Water-type monster, the targeted cards can't be activated. Blizzard Destruction!" Mobius let out a large breeze of wind as Yuto's last 3 set cards were destroyed.

Yuzu gasped in shock. "Why can I feel the wind even though this isn't an Action Field?"

"Your hand is at zero. You don't have any set cards anymore either! Furthermore, you don't have any wall monsters on the field. This is pretty pathetic after you showed a cool entrance." Sawatari taunted.

"Hey, you need to get it together! If you can't do this then you should let me-" Yuzu was caught off when Yuto gave him "the look."

"Now, my gloomy Knight-kun. I am so sorry for the rude awakening… but I would appreciate it if you stepped down from the stage. Battle! Go, Mobius the Eva Monarch, attack him directly!" Sawatari declared as Icicles appeared from Mobius as a gust of wind came.

 _Just what I wanted you to do._ Yuto thought.

"From the grave, I activate the Magic card Phantom Knights Shadow Veil!" Yuto declared.

"What!" Henchmen 1,2, and 3 exclaimed.

"From the grave!" Henchman 1 repeated.

"A Magic card?" Henchman 2 asked.

"A Magic card activated from the grave?" Sawatari asked in shock.

"When a direct attack is declared, I can Special Summon as many a Shadow a Veil as possible! Now, when they are destroyed, they are banished." Yuto explained.

"Three monsters just like that!" Henchman 2 exclaimed.

"Hmph, they are just wall monsters! I can still destroy one! Go, Mobius the Mega Monarch! Attack a Shadow Veil! Imperial Charge!" Sawatari declared as one Shadow Veil was stabbed and destroyed.

"The destroyed Shadow Veil is banished." Yuto said.

"Looks like you barely held on." Sawatari told Yuto. "I set a card and end my turn. I guess I will spare you for this turn."

"There won't be another turn for you." Yuto told him.

"What?" Sawatari asked.

"My turn, draw! I thought you would put more of a fight but… you're dueling… I don't feel the sharpness of a blade or the power of a bullet in it. Not even a fragment of it." Yuto told Sawatari coldly.

"What is this guy saying?" Henchman 2 asked.

"My sides!" Henchman 3 exclaimed while laughing.

"Cut it with the jokes!" Henchman 1 said.

"All conditions have been met. When there are two monsters with the same level in my field, the evolution of my deck manifests itself! I use the two Level Four Shadow Veil in order to construct the overlay network!" Yuto declared as his monsters when into the portal.

"It can't be!" Sawatari exclaimed.

"That is!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto Chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Xyz Summon." Yuzu said as she stood there frozen with shock.

"He summoned a monster from his extra deck!" Henchman 2 exclaimed. Sawatari started clapping.

"I admit,.I was surprised when you Xyz Summoned so quickly. But are you planning on battling against Mobius with that monster? Dark Rebellion's attack is 2500. My Mobius is 2800." Sawatari pointed out. "Your Xyz Summoning turned out to be a bluff it seems."

"Xyz monster's true power is to use their overlay units in order to annihilate their foes." Yuto said.

"Enough with your Xyz lessons, I am not interested." Sawatari said.

"Then I will have you bear witness to their true power! Dark Rebellion's effect activates! By detaching an overlay unit, until the end of the turn, a level five or higher monster's attack is halved, and Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount! Treason Discharge!" Yuto yelled.

Mobius: 2800-1400 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3900 Atk

"Dark Rebellion's attack is over Mobius!" Yuzu yelled in shock.

"No way!" Sawatari exclaimed.

"I'm not finished. I detaching Dark Rebellion's last overlay unit, Treason Discharge!" Yuto exclaimed as purple electricity covered Mobius.

Mobius: 1400-700 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 3900-4600 Atk

"An attack of 4600!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"No way!" Sawatari yelled.

"Battle! Dark Rebellion, attack Mobius the Mega Monarch! Go, crush that glacier with your fangs! REBELLIOUS LIGHTNING DISOBEY!" Yuto yelled as Dark Rebellion stabbed Mobius with it's fangs, destroying it, creating a big explosion.

"AHHHH!" Sawatari yelled as he was thrown back.

"AHHH!" Yuzu screamed as Yuto ran in front of her to protect, a pebble shattered Yuto's goggles. Fire was currently in the Warehouse, but not too much.

Sawatari: 4000-100 Lp

"What? How? There is no Action field but we felt that!" Henchman 1 exclaimed.

"That guy's monster is what sent us flying." Henchman 3 said shocked

Yuto slowly walked towards Sawatari. "I have some questions for you, and you better answer properly!" Yuto yelled. He held up the LDS badge.

"Is this badge from LDS? What is your connection to Academia?" Yuto asked.

"A-Academia?! What're you talking about?" Sawatari asked.

"Don't play dumb!" Yuto yelled, he was losing his patience.

"I mean it! Anyone who is enrolled in LESS has a badge like that! I don't what Academia is! I swear on my life!" Sawatari exclaimed.

Yuto sighed. "Then I have no business with you." Yuto said as he started to walk away. Sawatari laughed.

"Idiot! The fuel isn't over yet! Trap activate! Ice Rage Shot! When a Water-type monster on my field is destroyed in battle, it destroys one monster you control and deals damage equal to that monster's attack! Your Dark Rebellion is destroyed and you take 4600 points of damage." Sawatari explained as he laughed while everyone except Yuto gasped.

"Such cheap tactics, it's child's play honestly." Yuto told Sawatari, who got shocked.

"What!" Sawatari exclaimed.

"Fro. The grave, I activate the Continuous Magic card, Phantom Death Spear! When you use a trap, I can banish this card, I negate the effect if the trap and destroy it!" Yuto yelled as Sawatari's trap was destroyed, he gasped in shock by the real spear that formed in front of him.

"Now, you take 100 points of damage!" Yuto yelled as Sawatari got a worried look on his face while flailing around with his arms.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Waiwaiwaiwai-!" Sawatari continued while Yuto pointed at him.

"Experience this with your very own flesh! The rage and sorrow of the battlefield!" Yuto yelled as the spear was launched. Sawatari cried as it looked like the spear had stabbed him. Fortunately, the Spear had only pinned his jacket to the wall.

Sawatari: 100-0 Lp

The Spear and Dark Rebellion disappeared. Yuto took of his mask and lifted up his broken goggles, revealing an all too familiar face. Yuzu and Sawatari gasped in shock. Yuzu walked over to Yuto.

"Yuya!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"I-it was you-!" Sawatari said as he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Sawatari-san!" Henchman 3 exclaimed as he and henchman 1 and 2 picked up Sawatari.

"Crap! This guy is dangerous!" Henchman 1 exclaimed as they ran out of the Warehouse while holding Sawatari.

"Yuya! Why do you look like that?" Yuzu asked, with Yuto giving her a confused face

 _Why doesn't she recognize me?_ Yuto thought to himself.

"Who is Yuya? Are you alright Ruri?" Yuto asked.

"Who is-" Yuzu was interrupted by a shun caused by her bracelet.

"What's happening?" Yuzu asked. It shone very bright, when the light dissipated, Yuzu found that Yuto was gone.

"Yuya!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Yuzu!" A familiar voice yelled. Footsteps were heard, and Yuya was seen at the doorway. Yuzu gasped and looked at the door.

"Yuya?" Yuzu said confused.

"Are you okay?" Yuya asked concerned s he ran to her.

"Yuya… how did you get here… weren't you just here?" Yuzu asked.

"What? No, I just got here. You sure you aren't just seeing things Yuzu?" Yuya asked.

"...I swear I-" Yuzu stopped talking.

"Oh man… what happened here? Also, eww, why does it smell so bad in here? Yuzu… what did you do, release a really big gas cloud? Hahahaha OW!" Yuya's laughs were interrupted by a smack by Yuzu's fan, with a large blush appearing on her face. She kept smacking Yuya on the head.

"YUYA! DON'T SAY THAT KIND OF STUFF! ESPECIALLY TO A LADY!" Yuzu yelled. Fortunately, it helped her forget about what just happened.

Meanwhile

"What? Where am I? How did I get here? Oh yeah, Ruri's bracelet glowed. No… that isn't Ruri. She didn't recognize me, or Dark Rebellion. She didn't even recognize the Shadow Veils or the Spear! Well, wherever I am, I need to find Shun and the others." Yuto said to himself as he climbed up the nearest building. Nearby, he saw the LDS tower.

"I swear, I will save you Ruri, if it's the last thing I do!"

 **OK. We are done with chapter 15a, or 15. I just decided not to duel an alternative duel. Sorry about the duel being the same guys.**

 **Anyways, no chapter preview for today, cause knowing me I am not going to do the same thing. Also, I don't know what we are going to do next chapter yet.**

 **Venomous Blade: That's really the thing that I was thinking was disappointing. The Obelisk Force. That's also why once or twice I did the Hound Dog Fusions, so it won't seem like the same thing every time. Anyways, I'll be sure to post an idea or two next time I review your story. You're doing really great so far by the way. :)**

 **Big Duels: About Yuya and Yuto becoming one, I don't know yet. I have kind of been thinking about that one for a while. That's also another reason why Chapter 12 took a while to post, cause I was distracted on whether I should have them become one or not. Shun and Reiji, I'm planning on having them duel at some point before the Synchro Dimension. That's also a duel I wanted to see in the anime. There was a couple of opportunities. For example, in episode 25 I think it was, the episode after Shun beat Masumi, Hokuto, and Yaiba. Also, While Yuto dueled Yugo in 37, Shun wanted to go help. He could have dueled Reiji for permission. It's a shame the duel never happened. :(**

 **Anyways, that is all for now guys. Please remember to review and give some ideas.**

 **See you all in the next chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	16. Unanswered Questions

Yuto opened his eyes and looked around his surroundings. He gasped when he realized that he wasn't in the warehouse anymore.

"What?! Where am I? Ruri-no, whoever that girl was… thought that I was a guy named Yuya. Hmm… does this Yuya and I look similar. I mean, it is possible, the girl looks like Ruri, also Yugo looked like me. I should find out about this Yuya person. Anyways, the bracelet on that girl, it shone and I was teleported here. Also, Ruri wore a similar bracelet." Yuto told himself as he climbed up a nearby building.

"I should find Shun and the others." Yuto said as he jumped across the rooftops.

As Yuto ran, he took a look and saw the LDS tower. _Maybe LDS isn't linked to Academia._ Yuto thought back to when he interrogated Sawatari, who had never heard of Academia before. The sound in Sawatari's voice, the way he expressed, he was telling the truth. He didn't really know anything about Academia.

 _Maybe we shouldn't do this. We might do too much damage._ Yuto thought to himself, which reminded him, he stopped running and thought about it.

"Why did I wreck the warehouse? I didn't even mean to. Was I doing out of habit because of the war? Did something influence the damage of my attack? Or did it influence my command without me realizing? Actually…" Yuto said to himself as he took a Card out of his Extra Deck.

"Dark Requiem…Xyz Dragon. I got this Card during the Duel Dad got Carded." Yuto said grimly as he remembered the horrible memory.

"Maybe, this Card is influencing me. I need to tell the others. No, they might worry. I don't want them to worry. They might get distracted. Fine then, I'll keep you a secret… for now… Dark Requiem." Yuto said, as if talking to the Card.

"Yuto!" A voice called. Yuto looked in the direction of the voice. He saw Shun, Shark, and O'Brien standing on the rooftop across from him.

"Guys!" Yuto jumped to the rooftop they were on.

"Where did you go?" Shun asked with an agitated tone.

"To the warehouse." Yuto revealed to the other three.

"What did you do?" Shark questioned his comrade and friend.

"Nothing." Yuto lied. Actually, he had done a lot. He wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't going to be big news at some point to the city where lots of people would be talking about it.

"Hmm… ok. But, don't lie to us Yuto. You can trust us." O'Brien told him. Immediately, Yuto felt guilty.

 _Maybe, I should tell them about Dark Requiem, and about the Ruri lookalike!_ Yuto thought. _No, I don't need them worrying about Dark Requiem and I. Plus, Shun would go crazy about the Ruri lookalike. He would stop at nothing to hunt her down, and she doesn't have anything to do with the war, we don't need innocent people getting dragged in. I have to keep this a secret… at least for now._ Yuto thought to himself.

"Let's go! Shark found us a place where we can stay for now. We should head there and stay for a while." Shun said.

"Alright." Yuto responded as the group followed Shark.

 **At the Hiding Place**

The group walked into their hiding place. It was simple but it would work. However, from the looks of it, this hiding place was only temporary. It was a small place, but it was good enough for 4 people. Yuto noticed that there was 4 rugged and worn down couches, all of them in a way to form a square space in between.

"This could work." Yuto nodded his head out of approvement.

"I know, that's why I picked it." Shark responded calmly as he dove for the couch close to them.

"Alright. We don't have much time to waste. We need to come up with a plan. Yuto, you went out to do some stuff, did you find anything?" O'Brien inquired.

 _Should I tell them about the Ruri lookalike? No, Shun is going to go crazy about it. If I told Shark and O'Brien, they might tell Shun anyway._ Yuto thought to himself.

"No. However… I did Duel an LDS student." Yuto told them.

"What?! Did you find anything about Ruri?" Shun asked in a rush as he ran right up to Yuto and got in VERY close. So close that Yuto was starting to sweat because of how uncomfortable it was.

"No. But I beat the student, I asked him if he knew anything about Academia, but he didn't know." Yuto responded.

"How could you trust him? How could you know he wasn't lying?" Shun questioned with an irritated expression on his face. How could his best friend just let him go like that?

"Shun, I could tell he wasn't lying. He was scared, he was telling the truth." Yuto told him. He didn't need to go to any drastic measures. He could see the expression in his eyes, Sawatari did tell him the truth.

"He could have told you anything so you would leave him alone, whoever it is." O'Brien said skeptically.

"Guys, the guy had 100 life points. He was facing my Dark Rebellion. Also, he found out I could do real damage during the Duel. He saw my attack wreck the warehouse. I know you didn't know that but… do you think that after hearing this… that he would be lying? I could feel it, he was telling the truth." Yuto told them.

"I'll believe him." Shark said. He gave the other two a skeptical look. "What about you two?"

"Wait. You said you did real damage in a Duel… right?" O'Brien asked.

"Yes. I did, but not on purpose." Yuto responded.

"Wait, you're telling me that someone like you did damage in a Duel by accident?" Shark questioned. Yuto was never one to be careless.

"Yeah." Yuto responded, giving them a confused look.

 _I don't believe him. There has to be something he is hiding. Yuto isn't one to mess up like that._ Shun thought to himself as he sharpened his gaze at Yuto like a hawk.

"Cut the bullshit Yuto! I've known you longer than these two, I know that you wouldn't mess up like that!" Shun exclaimed, giving Yuto a suspicious face. Shun was so mad that he forgot that he knew Yuto just as long as Ryoga.

"Yuto, is there something you are hiding?" Shark put out the question at hand once again..

"No!" Yuto once again fibbed to his comrades, something which he immediately felt guilt drop onto him for.

"Yuto… before we left you said that we had to trust each other. Like O'Brien, since he is from the Fusion Dimension. However, you are basically going back on those words. You said we should trust each other, but how can we trust each other if we can't even trust you?" Shun questioned his best friend. Yuto gasped. He glanced at his extra deck and thought about the lookalike. He was frozen, he didn't know what to say to that.

"I…" Yuto started, but the rest never came out. He really did go back on his words.

"Whatever. We'll worry about it later. Now, we need to focus on the task at hand. Shun, you and I should go follow some students, get some information, like what they do, their attitude, anything really. Also, if you can, find a way to lure out Akaba Reiji." Shark deduced a game plan while walking away, wanting to get off of their current topic.

"Watch your neck, 'friend." Shun said, putting major sarcasm on the word 'friend' while shoving past Yuto rudely as he left with Shark. There was a long silence between O'Brien and Yuto. Finally, O'Brien broke the silence.

"I'll go navigate this dimension. In order to see if I can find things you couldn't." O'Brien told Yuto as he also left, leaving Yuto alone. Yuto had a depressed look on his face and took out Dark Requiem.

"Shun… guys." Yuto whispered to himself. They just left, and he might have strained the friendship between him and Shun significantly. Yuto's ears perked up.

"Who's there?!" Yuto yelled, pulling out his duel disk, ready to fight. But no sound came other than the sound of his duel disk.

"Nothing. Ugh, first I make my best friend mad at me, now I am hearing things." Yuto said to himself as he walked away. When he left, there was a soft, evil voice. However, there was no body in sight.

" **MUHAHAHA! So, he might be able to see me. But no matter, two of them are in this dimension! I can feel it! It's only a matter of time before I come back!" The voice said to himself. (Yes the voice is male.)**

 **Meanwhile-LDS**

"President, some people want to talk to you. They have Sawatari with them, and he is unconscious." A man told a person with glasses who was sitting in a chair looking out a window.

"Bring them in, Nakajima." The man now known as Akaba Reiji told Nakajima.

"Yes. At once." Nakajima responded as he left. Later, the 3 henchman arrived in the room, while holding an unconscious.

"President! You won't believe what happened! We were just minding our own business, and then Yuya Sakaki attacks us out of nowhere! He Dueled Sawatari and injured him badly! Also, Yuya Sakaki used Xyz Summoning!" Henchman 1 exclaimed. However, the part of Sawatari getting injured was a total lie.

"Is that so?" Reiji asked. Although he didn't show it, he was a little shocked by the fact that they thought Yuya attacked them. After all, the boy really didn't seem like the type to do so.

 _Xyz Summoning? Actually, there was a reading of a very powerful Xyz Summon earlier._ Reiji remembered.

 **Earlier**

Reiji was sitting in the control room. He was watching some people typing on a monitor. Then, he heard someone gasp.

"What's wrong?" Nakajima asked the female that gasped.

"I just got a reading… and it's an Xyz Summon signal… however… the readings are higher than usual." The woman replied.

"What?!" Nakajima gasped out of shock.

 _It's time. People from the other dimensions have started to come here._ Reiji thought to himself.

 **Now**

"I don't think it is Yuya Sakaki. Were there any other witnesses?" Reiji asked.

"Yes. What was her name…Hiragi Yuzu!" Henchman 2 exclaimed.

"Interesting… I will deal with this matter later. Go get Sawatari to a hospital." Reiji commanded.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us." Henchman 3 responded as they walked away. When they were gone, Reiji got out of his chair and walked closer to his window.

"The reading is definitely of one of the other dimensions. Probably the Xyz Dimension. But then… why did someone of the Xyz Dimension come here? It should have been from Fusion? Unless, Fusion declared war on Xyz. They might have learned about how Akaba Leo has a son somehow. So, they might try to lure me out. However, I can't be sure yet. I will have to see if there are more attacks from Xyz users." Reiji said to himself.

"Maybe _that_ plan is going to take place after all." Reiji muttered nonchalantly s he walked out of his room.

 **With Shun and Shark**

Shun and Shark were jumping rooftop to rooftop. They were currently following an LDS student. The student wasn't aware of Shun and Shark's presence.

"I say we Duel and beat the information out of him!" Shun said as he pulled out his duel disk.

"No! That's too reckless. We are new to this world. We shouldn't go in guns blazing. Doing that could get you killed." Shark said something that Yuto would say at that moment.

"Yeah, I know. But do you see any guns here, no! Do you see anything blazing, no! So as far I'm concerned, I'm fine." Shun responded as he was about to jump off the building. But Shark caught his arm, preventing him from doing so.

"You know what I mean. We have to lay low for a bit. Then, we can initiate our plan." Shark told him.

Shun groaned in annoyance. "Fine. I'll lay low… for now."

"That's fine with me." Shark said as they continued following the student.

 **With O'Brien**

O'Brien was walking on the rooftops, just to see if he could see something that could be important. However, he stopped when he saw two people. He was far above them, so they couldn't see him. However, even from above, O'Brien could easily tell who one of them was… kind of. It was Yuya and Yuzu.

"Oh my god! That guy looks very similar to Yuto! Where are they going?" O'Brien whispered to himself as he followed them on the rooftops, making sure not to lose sight of them. He noticed that the girl was kind of spacing out.

"Yuzu! Yuzu! YUZU!" Yuya bellowed, startling Yuzu. She grew an irritated and angry expression on her face, and smacked Yuya with her paper fan.

"Don't yell at me like that! You should no better, Sakaki Yuya!" Yuzu scolded her childhood friend.

"Come on! Why do I always get beaten by that fan every day!" Yuya exclaimed as he rubbed his head. "What's wrong with you anyway? You keep spacing out."

Yuzu sighed. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

 _Why did that guy look like Yuya? Why could I feel the wind, and why did the warehouse get wrecked from that guy's attack? There wasn't an Action Field, so he couldn't done real damage. Also, why did my bracelet shine? When that happened, that guy disappeared, and then Yuya appeared. Why is this happening?_ Yuzu thought to herself.

"Well. Let's go back to You Show." Yuya said as he started running, not even giving Yuzu to comprehend what he had just said.

"Wait up Yuya!" Yuzu yelled as she ran after Yuya.

"Hmm… where are they going? I should follow!" O'Brien said as he followed them again.

 **Later-At You Show Duel School-Night**

Yuya and Yuzu walked into the building which said 'You Show Duel School.' O'Brien was hiding from a nearby building. However, he couldn't see the name of the building.

"It's time! I should go check this out!" O'Brien said as he ran over to the building.

"We're back!" Yuya announced as he and Yuzu entered.

"Yuya-oniichan! Yuzu-oneechan! You're alright!" Ayu exclaimed as she ran towards them.

"Are you alright, Yuzu-oneechan?" Tatsuya asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Yuzu assured them with a smile and a pat on their backs.

"Well well well, I heard Sawatari didn't learn his lesson." Sora said as he casually walked over to the group with a lollipop in his mouth.

Yuzu sighed. "Yeah...guys...I think I am going to go home."

"Eh? Why?" Yuya asked. Meanwhile, O'Brien was outside on the left side of the school, he was waiting for the right moment. Making sure no one was watching.

"I'm just feeling a little worn out, that's all." Yuzu responded.

"Did you get the shivers?" Futoshi asked.

"No, I didn't." Yuzu answered, while adding in a small laugh.

"Well, good night then." Yuya said,

"Good night!" Yuzu called out to the group as she walked out of the school.

Unfortunately, when Yuzu reached the corner of the left side of the school, O'Brien walked out. Yuzu bumped into O'Brien and gasped.

"Hoh! I'm sorry! Are you alright?" Yuzu asked with concern.

"Umm...yeah. I'm fine."

"Umm… are you here to join the Duel School?" Yuzu asked curiously. There wasn't many students as You Show Duel School. Plus, more students mean more friends.

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know." O'Brien replied as he thought about it.

"Well, I'll most likely be here tomorrow. If you come here, I could give you a tour." Yuzu suggested.

"Thanks. But, I might not come. However, I'll ask a friend of mine if he wants to join." O'Brien thought of Shark.

"Ok then. I got to go! What's your name?" Yuzu asked. O'Brien paused, he thought if he should tell Yuzu his real name or a fake one.

"Hmm… you there?" Yuzu snapped her fingers in front of him, instantly bringing him back to reality.

O'Brien said his name, however, he said in a soft voice to the point where Yuzu couldn't catch it.

"What?" Yuzu asked to hear the name again.

"O'Brien… Austin O'Brien. That's my name." O'Brien repeated.

"I'm Yuzu…Hiragi Yuzu." Yuzu replied.

"Nice to meet you. Well, I'll see you around." O'Brien said.

"Yeah. Bye." Yuzu replied as she ran off. She had a weird feeling about O'Brien. She didn't think he was a bad person, but he seemed a little weird. Normally, she doesn't see many people who are that serious. Especially for someone who is about her age. Well, the closest she has ever seen is Gongenzaka, and even he has a soft and funny side.

 **Later-Back at the Hideout**

O'Brien walked into the hideout, to find Shun just standing there while Shark was editing his Deck. Yuto wasn't there, from what he saw.

"Where is Yuto?" O'Brien asked.

"He said he is going to explore more." Shark responded.

"You won't believe this, I found someone who had the same face as Yuto." O'Brien said.

"The Pawn of Fusion!" Shun blurted out, jumping to a conclusion without even thinking.

"What?" O'Brien asked Shun to repeat what he had just said.

"The Pawn of Fusion. He came into Heartland one day. He and Yuto Dueled, when me, Ryoga, and more of our comrades arrived, Yuto told us to trust him." Shun explained. "However, I don't trust him one bit!"

"What did this Pawn of Fusion look like?" O'Brien asked as he had never seen this Pawn of Fusion.

"He had a white motorcycle, and I think I saw that he had yellow and blue hair under his helmet." Shark told O'Brien, while not even facing him.

"The guy I'm talking about had green and red hair. It's not the Pawn of Fusion." O'Brien informed Ryoga. Unless the boy had hair dye and a motorcycle, he wasn't the person Ryoga was describing.

"So you mean to tell me there are more people who look like Yuto?" Shun gaped at the very thought of it.

"Yes. Also, Shark I have to ask you something." O'Brien said.

"What is it?"

"Well, I followed the boy and a girl near him to a Duel School. The girl left, and I ran into her. She suggested that I joined the duel school. However, I was wondering if you wanted to join the duel school. If you do, then I might join." O'Brien told Shark.

"Don't do it, we don't have time for that. Even if one of the guys look like Yuto." Shun told them.

"However, we could get some information from them, and we don't even need to cause much attention too." O'Brien reasoned with Shun, trying to convince him.

"You raise a good point. Hmm…" Shark stopped editing his Deck and put one hand on his chin and thought about this decision for a bit. "Give me some more time to think about it."

"Alright. I'm going to sleep if you two don't mind. None of you have found a bed, have you?" O'Brien asked, a little bit of hope in his voice.

"O'Brien, we are newcomers to a world we know nothing about! We have no form of currency! I've looked, the form of currency is the same as it is in Heartland! Unfortunately, some Fusion bastards had to attack, and most of the money of Heartland have either been lost, trapped under rubble, broken, or scorched into smitherenes! Along with that, one knows us, and would probably think we are we weird if we went up to their face and said 'Oh hey, I just wanted to ask you, I don't have a bed cause I am too poor and came from another dimension that was burned to the ground. So, could you give a bed to me pretty please with a cherry on top.' That's not going to happen!" Shark shouted in a slightly aggravated way.

"Whatever." O'Brien responded stoically as he found a place to lie down. He let the sleep take over him, as he drifted off.

 **Alrighty, that's another chapter stamped down!**

 **Sorry for updating a little late guys, had some net problems, but it's all fixed now! Also, sorry for no Duel. There may or may not be a Duel next chapter, I don't know.**

 **No preview.**

 **Now, as for that 'mysterious voice,' you guys might know who it is just by what he said. But if you don't know who it is, I'll give you a hint, it's not an OC. It's a character from Arc-V and not from any other Yugioh series.**

 **Venomous Blade: Well, the Duel is more important than you make it to be. It reintroduced Xyz Summoning and it was a good way to introduce Yuto. Also, maybe to reveal Yuzu's bracelet powers. Can't wait for your next chapter! You're doing great so far!**

 **Big Duels: Glad you enjoyed it!**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. Please remember to leave a review and have a great day!**

 **See you all in the next chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	17. The Newest Evolution of Dueling!

The next day

"O'Brien. O'Brien. O'BRIEN!" Shark yelled, startling O'Brien, who was currently sleeping.

"What?" O'Brien asked.

"I'll do it." Shark said.

"Do what?" O'Brien asked as he got to his feet.

"I'll go to that duel school place… or at least I'll check it out. I already let Shun and Yuto know." Shark told him.

"So you want to go now?" O'Brien asked.

"Yes. We don't have much time to waste." Shark told him as he started walking towards the exit. "If you don't hurry I'm gonna leave you."

O'Brien groaned. "I'm coming."

* * *

At the Duel School

Shark and O'Brien looked at the school. It was a small place sure, but it was efficient.

 _You Show? When you put those two words together it sounds like Yusho. I wonder what happen to Yusho-sensei._ Shark thought to himself.

"Don't know why… but I'm starting to regret my decision." Shark told O'Brien.

"Just shut up and let's go." O'Brien said. "Also, we need to fake a happy personality. We can't make it seem like we have been through a lot."

"But we have." Shark responded.

"That's not the point. We shouldn't let anyone here get involved in this war." O'Brien told Shark.

"We already involved them when we came to this dimension." Shark responded negatively.

An awkward silence formed between the two. O'Brien had to admit, Shark was not wrong about that. Also, Yuto attacked an LDS student and left quite the reputation to boot. Eventually, Shark broke the silence.

"Let's just see anyways… I guess." Shark said nonchalantly. Shark and O'Brien knocked on the door and waited patiently, however, no one answered.

"Think no one is here?" O'Brien asked.

"No. This is a duel school, they might be in the middle of a class. Let's just go in." Shark told O'Brien as they both walked into the school. Nearby, they heard a man grunting, followed by a gasp of excitement.

"Why hello there!" A voice said. O'Brien and Shark looked towards the voice and saw a man in a jumpsuit with a symbol that looks like flames.

"Hello." O'Brien responded, holding out his hand.

"Are you here to join the duel school?" The man asked.

 _Did he seriously ignore his greeting and asked that? Man, this school might not have a lot of students._ Shark thought to himself.

"I don't know about joining. But, we would like to check this school out." Shark told the man.

"Ok. Nice to meet you, mine name is Shuzo Hiragi." The man now known as Shuzo told them, accepting O'Brien's handshake.

"I'm Austin O'Brien." O'Brien told him.

"I'm Shark Kamishiro." Shark told Shuzo.

"Hmm. Well… do you guys want a tour?" Shuzo asked.

"...sure." Shark told Shuzo.

"Perfect! Well, follow me." Shuzo told them as they walked into a room with a machine.

"This is the Solid Vision System." Shuzo told them.

"Solid Vision System?" O'Brien asked.

"Hmm… you don't know about it. You can form an Action Field with it." Shuzo told them.

"What the hell is an Action Field?" Shark asked with a confused look on his face.

"You don't know what an Action Field is? Everyone knows what an Action Field is! Well, I guess I'll have to teach you." Shuzo told them.

"Don't have the time. Let's move on." Shark told Shuzo impatiently.

"Alright! Alright! Geez, you are really impatient. Well, I guess I can show you the other stuff another day. Let me have you meet the other students." Shuzo told them as they walked into a classroom. There were 6 people behind the door. O'Brien instantly recognized the girl with pink pigtails as Yuzu, and he also recognized the boy with red and green as the one with Yuzu while they were walking back to the duel school.

"You joined!" Yuzu exclaimed as she looked at O'Brien.

"You know her?" The boy and Shark asked O'Brien and Yuzu respectively.

"Yes. I met O'Brien when I was leaving the duel school yesterday. He said he was thinking of joining the duel school. He said he would bring a friend, I guess this is his friend." Yuzu told the boy.

"Is this true?" Shark asked O'Brien.

"Yep." O'Brien told him.

"So let me introduce you guys. This boy here is Yuya Sakaki. The pioneer of Pendulum Summoning." Shuzo told Shark and O'Brien.

"Yo! Nice to meet you!" Yuya exclaimed.

 _Pioneer? Pendulum Summoning?_ Both Shark and O'Brien thought to themselves. However, at the mention of Sakaki, Shark's ears perked up.

 _Sakaki? That's Yusho-sensei's last name._ Shark thought to himself. _Does Yusho-sensei come from this dimension? No, it can't be._

"You wouldn't happen to be the son of Yusho Sakaki, would you?" Shark asked Yuya with interest.

"Yeah. I am… I don't know where he is though. He disappeared 3 years ago… I never saw him ever since." Yuya told Shark as he gained a depressed look on his face. Yuzu put a hand on his shoulder in order to comfort him.

 _3 years ago? That's when Yusho-sensei started entertaining people. He came in a blink of an eye._ Shark thought to himself in shock. _But why did Yusho-sensei come to Heartland?_

"This one with the lollipop is Sora Shiunin." Shuzo introduced Sora, trying to get off the current topic.

"Always nice to meet some new challengers." Sora told them with a childish grin. However, Shark, and O'Brien, and him narrowed their eyes at each other.

 _I have a weird feeling about them._ Sora thought to himself.

 _I have a weird feeling about him._ Both Shark and O'Brien thought to themselves. A weird silence formed between the three of them. Shuzo gave the three a weird look, before continuing the introductions.

"This is Tatsuya Yamashiro." Shuzo introduced as he pointed to a boy with dark blue hair. Tatsuya gave them a smile.

"Hi!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"This is Ayu Ayukawa." Shuzo pointed to a young girl with red hair.

"Umm… hello." Ayu greeted them with a nervous voice.

"This is Futoshi Harada." Shuzo said.

"You guys are giving me the shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed as he shook his but with his eyes closed.

 _The hell is the shivers?_ Shark thought as he gave a small disgusted look.

"Finally, this is my sweet beautiful daughter, Yuzu Hiragi!" Shuzo exclaimed with happiness. Yuzu, who had a small blush of embarrassment, then pulled out a fan and smacked Shuzo on the head.

"Don't embarrass me like that Dad!" Yuzu yelled with an angry expression on her face. Shark slightly flinched as he saw Yuzu hit her father like that.

Actually, now that he looked at her more, the more he realized she looked like a spitting image of Ruri. _That's not Ruri. Ruri wouldn't hit people hard in anger. Especially with a paper fan. Especially to her own father. Besides, Ruri would recognize me._

"Wait. Is this all the students?" O'Brien asked.

"Well. We will have 2 more if you guys joined." Shuzo told them.

 _Wow! I almost feel bad for this school._ Shark thought to himself. However, he was very surprised when he heard what O'Brien said.

"I'll join."

Shark gasped in shock. He didn't expect O'Brien of all people to join.

"Excellent! Let me go get the application papers." Shuzo said as he walked away.

"What about you Shark?" O'Brien asked.

Shark thought about that question for a bit. This was a hard decision to make. He could get some information from this place, but then again, if he applied here, he might be wasting time. However, he should at least see if this school is worth his time. Shark instantly knew what to do.

"How about this, I'll duel your strongest student. I want to see if this school is worth my time." Shark told the group.

"Our best student? I guess that would be Yuya-oniichan." Ayu suggested.

"Yeah. He is the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning after all." Tatsuya added.

"Aww… I wanted to duel!"" Sora exclaimed with fake sadness.

"You're not our strongest student. Yuya beat you! Plus, I beat Yuya and he had Pendulum Summoning." Yuzu told them with a proud look on her face.

"But Yuzu… I'm pretty sure when we dueled last time I didn't even know how to use the Pendulum cards. They were new to me… plus, I am the only one who had ever use them and I am still the only person who has ever used them. Other than Sawatari, but he stole my Pendulum cards." Yuya told Yuzu, who got an annoyed expression on her face and out her face down in shame.

"So you are the best student. Ok, duel me then!" Shark challenged Yuya. Yuya gave Shark an excited smile.

"Alright! I'll show it to you! My entertainment duel!" Yuya exclaimed.

 _Entertainment duel? Just like Yusho-sensei. He really is related to him. Let's see if he is as good as him though._

"Alright, follow me." Yuya told Shark and O'Brien.

Yuya took Shark and O'Brien to the dueling room. Shark and Yuya went onto the arena, while Yuzu worked the machine.

"So why are they dueling there?" O'Brien asked. Out of all places, they could have dueled outside.

"In order to have an Action Duel of course." Yuzu told him with a "Isn't it obvious" expression on her face.

 _Shark doesn't know how to do an Action Duel. Maybe I should tell her that. Actually, no, in case Academia ever use Action Duels, it could be good to get used to them. Good luck, Shark._ O'Brien thought to himself. Because he knew, he didn't know how, but he knew, that this wasn't going to be an easy duel for Shark.

"Let's see. Which Action Field should we go with. How about this one, Action Field, on! A Legendary Ocean!" Yuzu exclaimed as the dueling room was then transformed. Shark gasped in shock as he looked all around him to see the room change. He then realized that he was in water. But there was no surface. It was blocked by the ceiling.

"Don't worry, we can talk normally in the water. Why do I feel like you haven't been in an Action Duel before?" Yuya asked.

"Cause I haven't been in a Action Duel before!" Shark exclaimed with a hint of anger.

"Wow! That's surprising! I don't know many people who at least don't know what an Action Duel is." Yuya told Shark with a hint of surprise. "Never mind that, I will teach you as we go along. I guess I will tell you this, you can actually touch, do real damage, and interact with your monsters." Shark couldn't help but express his surprise when he heard that.

"What!" Shark exclaimed in shock.

"Amazing." O'Brien said in amazement.

"There is also another function, but I will tell you about that later. Now, without further ado, let's begin the duel!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuzu exclaimed, as if chanting something.

 _Are they chanting?_ Both Shark and O'Brien thought to themselves.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Yuya continued with a big smile of excitement on his face.

"The storm through this Field!" Ayu exclaimed. Shark and O'Brien didn't know what to say next. However, Shuzo came back and saved their necks.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" Shuzo exclaimed with a very loud voice.

"Action!" Yuya continued. Shark then went with the flow and yelled out what he thought was the last part of the chant.

DUEL!

A sphere of cards exploded and cards spread out to different places of the field.

 _What was that?_ Shark thought to himself.

"I'll go first!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Fine with me." Shark responded.

"I summon Entermate Amenboat!" Yuya exclaimed.

Amenboat: Level 4, 500 Atk, 1600 Def

"A 500 attack monster in attack mode? Are you mocking me?" Shark asked.

"No, no! I'm just setting up for my show! I" Yuya exclaimed. "I set a card and end my turn. Your up!"

"Hmph. If this is your best student, then I am disappointed. My turn, draw!" Shark yelled as he decided to get serious and aggressive.

"I summon Friller Rabca!" Shark exclaimed as he slapped his card on the duel disk.

Friller Rabca: Level 3, 700 Atk, 1500 Def

"Now, when I summon a Fish-type monster, from my hand, I can special summon Shark Stickers!" Shark explained.

Shark Stickers: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1000 Def

"2 level 3 monsters!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"I, using the level 3 Friller Rabca, and the level 3 Shark Stickers, to overlay!" Shark declared. "Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 3, Black Ray Lancer!"

Black Ray Lancer: Rank 3, 2100 Atk, 600 Def

"I activate its effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the effect of one monster on the field until the end of the turn. I choose Amenboat!" Shark explained.

"What!" Yuya exclaimed as a small red X was imprinted onto Amenboat's head.

"Battle! Go, Black Ray Lancer, attack Amenboat!" Shark declared as Black Ray charged with his Spear.

"Let's go, Amenboat!" Yuya yelled.

"What!" Shark yelled in shock as he saw Yuya jump on Amenboat as they jumped around the field, as if looking for something. Yuya saw a glimmer of light in a building. He noticed that Black Ray Lancer was getting even closer.

"Over there! Amenboat!" Yuya commanded as they jumped into the building. At that moment, Black Ray Lancer was about to stab Amenboat, but he jumped out of the way, and the Spear smashed into a pillar, getting stuck and cracking the pillar. It took a bit to get the Spear out, but Lancer continued attacking when it got it out. However, by the time he got the spear out, Yuya already grabbed a hidden card.

"Action Magic! Evasion! I negate your attack!" Yuya exclaimed as Amenboat jumped jumped over Black Ray Lancer, dodging it. However, Black Ray Lancer tried attacking one more time.

"What! So, there are cards around here to use to your advantage." O'Brien said.

"I see. Then I will too!" Shark yelled as he noticed an Action Card right next to him. He grabbed the Action Card and activated it. "Action Magic! No Action! I can negate the activation of your Action Card!"

"What! Argh!" Yuya grunted as Amenboat was destroyed by Black Ray Lancer's attack connected.

Yuya: 4000-2400 Lp

"1600 points of damage in one turn!" Tatsuya exclaimed in shock.

"Not bad! However, Yuya won't lose so easily. Keep on burning hot Yuya!" Shuzo yelled with support.

"This is giving me the shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed as he shook his butt again. At this point, O'Brien was scarred for life by Futoshi shaking his butt.

 _Dear god, please spare me at my time here with this kid._ O'Brien thought to himself. Futoshi seemed like a nice kid, he had to admit, but the constant shivers and shaking his butt was getting both annoying and creepy for O'Brien.

"You'll get used to it." Ayu whispered to O'Brien.

"I don't think I will." O'Brien responded.

"Not bad. It seems like you got the basic concept of Action Cards. But be wise, sometimes there are surprises for you." Yuya warned.

"What do you mean by that?" Shark asked.

"You'll see." Yuya responded with a smirk.

"Whatever. I set two cards and end my turn." Shark concluded as he closed his eyes in disappointment.

"What's wrong?" Yuya asked.

"I expected a challenge. This isn't a challenge." Shark told Yuya.

"Hey! Your friend is really cruel you know!" Yuzu told O'Brien.

"He's been through a lot." O'Brien responded.

"Come on! You need to stop acting so cold! A duel is supposed to be fun! I will make you smile. I swear! My turn, draw!" Yuya yelled as he looked at his card. He gasped, it was here.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Yuya exclaimed. Shark slightly gasped in confusion, while the kids got excited.

"It's here!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"Pendulum Summon!" Ayu exclaimed.

"Shivers!" Futoshi yelled as he shook his butt AGAIN.

"With the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician, and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya declared as he slammed the two cards on each side of his duel disk. The word PENDULUM appeared on Yuya's duel disk. Both Stargazer and Timegazer flew up into their columns, as a Pendulum hung in between the scales above Yuya's head, swinging back and forth.

"What is this?" Shark asked with a shocked face, his hand starting to shake.

"Oh my god!" O'Brien whispered in absolute shock.

"With this I can summon monsters with levels 2 through 7! Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear now! My monsters!" Yuya chanted as two beams of light came from the portal above.

"First is Entermate Whip Viper, Second is the wondrous and beautiful dragon with dual-colored eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya yelled as his monsters appeared.

Whip Viper: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 900 Def

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"This is…" O'Brien started as he hung his mouth open in the utmost shock at what just occurred.

"...Pendulum Summon!" Shark finished O'Brien's sentence as his chest started beating with both fear, and excitement. A feeling he hasn't had since that 3 on 3 tag duel in Heartland, when everything was safe and peaceful.

"Well… I admit… that shocked me. However, I won't be losing!" Shark declared. "Now, come! Yuya Sakaki! Show me your strength, prove to me why you are the strongest student, and what your resolve is. You also have yet to fully entertain me!"

"Fine then. I'm not going to hold back! Brace yourself Shark. Because the fun has just begun!" Yuya yelled as Odd Eyes let out a loud roar.

* * *

 **DONE!**

 **I was actually going to make O'Brien duel Yuya, but I made Shark do it because he hasn't dueled since like chapter 10, and even still that was against students.**

 **Anyway, I'm finally giving you guys a short chapter preview.**

 **After successfully showing off his Pendulum Summon, Yuya immediately starts to try and push Shark into a corner. The match is close, and it is unknown who is going to win. Shark decides to go all in and proceeds to give his all. The match doesn't seem to be in anybody's favor, but it looks like it is going to conclude soon. However…**

 **Yes, I purposely ended that preview on a weird note. But, if you guys know what happened in the anime after Yuto attacked Sawatari, then you guys will know what is going to happen.**

 **Also, if you guys are wondering where Yuto and Shun are... well, we will go back to them either in the next chapter or in chapter 20.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. Please remember to leave a review and let me know how I am doing, I appreciate the feedback.**

 **That's all for now guys. I'll see you all in the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed. Take care, goodbye! :)**


	18. Sharks Vs Odd Eyes

"The fun has just begun!" Yuya yelled as he began his move.

"I activate the effect of Entermate Whip Viper! Once per turn, I can switch the attack and defense of one monster you control until the end of the turn!" Yuya exclaimed.

"What!" Shark gasped as he looked at his monster who fell to the ground.

Black Ray Lancer: 600 Atk, 2100 Def

"Battle! Go, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Black Ray Lancer! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya yelled as Odd Eyes let out a torrent of fire towards Shark's monster.

"Wait, they are in the sea, shouldn't the fire get put out?" Futoshi asked.

"Roll with it." Tatsuya told him.

"Not so fast, Trap card, Zeus' Breath! When you declare an attack, I can negate, then, if I control a Water-type monster, I can deal 800 points of damage to you!" Shark yelled. Black Ray Lancer swam away from the torrent of fire, and a very small crater where Lancer once was had formed. Yuya shivered as a cold wave of water covered him, Yuya shook his head to get the water out of his hair, however, his clothes were still soaked.

Yuya: 2400-1600 Lp

"Yuya-oniichan isn't in a good position." Ayu pointed out.

"You weren't kidding when you said the could do real damage." O'Brien said, shocked at the crater. What if someone were to get hit by an actual attack?

"I can still use Whip Viper. Go!" Yuya declared.

 _I can banish Friller Shark to stop the attack and make his monster weaker… but I should use that on a stronger monster._ Shark thought to himself. Whip Viper wrapped around Black Ray Lancer. Shark had ran to get an Action Card but Odd Eyes smashed it's tail on the ground, making the Action Card fly into the air, making Shark miss. With tremendous strength, Whip Viper threw Back Ray Lancer to the ground, destroying it. Shark flinched as he took damage.

Shark: 4000-2900 Lp

"I end my turn." Yuya concluded. "Alright, show me more of your strength. I'm getting excited!"

 _Excited... That's a feeling I haven't had in a long time. I miss those days._ Shark thought to himself as he smirked to himself. However, he got a serious expression on his face.

"My turn, draw! I activate the effect of Shark Reviver from my hand! By sending it to the grave, I can revive one Water-type monster in my grave. Come forth, Black Ray Lancer!" Shark exclaimed as his monster reappeared.

"You revived the monster? But what good does it do, it has no overlay units." Yuya told Shark.

"An Xyz monster doesn't need overlay units to be useful! I activate the Equip Spell Sharkize! With this, the equipped monster gains 400 attack points and is treated as a 'Shark' monster. So, my Black Ray Lancer turns into Black Shark Lancer." Shark added.

Black Shark Lancer: 2100-2500 Atk

"Black Shark Lancer? That's very creative." Yuya comments with a smile.

"Watch out Yuya! I'm going all out! Now, when you control 2 or more monsters, I can normal summon Panther Shark!" Shark yelled a yellow and black Shark appeared.

Panther Shark: Level 5, 1100 Atk, 2000 Def

"When I control Panther Shark, I can special summon Eagle Shark!" Shark explained as another one of Shark's sharks appeared.

Eagle Shark: Level 5, 1000 Atk, 1800 Def

"Two level 5 monsters." O'Brien pointed out.

"This boy is very skilled at Xyz Summoning." Shuzo complemented Shark.

"I, using the level 5 Panther Shark and Eagle Shark, overlay!" Shark declared as his monsters flew into the Xyz portal. "Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 5, Shark Fortress!"

Shark Fortress: Rank 5, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def

"From the grave! I activate the effect of Shark Reviver, by banishing this card, if the monster revived by this effect has a different amount of attack points than it's original, than I can decrease that amount on a monster you control. Since the difference in attack of Black Shark Lancer is 400 attack, I can decrease the attack of your Odd Eyes by 400!" Shark explained. Odd Eyes shriveled a bit by the loss in attack.

Odd Eyes: 2500-2100 Atk

"Odd Eyes! Damn!" Yuya cursed as he looked around him.

"Battle! Go, Black Shark Lancer, attack Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Shark declared as Shark Lancer launched himself towards Odd Eyes.

"Whip Viper!" Yuya called to his monster. Whip Viper nodded and spread its body around Yuya's arm. Yuya noticed an Action Card on the top of the building. Whip Viper spread out its body so far, it could reach the top. Whip Viper opened his mouth and grabbed onto the building. Yuya jumped and was flung towards the building like a grappling hook. Yuya grabbed the Action Card and activated it. "Action Magic, Miracle! Odd Eyes' destruction is negated and battle damage is halved!"

"Shark Fortress!" Shark yelled as he jumped onto said monster, which swam him to a nearby Action Card, Shark grabbed the Action Card. "Action Magic, Over Sword! Black Shark will gain 500 attack points. Also, its attack cannot be negated."

Black Shark Lancer: 2500-3000 Atk

Black Shark Lancer whacked Odd Eyes with it's Spear, however, roared and jumped away. Yuya gritted his teeth as he took damage.

Yuya: 1600-1150 Lp

"It's still over! Shark Fortress, destroy Odd Eyes!" Shark yelled. Shark Fortress shot Odd Eyes, destroying it.

"Kgh!" Yuya grunted.

Yuya: 1150-850 Lp

"Yuya is in the clear!" Yuzu exclaimed with joy.

"No. I think that monster has more to it." O'Brien told her.

"What?" Yuzu asked.

"Just watch and see." O'Brien told her.

"I use the effect of Shark Fortress, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can have another Shark monster battle! I'll have Black Shark attack again! Destroy Whip Viper and end this!" Shark declared as Shark Lancer jumped towards Whip Viper.

"Not so fast! I activate the Action Magic, Evasion! I negate the attack!" Yuya yelled as Whip Viper dodged the attack and jumped to Yuya.

"Hmph. I end my turn. Now, how can you turn this around, Yuya?" Shark asked.

"I don't know. It'll depend on this next draw. My turn…" Yuya paused and closed his eyes.

 _Come on deck, don't fail me._ Yuya thought to himself.

"Draw!" Yuya yelled as he peeked at his card, "Alright!"

"Did you get what you needed?" Shark asked with interest.

"Using the already set pendulum scale, I Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters! First is Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, now here is the newcomer, Entermate Curtain Switcher!" Yuya yelled as his monsters appeared.

Curtain Switcher: Level 4, 0 Atk, 1600 Def

"A zero attack monster? What are you going to do with that?" Shark asked.

"Come back from this situation! Ladies and Gentlemen! As you can see, I am not in a good position. However, watch as I, Yuya Sakaki, give it my all to pull out a miracle! Curtain Switcher's effect activates, once per turn, I can switch a characteristic of another monster with another monster on the field, including this one. For example, I can switch the attack of two monsters on the field. But I am not going to be doing that. I am going to be switching the rank and level!" Yuya declared.

"What? How are you going to do that?" Shark asked.

"This just got interesting." O'Brien.

"Win, Yuya!" Yuzu yelled.

"Now watch, I replace Odd Eyes' level 7 with a rank 5, and I replace Shark Fortress' rank 5 with level 7!" Yuya declared.

Odd Eyes: Level 7-Rank 5

Shark Fortress: Rank 5-Level7

"So?" Shark asked.

"Who said I am finished? I use Entermate Whip Viper's effect, I can switch the attack and defense of one of your monsters, I switch your Shark Fortress!" Yuya declared.

"Crap!" Shark exclaimed.

Shark Fortress: 1800 Atk, 2400 Def

"I'm not done! Quick-play, activate, Big Return! Now, I can make Entermate Whip Viper use its effect again!" Yuya explained as he opened his face down.

"That's the card you set on your first turn! Wait, no! You're now going to switch the attack of my Black Shark Lancer!" Shark realized.

Shark Lancer: 600 Atk, 2500 Def

"Nice! Now, battle! Go, Whip Viper, destroy Shark Lancer!" Yuya declared with a smile. Shark grabbed an Action Card, however, just as he was about to activate it, Yuya jumped towards an Action Card near him and activated it.

"Action Magic, Crush Action! I destroy the Action Card you added to your hand! Also, any Action Card you add to your hand is immediately destroyed." Yuya explained.

"What!" Shark yelled.

"Yuya-oneechan sealed his usage of Action Cards!" Tatsuya exclaimed. Whip Viper head butted Shark Lancer, destroying it.

Shark grunted in pain as he took a step back.

Shark: 2900-1800 Lp

"Now, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack his Shark Fortress, also, whenever a monster I control that has been affected by Curtain Switcher attacks, you can't activate any monster effects!

"What!" Shark yelled in surprise. With this, Shark couldn't negate the attack with Friller Shark.

"SPIRAL STRIKE BURST!" Yuya yelled as Odd Eyes jumped into the air and launched a torrent of flames at Shark Fortress, the latter took the hit and held on. However… "When Odd Eyes battles a level 5 or higher monster, the battle damage is doubled! REACTION FORCE!" Shark a Fortress was then destroyed by the flames, launching Shark off of his feet as he crashed into a nearby wall.

"AHHHHH!" Shark yelled in pain. He slowly managed to get back up in his feet. "I'm not giving up that easily."

Shark: 1800-400 Lp

"Well, everyone! I hope you have enjoyed the show! It's time to see what Shark-Kun can do to turn this duel around! I end my turn." Yuya concluded.

"Call me Shark-Kun one more time and I'll personally cancel your show." Shark warned Yuya as he gave a killing intent in his eyes.

"Ok! Ok! Geez, what a buzzkill." Yuya pouted in annoyance.

"However… despite you calling me Shark-kun, I have to admit. This is a fun duel, Yuya. It has been a while since I had a fun duel. Thank you." Shark told Yuya with a smile on his deface as he closed his eyes, thinking to the better times of Heartland. Then, without anyone except Shark noticing, Shark let out one, very small, teardrop, which slowly descended down his cheek, before falling off and getting washed away by the water.

"Shark…" Yuya said.

"Alright! It's my turn now! My turn, draw!" Shark yelled. However, as he was about to, a sound on his duel disk came, followed by a robotic voice saying "Duel Terminated." The Solid Vision field disappeared and Yuya's monsters also disappeared. Now, Shark and Yuya were back in the regular dueling room. Both were surprised to say the least.

"Huh? Hey! Why did you do that?" Yuya asked.

"Guys! Come outside quick, I hear Gongenzaka arguing with someone!" Yuzu exclaimed through a microphone.

"Gongenzaka?! I'm coming! Let's go, Shark!" Yuya told Shark as they both ran.

"Who is Gongenzaka?" Shark asked.

"My best friend." Yuya responded, as they ran outside. They were met with 3 people and a big guy who with a bandana.

"Gongenzaka, what's wrong?" Yuya asked the big guy with concern.

"Well, I, the man Gongenzaka, was in the middle of a run for my leg training, then, I noticed 3 suspicious male figures peeking into the duel school. When I went to go question them, they told me that Yuya ambushed someone last night, unforgivable!" Gongenzaka explained the current situation as the 3 guys just stood there and grinned.

"Ambushed?!" Yuya exclaimed as he and Shuzo gained a shocked expression on their face while the kids were confused while Sora, O'Brien, and Shark were looking on with interest.

"Shark, maybe it was Yuto." O'Brien whispered very softly so only Shark could hear.

"Yeah." Shark responded softly. But why were the blaming Yuya? They don't look the same although they share the same face.

"Yuya ambushed?" Shuzo asked.

"That's right! Don't say that you forgot Yuya!" Henchman 3 exclaimed.

"We were there and saw you with our eyes!" Henchman 1 added, joining the conversation with a grin.

"There were five witnesses present." Henchman 2 finished.

"Five?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Sawatari, us, and that girl too!" Henchman 2 exclaimed as he pointed at Yuzu as all three henchmen wore grins on their faces.

Yuzu gasped as everyone looked at her immediately.

"Isn't that right? Hiragi Yuzu-chan!" All 3 henchmen yelled in unison, making weird faces.

"Is it true Yuzu? You saw it too?" Gongenzaka asked as he took a step towards Yuzu.

"Saw? What?" Shuzo asked as Yuzu looked at him.

"The face of the culprit!" Henchman 2 exclaimed as Shuzo and Yuzu looked back at them

"The son of the soon to be Mayor, Sawatari-san's assaulter, the face of Yuya Sakaki!" Henchman 1 declared as all of the henchmen pointed their fingers at Yuya.

Yuya gasped in shock and confusion.

"Stop lying! Yuya-oniichan would never do something like that!" Tatsuya yelled, defending his dear friend.

"Right! The one who struck first was Sawatari! So, to stop him Yuzu-oniichan went to stop him!" Ayu revealed.

"Wa-wait! The one who dueled him was Yuzu!?" Shuzo asked.

"Yeah!" Ayu replied.

"It wasn't Yuya!" Shark told the group, as they gasped and looked at him.

"What proof do you have?" Henchman 3 asked.

"I just dueled Yuya for the first time before you yahoos came. I could tell by his dueling, that he would never use his dueling to hurt people. I could tell! So don't try getting all smart with me!" Shark yelled as he protected Yuya.

"Shark!" Yuya said with a confused look, which soon turned into a smile. "Thanks!" Shark nodded with a smile in response.

"No, it was him! We saw his face! Poor Sawatari-san, he was injured so severely that he had to be hospitalized." Henchman 1 said as he closed his eyes.

"Hospitalized!?" Yuya exclaimed in shock.

"No way!" Yuzu gasped.

"Even his life could be at risk!" Henchman 2 continued.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Sawatari was eating a watermelon (I don't remember what it was just roll with it.)

"Yummy!" Sawatari said in joy.

"If something happens to him… how are you going to take responsibility?" Henchman 3 asked.

"But I-" Yuya started as he ran towards Yuzu.

"Hey! Say something Yuzu! You saw everything right?" Yuya asked.

"I did see but…" Yuzu trailed off as she looked away from Yuya.

"Don't tell me you doubt me too Yuzu?!" Yuya asked his friend.

"That's!" Yuzu started as she looked at Yuya. However, she remembered Yuto's face looking very similar to Yuya. Yuzu gasped and looked away. Part of her wanted to believe that Yuya didn't do it and that it was someone else dressed as him. But another part said that it was Yuya.

"Tell me what happened from the beginning!" Shuzo commanded.

"Let me tell you." A voice said, the group looked at their left and saw a woman with red hair in red clothes and long earrings stepping out of a limo.

"You're LDS…!" Shuzo exclaimed in shock.

"Yes. I am the current chairwoman. I am Akaba Himekaa." The woman now known as Himeka introduced herself.

* * *

Later

Nakajima was standing outside the duel school with the three henchmen. He handed them three envelopes, one for each person.

"Good work. Here is your payment." Nakajima said as the students grinned as they saw cards inside the envelopes.

* * *

In the school

"Everything they said is the truth. The fact that our LDS student Sawatari Shingo was attacked, as well as the fact that he said the culprit is Yuya Sakaki, who is currently enrolled as a student at this duel school." Himeka explained. Shuzo took these words in and closed his eyes. He then looked at Yuya.

"Well Yuya? Did you really?-" Shuzo started.

"I didn't! I would never do something like that!" Yuya yelled.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, also believes in his friend Yuya! It is the same for you all right?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Of course!" Futoshi exclaimed while Ayu and Tatsuya simply nodded.

Gongenzaka nodded at them before looking at Yuzu. "What about you, Yuzu?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Yuya! That really wasn't you, right?" Yuzu asked.

Yuya paused and an awkward silence was formed between the two. Yuya looked at Yuzu and broke the silence.

"I don't know what you saw Yuzu, but I didn't attack Sawatari!" Yuya told Yuzu with determination. Yuzu blinked and gasped, before finally smiling.

"Got it! I'll also believe in you then, Yuya." Yuzu told him.

"We also will! We may be new here but… we still believe in Yuya!" O'Brien joined in. Shark nodded in agreement. Shuzo grinned.

"Oh, those are some strong bonds that you have there. Although it seems that it's impossible for me to ask you to hand Yuya over, we cannot back down now at this point." Himeka said, surprising Shuzo. "If a rumor spread that a student from LDS, the number one Duel School in the entire world, lost in a duel, it would bring great damage to our reputation.

"But Yuya didn't-" Shuzo started but was interrupted by Himeka.

"That is no longer relevant!" Himeka yelled. Shuzo gasped as Himeka stood up, it could be seen that a bright fire was burning around her. "The problem here is the symbol of LDS has now been dragged through the mud! The only way to clear this disgrace is a duel between Duel Schools!"

"A duel?!" Shuzo said as he, Yuya, and Yuzu gasped while Sora smirked. O'Brien and Shark kept neutral looks on their faces while the kids looked concerned.

* * *

 **Card Catalog: (Man, I haven't done one of these since Chapter 12)**

 **Shark Reviver Fish Water: You can discard this card, then, revive one Water monster in your grave. On your turn, you can banish this card if the revived monster is still on the field, if the current attack points of the monster is different than its original attack points, then you can choose one monster your opponent controls, that monster loses attack points equal to the difference.**

 **Curtain Switcher Light, Spellcaster, Pendulum, Scale, 2: Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, you can shuffle a monster on your field, hand, grave, or extra deck into your deck, then, depending on where it came from, you can put a monster with attack equal to or less to the returned monsters attack points. Example: If I had Odd Eyes in my grave, I could shuffle him into the deck, then, I could send a monster to the grave whose attack points are equal to or less than Odd Eyes' attack points. Monster Effect: Once during either player's turn, you can target one monster on the field, then, another monster on the field, then, you declare a trait those cards have, (Ex: Rank, Level, Atk. Def, Type, Etc.) switch them until the end of the turn. If a monster you control that has been affected by this monster battles, your opponent can't activate monster effects until the end of the battle.**

* * *

 **Finished. Alright. I guess you guys know what happens next. However, I am going to make something different. So, you guys can either put it in a review or PM me, but you guys get to choose what the duel will be. The choices will all be against Hokuto, for the next chapter. Since Shark and O'Brien are here. Choice 1, it will still be Yuya and Hokuto but the duel will be slightly different. Choice 2, Shark vs Hokuto. Choice 3, O'Brien vs Hokuto. If I don't see any possible winner, I'll just pick one myself.**

 **Jesrer5: Most likely yes.**

 **Big duels: You believed right! :) Hokuto will not become a Lancer… Lol. I haven't considered adding Masumi and Yaiba (That's his name right?) to the Lancers. I might think about it though.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please remember to review and leave a suggestion.**

 **See you guys in the next chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	19. LDS vs You Show!

**Just gonna throw this out there now, since I have been basically using the same lines as some of the characters in the anime. I'm pretty sure you guys know this, but I'll just say it now. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V or any other thing Yu-Gi-Oh related. Oh yeah, for the record, Shark is forgetting the fact that Himeka has the same last name as Akaba Leo and Akaba Reiji, that's why he hasn't done anything yet. Either that or you can think he is doing the wise thing and not going in to battle like a certain person *cough* *cough* Shun. I forgot to mention it for O'Brien, but he is just playing it cool so he doesn't blow his cover.**

* * *

"If your party wins then we will ignore the case concerning Sawatari. However, if we win, you will have to make this duel school a part of the Leo Duel School." Himeka revealed, shocking everyone.

"What!" Yuya yelled in shock.

"No way!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"First you want to clear your name but now you want to take over the You Show Duel School!?" Gongenzaka asked with a hint of frustration.

"Chairwoman Akaba, I've heard that you have already acquired many other duel schools across the world. I am right when I say that You Show is your next target, correct?" Shuzo asked. Himeka responded with a smile. "Don't tell me that- you set up the attack on Sawatari just for this!"

"That's not the case!" Himeka quickly denied. "However, it is true that I took hold of a chance that was given to me. The chance to have LDS have Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum Summoning as four of the pillars to support our school." Yuya gasped in response.

"Don't you think that up until now you've been blessed with quite an amazing gift? Principal Hiragi. There are many duelists who aspire to use Pendulum Summoning just as Yuya has. Is it the same for you all as well?" Himeka asked the kids.

"B-but if you don't have Yuya's Pendulum Cards to Pendulum Summon…" Tatsuya asked, but was interrupted by Himeka.

"That can also be resolved by the power of our Leo Corporation. This is the reason why it is necessary for us to unite and become one (lol Zarc reference FTW!)" Himeka explained.

 _Along with that we will be able to investigate exactly who Sakaki Yuya is. Is he an enemy of Reiji-san and I? Or possibly…_ Himeka's thoughts were then interrupted by Yuya.

"Dueling… is not a tool for fighting!" Yuya said as Himeka gasped. Yuya grasped the pendulum on his neck hard. "However, I don't want you to take You Show Duel School or Pendulum Summoning away. This duel school was created by father for the sole purpose to teach Entertainment Duels and have fun! I don't want to give this duel school over to someone like you who thinks that they can control anyone and anything with their money and power!" Yuya exclaimed as Himeka got a frustrated look on her face. Yuzu and Gongenzaka smiled at Yuya while Sora, O'Brien, and Shark remained neutral. Meanwhile, the kids were amazed.

"Well said, Yuya! I, the man Gongenzaka, agree wholeheartedly! In order to defend this duel school, I will fight alongside you!" Gongenzaka told Yuya.

Sora jumped off from where he sitting and put a smile on his face. "But you're an outsider aren't you?" Sora asked, Gongenzaka immediately went white and hung is mouth open in shock. "If Duel School students are going to fight together then just let Yuya, Yuzu, and I duel. Besides, I want to fight against an LDS duelist." Gongenzaka got furious.

"To think that you would exclude a man such as I Gongenzaka! I-it-it's unforgivable!" Gongenzaka yelled.

"It seems that your students feelings are in line with each others." Himeka told Shuzo.

"Mine are as well." Shuzo responded with a serious face. Everyone in the room, except, O'Brien, Shark, and Himeka walked closer to Shuzo with a serious face. "You Show Duel School…" Shuzo started by himself.

"... will not be taken away!" The others joined with Shuzo as they yelled at Himeka. Himeka gasped but then put a smile on her face.

"Well then, shall we begin?" Himeka asked.

"Yes… yes we shall." Shuzo responded.

* * *

Later

Himeka stood with two boys and one girl, looking at Yuya, Yuzu, and Sora. The boys were grinning while the girl with Himeka was having a very serious expression on her face.

"Three vs Three. The first group who gets two wins is the victor, is that good with you?" Himeka asked. "So then, who will go first?"

"Me!" Sora exclaimed with excitement.

"No, I-" Yuya started but was interrupted.

"No, I will!" O'Brien yelled as he walked into the duel arena, Yuya and Yuzu gasped.

"O'Brien!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"You're going to duel?" Yuya asked.

"Yes. Leave it to me." O'Brien told Yuya.

"Are you sure? It seems like Yuya Sakaki is the only reliable one here. If you would want to finish this as soon as possible, you should have picked Yu-" Himeka was interrupted by Sora.

"Hold up! What're you talking about old lady! You don't even know how strong I am!" Sora yelled with an agitated look on his face. Yuzu went up to him and gave him a small bop on the head, while smiling with her eyes closed.

"That's enough out of you." Yuzu told Sora.

"It will be in your best interest to know that you have no way of winning if Yuya Sakaki doesn't duel. They're all Junior Youth Class Duelists like yourself, Yuya. However, they are the ace's of each LDS' courses! And the one who will be your opponent among them is..." Himeka said.

"LDS' Xyz Course Member, Shijima Hokuto." Hokuto said, surprising Yuzu.

"Xyz?" Yuzu asked. Tatsuya was looking up something on his duel disk alongside Ayu, Futoshi, and Gongenzaka.

"Here he is!" Ayu exclaimed. "LDS' Shijima Hokuto!

"His record this year is… 58 matches with 53 wins!?" Futoshi exclaimed in shock, not even using his trademark shiver phrase to describe it.

"His winning percentage is over 90%!" Tatsuya read.

"He's got over top scores in the Junior Youth Class Rank Testings!" Futoshi added.

"Forget his test scores I hear he's said to be favored to win the championship!" Ayu told them as they looked back at O'Brien and Hokuto.

"Whether he's an ace or a potential champion is nothing to be afraid of, O'Brien. I haven't seen you duel yet but, I can tell you have the strength to beat him." Shuzo told O'Brien.

"Don't worry. I will win." O'Brien said.

* * *

Later

Everyone except O'Brien and Hokuto have left the duel arena. Hokuto and O'Brien are staring each other down.

 _Ok. We are probably going to be playing with an Action Field. I saw Shark and Yuya use one, but that was only one time I saw an Action Field._ O'Brien thought to himself.

"Wait! This is O'Brien's first Action Duel!" Shark realized in the spectator room.

"Crap! You're right!" Yuya also realized.

"Wait! You're telling me this guy doesn't know how to do an Action Duel?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Neither did Shark, but he learned quickly. Plus, O'Brien watched Shark's duel against me where I demonstrated Action Cards. So he has some knowledge." Yuya told Gongenzaka.

"Our students can handle any situation so, choose whatever you like!" Himeka yelled to Shuzo, who was in the Action Field machine room.

"Anything? Then what about this?! Action Field On! Field Magic: Cosmo Sanctuary! Activate!" Shuzo yelled as the duel arena was transformed into a flying island in space. Hokuto smirked.

"Off all fields, you chose the one that suits me best!" Hokuto exclaimed.

"What?!" Shuzo yelled in shock, while sweating bullets down his face.

"If you just look at the name Hokuto you could figure that much out…" Sora looked with a disappointed look on his face.

"I will win, for the others!" O'Brien yelled as he activated his duel disk.

"Let's do this!" Hokuto exclaimed as he also activated his duel disk.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Ayu started the Action Duel chant.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Futoshi continued.

"They storm through this Field!" Tatsuya continued.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" Yuzu joined.

"Action!" Yuya yelled out.

"DUEL!" Both O'Brien and Hokuto yelled.

Outside, a hooded man was seen outside the school with his head down. He looked up and at the duel, revealing himself to be Akaba Reiji.

"He's very serious. However, I wonder how long it will be before that seriousness turns into fear. Now Hokuto, show us your abilities." Himeka told Hokuto as Akaba Reiji was nearby biding his time.

"Understood, Chairwoman. I'll be taking the first turn! I summon Constellar Algiedi!" Hokuto yelled as he slapped his monster onto his duel disk.

Algiedi: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1400 Def

"When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower card with the name Constellar from my hand. I special summon Constellar Kaus!" Hokuto explained.

Kaus: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 700 Def

"Kaus' effect activates! Up to twice per turn, this card can either increase or reduce the level of a Constellar monster by one! First, I raise Algedi, then, Kaus!" Hokuto told O'Brien, who kept a serious look on his face.

Kaus: Level 4-5

Algedi: Level 4-5

"Using these two monsters I overlay! Light of the stars, descend and shake this very earth! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Constellar Pleiades!" Hokuto chanted as his monster appeared, shocking everyone.

Pleiades: Rank 5, 2500 Atk, 1500 Def

"Ranks? Not levels?" Tatsuya questioned.

"What? You don't know that much? First off, for Xyz monsters you use multiple monsters of the same level, with that, you can special summon a monster from your Extra Deck. Then, they change into an Xyz monster which possess the Rank equivalent to their level." Sora explained to the kids.

"What are the lights surrounding it?" Ayu asked.

"Those are overlay units! Most if not all Xyz monster's use those lights to use their effects!" Sora finished his explanation as he tuned back into the duel.

"I end my turn with that." Hokuto concluded.

"My turn, draw! I set one card. Then, I activate the Magic card Blasting Vein! With this, I can destroy a set Magic or Trap card I control, then, I can draw 2 cards! I destroy the face down and draw 2! The card I destroyed was Fire Trap, it's effect now activates, if it was set and then destroyed, I can draw another card!" O'Brien explained as he drew 3 cards from his effects.

"Drawing 3 cards?" Himeka whispered in interest.

"Shark, what kind of Fire deck does O'Brien use?" Yuya asked Shark.

"From what I saw, more of a burn deck and a little bit of destruction and power to boot. His ace monster is what really takes the cake for that one." Shark told Yuya as he remembered when O'Brien summoned his ace Volcanic Doomfire against Shun.

"I summon Volcanic Slicer!" O'Brien exclaimed.

Slicer: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1200 Def

"I use Slicer's effect, once per turn, I can deal 500 points of damage to you, however, Slicer can't attack this turn." O'Brien explained as Slicer let out a fireball as it flew towards Hokuto, who looked around but got hit by the ball in the end. Hokuto winced in pain as he took a step back.

Hokuto: 4000-3500 Lp

"My life points… in my last 40 wins… no one has ever touched my life points… damn you!" Hokuto cursed.

"From my hand, I activate Volcanic Fusionner from my hand, I can fuse this card with another monster in my hand or on the field! I fuse this card with the Slicer on the field! Two sparks of fire burn brightly, now merge into one burst of flames that can never be put out! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Level 7! Volcanic Avenger!"

Avenger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 2300 Def

"He's a Fusion user!" Yuzu yelled.

"Interesting." Sora whispered as he licked on his candy.

"Not so fast I use Pleiades' effect! By using one overlay unit, I can return one card on the field to the owner's hand! Of course, I'll choose that Volcanic Avenger!" Hokuto exclaimed.

"What!" O'Brien yelled as he looked at Avenger, which disappeared as an orange beam flew into his extra deck.

"Yes. Good job, Hokuto. Now is the time to take down this person and scratch off any chances that the You Show Duel School have of winning." Himeka said.

"Damn! I set 3 cards and end my turn." O'Brien concluded.

"Alright! My turn, draw!" Hokuto yelled as he drew his card.

"Trap activate, Draw Blast! When you draw a card(s), I can inflict 1000 points of damage!" O'Brien yelled. A ball of fire hit Hokuto, who grunted in pain.

Hokuto: 3500-2500 Lp

 _This guy must have more set cards that do burn damage._ Hokuto thought to himself.

"I activate the effect of my Constellar Pleiades, by detaching his final overlay unit, I can return one card on the field to the owner's hand, I return the set card on the left!" Hokuto yelled as he targeted O'Brien's face down, which disappeared from the field. However, O'Brien remained calm.

"I summon Constellar Sombre!" Hokuto exclaimed.

Sombre: Level 4, 1550 Atk, 1600 Def

"Sombre's effect activates, once per turn I can banish a Constellar monster from my graveyard, and add another Constellar monster to my hand. I add Constellar Kaus. Next, the turn I use this effect I can summon one more Constellar monster. Come forth, Constellar Kaus! I use Kaus' effect, again, twice per turn, I can increase or reduce the level of a Constellar monster I control, I use this effect twice to make both Kaus and Sombre level 5." Hokuto explained.

"Don't tell me he has another one!" Shuzo yelled.

"I use Constellar Kaus and Sombre to overlay! Xyz Summon Rank 5, Constellar Pleiades!" Hokuto yelled as another Pleiades.

"Another one? Damn." O'Brien cursed.

"I'm not done yet! I use the Pleiades with no overlay units as Xyz material in order to perform another Xyz Summon!" Hokuto declared.

"Oh no! Not this technique!" Shark exclaimed in shock.

"What technique?" Yuzu asked.

"... There is a technique with Xyz Summoning where you can use an Xyz monster on the field and use it as material for another Xyz monster." Shark told them.

"Rain down your dazzling light! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 6! Constellar Ptolemy M7!" Hokuto yelled as his new monster appeared.

Ptolemy: Rank 6, 2700 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate the Magic card Mystical Space Typhoon! With this, I can choose one card in the spell and trap zone that you have, and destroy it!" Hokuto explained as O'Brien's face down was destroyed.

"Damn." O'Brien cursed. He saw shooting stars nearby and went to go check it out. However, M7 punched the ground, making some of it collapse, O'Brien nearly fell off.

"Hey! That's dirty!" Tatsuya yelled.

"Yeah! You're going to hurt him!" Ayu exclaimed.

"What do you think a Duel is?!" Futoshi asked Hokuto.

"What I think a duel is. A duel is a battle to prove who is best and that the winners walk away as winners and the losers, well, they walk away as losers!" Hokuto responded. "Whatever it takes, I will win. If it's to win you can't be picky about the methods you use."

"You're wrong!" Yuya yelled. Hokuto gasped and looked at the spectator room and saw Yuya speaking up, much to the shock of the others.

"I… don't want anyone to get hurt!" Yuya yelled. Yuzu gasped as she remembered what Yuto had said to her.

* * *

 _Back before Yuto dueled Sawatari_

" _I don't want you to get hurt…" Yuto said to Yuzu._

* * *

 _Now_

 _Yuya… said the same thing as that guy. Are they really the same person? Or is it as Yuya says, that he just happens to look like him or that guy was dressing up as Yuya to frame him._ Yuzu thought to herself.

"Whatever! Let's get back to the duel! It's over anyways! Battle! Constellar Pleiades! Attack him directly!" Hokuto declared as Pleiades struck O'Brien with his blade.

"Augh!" O'Brien grunted in pain as he fell to the ground.

O'Brien: 4000-1500 Lp

"Now! End this! Go, M7, end this!" Hokuto yelled.

 _Crap!_ O'Brien thought as he frantically looked around for an Action Card. Then, he saw more shooting stars falling down to the field.

"Hurry! O'Brien! An Action Card might have came with one of those shooting stars!" Yuzu yelled.

O'Brien ran to the side of a building, where he saw an Action Card, M7 punched the ground, almost hitting O'Brien. O'Brien jumped on M7 and jumped off him and onto the roof. M7 tried to punch O'Brien there too, but O'Brien jumped off and grabbed an Action Card.

"Action Magic! Evasion! The attack is negated!" O'Brien yelled. O'Brien dodged the attack. However, Hokuto grabbed an Action Card from somewhere and showed it to O'Brien.

"What! How did you-" O'Brien was about to ask but the question was answered.

"Didn't you hear me at the beginning. I know the ins and outs of this field, so I know the timing of the stars and when there is going to be an Action Card." Hokuto explained as he activated the Action Card. "Action Magic! Wonder Chance! Now, M7 can attack again! GO, M7!" Hokuto yelled as M7 jumped into the air.

"I didn't want to use this but… from my hand, I activate Volcanic Bomber! When a direct attack is declared, I can send this card to the grave, negate the attack, and then destroy the attacking monster. Finally, both of us take half of it's attack points as damage!" O'Brien exclaimed.

"What!" Hokuto exclaimed as his monster was destroyed. Both duelist yelled in pain as they were thrown back by the explosion.

O'Brien: 1500-150 Lp

Hokuto: 2500-1150 Lp

"From my hand, I use Constellar Reviver's effect, since a Constellar monster was just destroyed, I can discard this card, and revive that monster, however, that monster can't attack this turn." Hokuto explained as M7 was revived.

"I end my turn with that." Hokuto concluded.

"Alright. I need this next draw. For the others…" O'Brien whispered to himself as he closed his eyes and put his hand on the top of his deck. "My turn…" O'Brien shot open his eyes. "DRAW!" O'Brien looked at his card. "Yes! It's over Hokuto!"

"What?" Himeka questioned.

"Maybe… O'Brien will… summon that monster." Shark said.

"Magic Card, Pot of Greed, I can now draw 2 card! I Summon Volcanic Sealer!

Sealer: Level 3, 1300 Atk, 600 Def

"I use it's effect, I can negate the effect of a Card on the field, also, no cards can be activated in response to this effect. Furthermore, I inflict 500 points of damage to you! I negate Pleiades!" O'Brien yelled.

"What!" Hokuto yelled in surprise as he got hit by a fireball.

Hokuto: 1150-650 Lp

"Continuous Magic, Blaze Cannon! Now, I send Blaze Cannon to the grave in order to activate Blaze Cannon-Trident! Now, I tribute Trident in order to special summon Volcanic Doomfire!" O'Brien yelled as his ace appeared.

Doomfire: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 1800 Def

"Battle! Go, Volcanic Doomfire, attack M7!" O'Brien yelled as his monster crushed M7, destroying it.

"Kgh!" Hokuto grunted.

Hokuto: 650-350 Lp

"I still have life remaining! On the next turn, I will destroy your Sealer, and then you will lose the rest of your life points! Then, the duel will end in my victory!" Hokuto exclaimed as he started laying uncontrollably.

"There won't be a next turn!" O'Brien yelled.

"Hmm?" Hokuto questioned.

"Volcanic Doom's effect activates, when he destroyed a monster by battle, he destroys all other monsters you control, and inflicts 500 points of damage to you! It's over Hokuto!" O'Brien yelled as a barrage of flames sprout out from the ground and engulfed Pleiades, destroying it. Hokuto yelled in pain as he dropped to the floor.

Hokuto: 350-0 Lp

"You won!" Shuzo yelled out in joy.

"Awesome!" All three kids yelled while Futoshi added in a shivers while shaking his butt.

The Action Field disappeared, and the duelist were back in the duel arena. Yuya, Yuzu, Shark, and Gongenzaka ran out of the spectator room and went to O'Brien.

"You did it!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Nice job!" Yuya complimented.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, thank you deeply for helping us out in our fight for the school's survival." Gongenzaka told O'Brien as he bowed politely.

"Don't worry about it. There are still 2 more matches after all." O'Brien told the group.

"So you're Volcanic Doomfire had that effect… so in that duel against Shun, if he had somehow negated battle damage, you still would have won the duel due to the burn effect of Doomfire." Shark said.

"No, Doomfire HAS to destroy a monster in order to deal damage with its effect. Shun only had one monster on the field, so I couldn't have gotten the burn effect since after the destruction by battle, there was no monsters to destroy." O'Brien told Shark.

"Something wrong you guys?" Yuya asked.

"No. Nothing at all." Shark told Yuya.

* * *

Later

"Well… this is quite the turn of events. I didn't expect this O'Brien fellow to beat Hokuto. You should be ashamed of yourself, you don't deserve to be in LDS Hokuto. You are an embarrassment to the title of Xyz Course Hokuto." Himeka scolded Hokuto. Himeka sighed.

"You're up next." Himeka told the girl.

"Yes. Chairwoman." The girl responded.

Yuzu looked at Yuya and kept staring, she kept thinking about Yuto and Yuya and how they look so much alike, trying to piece together if they are the same person or not (keep in mind Yuzu doesn't know Yuto's name yet.)

"Yuzu." Yuto said in Yuzu's head, however, in reality, Yuya said her name.

"Yeah?" Yuzu asked.

"It's your turn now. We're counting on you." Yuya said.

"Yeah, leave it to me. Since You Show is on the line, I will definitely win!" Yuzu declared.

The girl walked up to the group, causing them to look at her.

"I am Koutsu Masumi of the Fusion Course." The girl now known as Masumi introduced herself.

"Oh? A Fusion user?" Sora said to himself.

Masumi pulled out a duel disk from her holster strapped to her leg and put it on her arm.

"So, which of you will be my opponent?" Masumi asked with a very serious face.

"Your opponent will be me!" Yuzu told her, Masumi shifted her eyes towards Yuzu.

 _Since I have to protect You Show as well as clear up Yuya's name, I can't afford to lose! But…"_ Yuzu thought to herself as an image of Yuto's face came into her head. Masumi showed Yuzu a cocky smile.

"A field that suits my cute daughter is… alright! This one! Action Field, on! Crystal Corridor!" Shuzo yelled as the duel arena was replaced by a beautiful corridor corridor with shiny crystals and purple lights.

"Go, Yuzu! Go and shine beautifully like you always do!" Shuzo yelled, embarrassing her daughter.

"Dad…!" Yuzu blushed with embarrassment.

"To call someone like you dazzling, that's some incredible nepotism. In reality, I can see that your eyes have no luster." Masumi said, still wearing that cocky smile.

"What do you mean?" Yuzu asked.

"My father is a jeweler, I've seen plenty of gems while growing up, ones that truly dazzle, true gems. That's why I can tell right now that you don't have any shine. It's proof that there is hesitation in your heart!" Masumi exclaimed. Yuzu gasped as another image of Yuto came into her head.

"In this duel, I will prove that whether or not I have hesitation in my heart!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuya started the Action Duel chant.

"Kicking across the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Gongenzaka continued.

"They storm through this field!" Yuya carried on.

"Behold!" Tatsuya yelled.

"This is-" Futoshi started.

"The newest and greatest-" Ayu continued.

"Evolution of Dueling!" All 3 kids chanted.

"Action!" Yuya and Gongenzaka yelled.

"DUEL!" Both girls yelled. (At this point, the next two duels are the same, the only difference is I might put in some different dialogue and also O'Brien and Shark might give some dialogue too. Since the duels are the same, I'm going to skip most of the duel(s) and give a part for Yuto in this duel, and Shun in the next duel. Just a heads up, the Akaba Reiji duel thing will not finish this chapter.)

"I'll go first! I activate the Magic Card Gem-Knight Fusion!" Masumi exclaimed.

"Gem-Knight Fusion?" O'Brien questioned.

"An archetype specific Fusion Card?" Shark also questioned.

 _Interesting. They are surprised by this. Maybe they are what I think they are._ Sora thought to himself.

"I will fuse Gem-Knight Tourmaline and Gem-Knight Emerald! Gem tinged with lightning. Brilliant emerald of good fortune. In a whirlpool of light combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear! The one who pursues victory, Gem-Knight Topaz!" Masumi exclaimed.

Topaz: Level 6, 1800 Atk, 1800 Def

"She Fusion Summoned from the hand?" Yuzu gasped in fear.

"It seems that even with your clouded eyes you're still able to understand how great Hand Fusion is." Masumi told her.

"But… that monster only has 1800 attack. It is still a defeatable monster." Yuzu said to herself, however, Masumi heard what she said.

"I wouldn't underestimate this monster if I were you. How you deal with this monster will decide your fate in this duel. I set one card and end my turn." Masumi concluded.

"My turn, draw!" Yuzu yelled.

* * *

Elsewhere, with Yuto (lol, about time huh)

Yuto was out and, like the past couple of times he has been out, was looking for good vantage points. However, Yuto wasn't making as much progress as usual. He was concerned about a lot of things. A new problem that came to his mind was the fact that not only has he gave himself away, which meant now a lot of people know about him (in a way) about him dueling Sawatari, but he also might have unintentionally framed an innocent person. Yuto remembered that girl who looked like Ruri said that Yuto looked like some guy named Yuya. Also, he had to worry about Shun going reckless. He also had to worry about Yuto himself getting out of control and hurting people with Dark Requiem. Yuto jumped into an alleyway to think on some things.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Yuto asked himself. He said he doesn't want to hurt anyone, yet he went and beat someone in a duel, and did a lot of damage in the process. Sure, it was unintentional but that still is no excuse. Yuto climbed up a building and looked up at the sun.

"If only things were like this at Heartland still. Then, there would be no reason to come here, and less people if not no people would be getting hurt. No one would have to suffer." Yuto said to himself. However, something inside him thought different.

 **But that's just how the world is. It's unfair, it's made of hurt and only hurt. The world hates us, it wants to take everything from us. The world takes things from us, and soon, the world is going to take EVERYTHING away from us. The world already stole the peace of Heartland, the lives of a lot of innocent people, Ruri, and your Dad too.** The voice inside told Yuto.

"But, maybe there is a way to change all of this. I will change all of it. I'll make sure of it." Yuto said to himself, thinking that the other voice was just a negative side of his thoughts. Little did Yuto know, this was not the case.

* * *

Later, at the duel between Yuzu and Masumi

"Fusion Summon!" Show yourself, Gem-Knight Master Diamond!" Masumi yelled as her ace appeared.

Master Diamond: Level 9, 2900 Atk, 2500 Def

"This is my true ace monster! I use the effect of Master Diamond to banish the Gem-Knight Topaz resting in the graveyard." Masumi told Yuzu.

"Banish? Why?" Yuzu questioned with a confused look on her face.

"Yuzu!" Yuya yelled. Yuzu looked in the direction of the voice. "Don't let your guard down!"

Yuzu looked at the wall where a window would usually be where she could see Yuya, however, she saw a wall and saw an image of Yuto just floating in the air with his arms crossed.

"She's planning something." The image of Yuto told her. In reality, Yuya said this and he was yelling, however, Yuzu heard Yuto instead and Yuto sounded calm. Now, Yuzu made a frightened face, she had just saw an image of the guy who looked like Yuya, and it TALKED

TO HER!

"You're pretty carefree if you think you have the time to look away!" Masumi exclaimed. Yuzu gasped and looked at Masumi, then, she took a glance back at the wall, and saw the image of Yuto was gone.

"Battle! First, Gem-Knight Crystal will attack your Melodious Diva Canon!" Masumi declared as Crystal punched Canon, destroying her.

"Here is the real deal! Using Gem-Knight Master Diamond, I attack your Prodigy Mozart!" Master Diamond swung its sword at Mozart, destroying it. Yuzu groaned in pain as she shielded her eyes from the smoke of the explosion.

Yuzu: 4000-3700 Lp

"Yuzu-oneechan's ace monster got destroyed!" Ayu exclaimed with worry.

"But she only took 300 damage." Futoshi said.

"No, that's wrong." Masumi said.

"What do you mean?" Yuzu asked.

"Before the battle phase I used Master Diamond's effect, it is by banishing a level 7 or lower Gem-Knight monster Master Diamond gains its effects and its name becomes that monster until the end of the turn." Masumi explained.

"That's why you banished Gem-Knight Topaz!" Yuzu realized.

"You're right! Topaz's first effect, when a monster is destroyed in battle by this card, this monster deals damage to its controller equal to the original attack of the destroyed monster." Masumi explained as she pointed at Yuzu. Master Diamond released shockwaves from it's hand, which hit Yuzu, sending her flying back.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Yuzu screamed in pain as she fell to the floor.

Yuzu: 3700-1100 Lp

"Yuzu! Keep up burning Hot Blooded!" Shuzo yelled.

"2600… that's a huge amount of damage." Tatsuya said.

"But she still has some life left. If it's Yuzu I'm sure she can-" Gongenzaka said but was interrupted by Sora.

"Nope, not possible." Everyone looked at Sora.

"How do you know?" Shark asked.

"Yeah, the match isn't over until it's over." O'Brien told Sora.

"You're right about that O'Brien, a match isn't over until it's over. However, the match is over, it's finished with this. Just watch and you'll know what I mean soon enough." Sora told them as they continued watching the duel.

"Topaz's second effect! It can attack twice during the battle phase!" Masumi exclaimed.

"No way!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Then Yuzu will…" Gongenzaka started.

"lose…" The kids finished.

"I told you it was over." Sora said as he licked his lips. Shark and O'Brien glanced at Sora with a suspicious look. They looked back at each other. Shark nodded his head at O'Brien, while O'Brien did the same, somehow knowing what the other was thinking.

 _No, if this keeps up...I'll…"_ Yuzu thought to herself as her vision blurred. Then, at the corner of her eye, she saw an Action Card.

"This is the end!" Masumi exclaimed, however, it sounded blurred to Yuzu, who wasn't focusing on Masumi.

 _An Action Card!_ Yuzu thought to herself.

"By using Topaz's effect, I make a direct attack with Master Diamond!" Masumi exclaimed smiling because of her victory.

 _It's all or nothing._ Yuzu thought to herself as she got up on her feet. Yuzu jumped towards the Action Card as Master Diamond started charging a blast with it's sword. _I got it!_ Yuzu thought as she reached for an Action Card. Shark gasped.

"No! Yuzu, that's a reflection of the Action Card! The real one is-" Shark shouted but stopped as he saw what happened next.

Yuzu was about to touch the Action Card, she touched the pillar instead, and saw that there wasn't an Action Card. Yuzu gasped in shock as she looked behind her, and saw the Action Card she had tried to get sitting near the pillar behind her.

"No…" Yuzu whispered.

"To be deceived by the reflection in the crystals, your eyes must be quite clouded." Masumi said.

Yuzu gasped, as she thought about Yuto again. A yellow beam of light came from Master Diamond's sword, and in that short moment, Yuzu knew she failed to protect the school. Yuzu was struck by the beam as she was sent back flying. Yuzu screamed as she fell to the ground and slid across.

Yuzu: 1100-0 Lp

The Field disappeared and Yuzu and Masumi were back in the duel arena, both of Masumi's monsters disappeared. Yuya quickly opened the door and ran to the duel arena.

"Aww… in the end she still lost." Sora said.

"Hmph. But of course." Himeka said as Hokuto gave a small disgusted look.

"Yuzu. Yuzu. Yuzu." Yuya said as Yuzu opened her eyes. However, when Yuya said Yuzu the first 2 times, Yuzu heard and saw Yuto instead of Yuya, then her eyes came into focus and she heard and saw Yuya. Yuzu got up to her feet.

"You aren't hurt are you?" Yuya asked with concern.

"Y-yeah…" Yuzu stammered.

"Oh, thank goodne-" Yuya was interrupted as Yuzu fell into Yuya's arms.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Yuya asked. Normally, if Yuya got this close to Yuzu, she would smack Yuya with her fan.

 _Just what am I doing… Yuya is right here, he's definitely right here. But I didn't believe the Yuya right in front of me and worried on my own._ Yuzu thought to herself as images of Yuto came into her head. _It's just like Masumi said, I was deceived by my imagination._ Yuzu's thoughts were interrupted by Masumi.

"That's quite a show you two are giving us." Masumi said.

Yuzu gasped and looked at Yuya, finally back into reality. Yuzu took her arms away from Yuya and blushed almost as red as Yuya's shirt and the red part of his hair. Yuzu yelped as she pushed Yuya away from him, Yuya yelled in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Ow…" Yuya twitched in pain as imaginary hippos were circling on top of his head. Yuya got back up on his feet. "Where did that come from?!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Yuzu exclaimed with embarrassment.

"If you're just going to apologize than maybe you didn't have to push me." Yuya told Yuzu.

"It's just… it was an important duel and I, I…" Yuzu teared up. Yuya put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, all we have to do is win the next one!" Yuya comforted Yuzu.

"Yuya!" Yuzu exclaimed as he looked at him. She then put a smile on her face.

"All we have to do is win the next one? You make it sound like it'll be easy." A boy said to Yuya.

"You're…" Yuya trailed off waiting for the guy's answer.

"I'm LDS' Synchro Course's Toudou Yaiba." The guy introduced himself. "So, who is going to be my opponent?"

"O'Brien-niichan won…" Ayu started. O'Brien gave her a weird look when she called him niichan

"And Yuzu-neechan lost." Tatsuya finished.

"So the score is 1-1." Futoshi said.

"I, the man Gongenzaka would avenge Yuzu if I could but… a duel with You Show on the line and with me being the successor to the Gongenzaka dojo I'm an outsider! Listen up Sora! This is the moment of truth! You have to win!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Hmm… You know I'm not really a fan of such stifling things. I don't want to duel." Sora said.

"Then Shark will have to…" Gongenzaka started.

"No. I don't want to duel. You can duel, I don't care." Shark told Gongenzaka coldly.

"I can duel!?" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Sure. Besides, I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling I'm not a good matchup with that guy." Sora told Gongenzaka as he looked at Yaiba, who was hold his blade over his head and doing some leg stretches.

"If you say so then…" Gongenzaka stopped talking as Yuya walked up to him.

"We're counting on you Gongenzaka! If it's you, my best friend then I've got nothing to worry about!" Yuya told Gongenzaka. Gongenzaka started to tear up.

"Yuya… Alright! Leave it to me!" Gongenzaka yelled as he was getting FIRED UP! (Get it, cause in the anime he had a flame aura surrounding him when he said that, I know, funny, hahaha… ha… ha… I'll shut up now.) "I swear on the name of the Gongenzaka Dojo's Steadfast Dueling that I will win!"

"Steadfast duel?" O'Brien and Shark whispered to themselves.

"Hey!" Yaiba yelled to Gongenzaka, who looked at him.

"How long are you going to make me wait? Or are you scared and going to forfeit?" Yaiba asked, angering Gongenzaka.

"Unforgivable! To treat a man such as I Gongenzaka as a coward!" Gongenzaka yelled.

Shark at moment realized something. "Why is he always talking about himself in the third person?" Shark asked Yuya, who didn't respond as he just gave Shark a 'I don't know look' and shrugged his shoulders.

"Your opponent… shall be me!" Gongenzaka yelled as he pulled out his duel disk.

"Let me say this first, if you think I'm the same as those goody two-shoes you just fought you're going to find yourself hurting… a lot!" Yaiba warned. Gongenzaka gave Yaiba a confused look.

"Because unlike those 2, I'm actually strong!" Yaiba exclaimed.

"That guy! He's talking about us as if we're weak!" Hokuto exclaimed.

"We?" Himeka asked.

"Sure it's annoying but since you lost you can't blame him can you?" Masumi asked. That struck Hokuto in the heart hard, he went to a corner and sat in it.

"The opponent this time is Toudou Yaiba...Blade… Katana… Sword… Yes! This will do! Action Field On! Action Field, Sword's Graveyard!" Shuzo yelled as the duel arena was turned into a barren wasteland with multiple swords stuck in the ground.

"Gongenzaka-kun, use this sword graveyard to bury your opponent's blade!" Shuzo told Gongenzaka.

"Hiragi-san, if we win this match Sakaki Yuya of You Show Duel School will become LDS', do you agree with those conditions?" Himeka asked Shuzo.

"But if we win this duel you aren't allowed to meddle with Yuya and this school again!" Shuzo bargained. Himeka narrowed her eyes at Shuzo while Shuzo gave her a glare.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Shuzo started the chant as his hand start burning with fire.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Himeka continued.

"They storm through this Field!" Shuzo chanted.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" Himeka exclaimed as she and Shuzo posed.

"Action!" Yuya and Yuzu yelled.

"Duel!" Both duelists shouted.

"I'll go first! I Summon Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10!" Gongenzaka yelled.

Kabu-10: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"I end my turn." Gongenzaka concluded.

"Hah! Only a 1000 attack monster and nothing to back it up! What a wasteful move!" Yaiba exclaimed.

"Truly strong men make no wasted moves!" Gongenzaka responded.

"Do whatever you want then, blockhead! My turn, draw! I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight from my hand!" Yaiba declared.

Boggart Knight: Level 4, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this guy is successfully summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower XX-Saber monster from my hand! I Special Summon the Tuner monster XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!" Yaiba exclaimed.

Fulhelmknight: Level 3, 1300 Atk, 1000 Def

"Tuner monster?" Yuya wondered to himself.

"What is this?" Shark asked himself, not familiar on what a Tuner monster is.

"At this moment, I use Kabu-10's effect! When my opponent successfully Special Summoned I can change Kabu-10 to defense position, also, until the end of the turn its Defense is increased by 500!" Gongenzaka exclaimed as his monster was surrounded by a blue sphere.

Kabu-10: 2000-2500 Def

"Go, Gongenzaka, show him your Steadfast Duel!" Yuya yelled.

"What's Steadfast Duel?" Shark asked Yuya.

"Steadfast Duel is a kind a duel where a person just stays in one place and never goes for an Action Card. In Gongenzaka's case, his deck doesn't contain any Magic or Trap Cards. He doesn't go for Action Cards because those count as Magic Cards, which messes up his deck a lot." Yuya explained. Not hearing Yuya, Yaiba made a remark of his own.

"What's all this Steadfast bullcrap? I'm just getting started! If there are two or more X-Saber monsters on my field, I can special summon XX-Saber Faultroll!" Yaiba exclaimed.

Faultroll: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def

"He got 3 monsters out so fast!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"Wow!" Futoshi exclaimed in amazement.

"Save your surprises for after you see this! I tune the level 4 Boggart Knight with the level 3 Fulhelmknight! Wielder of crossed blades of light, trample over this mountain of corpses! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! X-Saber Souza!" Yaiba chanted as his Synchro monster appeared.

Souza: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 1600 Def

"No way!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"A Synchro monster!" Yuya exclaimed with a shocked look on his face.

 _Synchro monster! Oh yeah, I remember Yuto telling me about this before we left for Standard._ Shark thought to himself.

Flashback-Before the departure for Standard

"Is there anything I should know before we head to Standard?" Shark asked.

"A lot actually." Shun told him.

"He's right. We ambushed a student and got some answers out of him. Apparently, the Standard Dimension has all 3 summoning methods." Yuto told Shark.

"3? Not 2?" Shark asked.

"Yes. There is our enemy's summoning method Fusion, our summoning method Xyz, and an unknown summoning method we don't know much about called Synchro. There are also 3 separate dimensions apart from this one. Standard, and our enemy's Fusion Dimension of course, and the Synchro Dimension."

"Synchro Summon? How does it work?" Shark asked.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you much. Actually, if you remember when you saw that duelists on the motorcycle named Yugo, he used Synchro Summoning. From what I remember, you need something called a Tuner monster, and you need to have monsters on your field whose sum of their levels are equal to the level of the Synchro monster you are summoning." Yuto told Shark.

"Alright. Thanks. This might be helpful in the future." Shark told Yuto.

Now

"So this is Synchro Summoning." Shark said to himself. This is what Yuto had to experience when he fought against that look alike Yugo.

* * *

Later-With Shun (Just gonna skip most of the duel since it's the same.)

Shun was currently jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He had decided that it was time to get things moving. He was looking for someone from LDS to duel in order to attract the attention of Akaba Reiji. Fortunately for Shun, he saw someone walking on the streets, he saw that he wore the person had a duel disk on him. The duel disk had LDS branded on it. So Shun either figured one thing, this guy went to LDS or he just got the duel disk from there. Still, this guy could be a good start for the plan. He followed the man for a while, the guy stopped once in awhile because he swore he had heard someone following him, so he began to walk faster. They eventually came to a bridge, no one was near for some reason, so Shun decided to reveal himself.

"Are you LDS?" Shun asked.

"I am a teacher there yes." The guy responded.

"Duel me!" Shun yelled as he activated his duel disk.

"Hold on! Why are you doing this? What is your name?" The guy asked.

"Name? Kurosaki Shun. Why I'm doing this, I'm not telling you." Shun told the guy.

"Please, we don't have to do this, I am Professor Marco." Marco said.

"Don't care. Duel me!" Shun yelled.

Marco flinched. "Fine." Marco activated his duel disk.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted.

* * *

At the same time, back at the duel

"My turn, draw! Hey! You remember this card, don't you?" Yaiba asked as he showed Gongenzaka a familiar card in his hand.

"XX-Saber Faultroll… you can special summon that monster when there are two or more X-Saber monsters on your field." Gongenzaka told Yaiba.

"That's right. Since I meet those requirements, I Special Summon Faultroll. Now Faultroll's effect activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one level 4 or lower X-Saber monster from my graveyard! Be reborn! Tuner monster, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!" Yaiba exclaimed.

"Don't tell me he is going to Synchro Summon again!" Yuya exclaimed.

"I am! I tune the level 6 Faultroll with the level 3 Fulhelmknight! It's a double showing of the X-Sabers' strongest monster, Gottoms! Enjoy it while it lasts! Synchro Summon! Level 9, XX-Saber Gottoms!" Yaiba yelled as his monster appeared.

Gottoms: Level 9, 3100 Atk, 2600 Def

"I use Souza's effect in order to release Ragigura! You might be wondering why I did that, well you're going to find out soon! Battle! I attack Big Benkei with Souza!" Yaiba declared.

"Why is he attacking Souza who has lower attack?" Tatsuya asked.

"By releasing one X-Saber monster, Souza gains the effect where it destroys any monster that it battles with for this turn!" Yaiba explained.

"What?" All 3 kids questioned.

"It can destroy it without caring about it's attack?" Futoshi asked.

"This time I'll be taking out that ace monster that you have been defending for so long!" Yaiba exclaimed.

"Great Wall's effect activates, by sending this card to the grave can negate an attack on the equipped monster and it's Defense becomes 0." Gongenzaka explained.

"Damn! However, even if you negated the attack, with no Defense your monster is nothing!" Yaiba exclaimed as he pointed at Big Benkei.

Big Benkei: 3100-0 Def

"I'll now shred your remaining life points to nothing with my 2 remaining Gottoms! I attack Big Benkei with one of my Gottoms!" Yaiba declared.

"That's what I was waiting for! From the grave, I activate Superheavy Samurai Soul Break Armor!" Gongenzaka yelled.

"What! From the grave!" Yaiba repeated as the card in Gongenzaka's graveyard slid out. "That card can't be…"

"That's right! This is one of the cards you sent to my grave when you used Gottoms' effect! This card's true strength comes from when it is in the grave! When there are no Magic or Trap cards in my graveyard, by banishing this card, I can deal the difference from the current Defense and the original Defense of an attacked monster to my opponent!" Gongenzaka yelled.

"What!?" Yaiba exclaimed with a shock on his face as he felt his chest throbbing from the intense duel.

"Big Benkei's original Defense is 3500. Now it's zero! That means 3500 points of damage!" Ayu exclaimed as the 3 kids smiled. Sora dropped his lollipop which broke on impact with the ground.

"No way…" Sora whispered in legitimate surprise. This has been the most surprise he has shown since his duel with Yuya.

"The condition for this comeback is to have absolutely no Magic or Trap cards in the grave. That's why Gongenzaka made a deck of only monsters and no Magic and Traps!" Yuya explained. Yaiba gasped in shock when he heard this.

"A deck made with only monsters!" Masumi repeated in the utmost shock.

"That's beyond crazy!" Hokuto exclaimed.

"So that's also why you weren't grabbing Action Cards, in order to prepare for a situation like this." Yaiba said.

"That's right! After all, Action Cards ar treated as Magic Cards. Do you see it now! This is the true strength of Steadfast Dueling!" Gongenzaka yelled as a big wave of energy came flying towards Yaiba.

"You've made some really interesting plays. However, I think its time to end this! From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Saber Reflector! When an X-Saber monster is on the field, I can negate effect damage coming towards me!" Hainaut exclaimed.

"That guy still had that option!" O'Brien exclaimed in shock.

"Not bad." Shark said to himself.

"Also, the negated damage is dealt to the opponent! This is the end!" Yaiba yelled as a shield formed around him and his monsters, the wave of energy flew back towards Gongenzaka.

"From the grave, I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soul Big Bang! When there are no Magic or Trap cards in my grave, I can banish this Card, and negate effect damage from an opponent's Card effect!" Gongenzaka exclaimed as the wave of energy disappeared.

"You negated the damage I reflected!" Hainaut exclaimed.

"That's not all! Now, every monster in the field is destroyed! Then, we both take damage equal to the total levels of the destroyed monsters times 100!" Gongenzaka explained with a smile. Everyone was shocked.

"What!?" Everyone except Gongenzaka exclaimed in shock.

"Their total levels are 33...!" Hainaut exclaimed as he realized he couldn't escape from this.

"That is 3300 points of damage!" Gongenzaka yelled as a big explosion occurred in the middle of the field, destroying all monsters and knocking both players to the ground, who were yelling pain, however, Gongenzaka kept a smile on his face. When the explosion cleared up, both duelists were seen unconscious, but both had smiles on their faces, as they had just had their most intense duel, both of their hearts were pounding with excitement during the whole thing.

"This is..." Ayu started.

"A draw." Tatsuya finished as the Action afield disappeared and the duel arena reappeared.

"Gongenzaka! Are you okay? Keep it together!" Yuya yelled in concern.

"Even with the Gongenzaka Style Steadfast Dueling, I couldn't defeat him." Gongenzaka told Yuya.

"What're you saying? Thanks to you, we apmanaged to get a draw, Gongenzaka! You shows me the strength of your deck that you believed in!" Yuya exclaimed.

"The results of the Best of Three is one win, one loss, and one draw. Chairwoman Akaba, you said that you would take this School if you won. However, since the result was a draw, I kindly ask you to leave." Shutout told Himeka.

"What do you think you're saying? This was a duel to settle everything, there can be no draws!" Himeka responded.

"Uh, yes but, the duel actually did end in a draw though." Shutout told her.

"A tie-breaker! We will have our two duelists that have one victory duel each other!" Himeka replied.

"You can't just-!" Shutout was interrupted by Yuya walking close with his goggles over his eyes.

"It seems that you are up to it, then we shall..." Himeka was interrupted by a voice.

"Wait!" The voice said. A person walked out and revealed himself, it was Akaba Reiji. "I'll put an end to this."

Yuya turned around and stared at Akaba Reiji. A long silence was shared between the two. Yuya's chest immediately started beating quickly. Yuya could tell immediately, that if this guy was his opponent instead, then he wouldn't be easy to defeat.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Volcanic Fusionner Pyro/Fire: You can Fusion Summon a monster from your extra deck using this card and another Volcanic monster as materials.**

 **Volcanic Bomber. Pyro/Fire: When your opponent declares a direct attack, you can send this card to the graveyard, negate the attack, then, destroy the attacking monster. Finally, both you and your opponent take damage equal to half of the destroyed monsters attack points.**

 **Volcanic Sealer Pyro/Fire: Once per turn, you can negate the effect of one Card on the field, no monster effects can be activated in response to this effect. Then, if you negated the effect of a Card, you can inflict 500 points of damage.**

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Well, I'm sorry for having 2 out of the 3 duels being the same, just with some included dialogue from O'Brien and Shark. Just a heads up, I'm not going to feature much of the Marco vs Shun, I'm most likely not going to show snatching at all. However, the Yuya vs Akaba Reiji duel will be slightly altered, because Yuya is going to get something new. I'll give you a hint on what it is, it's a monster, it's not performapal, and it already exists in real life. Also, Yuya has never used this Card in the anime.**

 **Anyways here is the chapter preview.**

 **Yuya commences a duel against Akaba Reiji, to his surprise, Reiji is seemingly holding back. To prove his worth and to get stronger, Yuya pushes through with all of his strength. But will it help him win?**

 **Dang, this is the longest chapter I ever made. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **See you guys next time, take care, goodbye!**


	20. Different Dimension Demons

"He's wearing his goggles!" Ayu exclaimed. (I mean, he has been doing that for the past 30 seconds to a minute but ok. This is what she actually says in the anime.)

"What's wrong with him?" Futoshi asked.

"Yuya-oniichan…" Tatsuya said.

"Yuya…" Yuzu whispered.

"The manly Gongenzaka is pained by how worthless he is!" Gongenzaka told Yuya. "If only I won, Yuya wouldn't… you wouldn't have all of this pressure on you!"

Sora took a bit out of his chocolate. "Ya think? It doesn't look like he's feeling much pressure to me. It feels more like that Yuya is raring and ready to go to war, isn't it?"

"He's right. Isn't he, Yuya?" Shark asked.

"This is the true final match! I'll definitely win… and protect our Duel School… and the dueling that my dad left us!" Yuya declared as a shine came through his goggles.

"Yuya-oniichan won't lose!" Futoshi declared.

"He has the power of Pendulum by his side!" Tatsuya continued.

"That's right! Pendulum won't lose! Yuya-oniichan definitely won't lose! The Duel Scho-" Ayu was cut off by Himeka.

"I wonder about that." Himeka said as Shuzo gasped in confusion. "Apparently, you kids don't have one bit of a clue as to just how strong my Reiji-san is."

"Reiji!" Shark exclaimed, but kept it down a notch so no one could hear him. That's the name of the son of the Professor! Actually, now that Shark thought about it, if he remembered, the last name of that woman was Akaba.

"Huh? Reiji?" Shuzo asked himself.

"I think that's more than enough out of the cheering squad. All I want is for everyone here to remain silent and just watch. My duel with him, I mean." Reiji told the group.

"I swear I have seen that man before…" Shuzo told himself as he looked up the name Reiji on his duel disk and went to Duel Media, where he saw a picture of Reiji. (there's a media for dueling?). "I figured! Akaba Reiji…"

* * *

Later

Yuya and Reiji were standing a little from from each other in the duel arena. Yuya gritted his teeth.

"He's kind of scary." Ayu said as Yuzu pulled her into her arms to comfort her.

"What's wrong with Yuya?" Yuzu asked.

"He's currently focusing on the match." Gongenzaka told her.

"But that isn't Yuya. Smile, Yuya! You Show Duel School's a Duel School for cheerfulness and entertainment, isn't it?! Don't forget to smile!" Yuzu told Yuya through the intercom.

"Smile… I guess you're right." Yuya whispered to himself as he closed his eyes and let out a smile. "Cheerful and entertaining is my motto, after all. I can never forget that, no matter what the situation. Alright, I'll show it to you all! The greatest duel worthy of the greatest smiles! (Sorry if Yuya is acting like he is in the anime, which he is. But that is intended. My reason for making him like this and thinking that smiles are for everyone smile christmas and all that, you guys have to keep in mind, Yuya is only 14 and this is at the beginning of the series. Yuya doesn't know anything about the war. Plus, at the beginning, Yuya is shown to be a naive character, so it's only right to make him like this in the beginning, hope you guys understand.) Which Action Field should we pick?"

"You're free to pick." Reiji responded. Yuya looked at Shuzo and gave him a signal. Shuzo nodded in response.

 _Yuya is leaving it to me again. However, if this boy is really Akaba Reiji…Yuya's opponent is a Duelist with the qualifications of a true pro. Even if this choice is a bit cowardly, this is for Yuya, and since it is to protect the duel school, I need to pick the Field that suits Yuya the most._ Shuzo thought to himself as he saw a field.

"Show them the greatest entertainment on the greatest stage, Yuya! Action Field, on! Field Magic, Athletic Circus, activate!" Shuzo yelled as the duel arena was changed into a beautiful circus.

"Thanks Principal!" Yuya exclaimed as he activated his duel disk.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuzu started.

"Kicking across the earth and dancing in the air with their monsters!" Tatsuya continued.

"They storm through this field!" Futoshi exclaimed.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" Ayu chanted.

"Action!" Gongenzaka yelled.

"DUEL!" Both Reiji and Yuya yelled, Reiji had a serious look on his face while Yuya was smiling.

(Just gonna let you guys know, the first 3 turns or more are going to be the same, the different parts will come later)

"I'll go first, I will activate the Continuous Magic Dark Contract with the Gate. Every Standby Phase, as long as this card remains on my field without its effects negated, I take 1000 points of damage." Reiji explained with a stoic expression on his face.

"What?!" Yuzu exclaimed in shock.

"Why would he do that?" Ayu asked.

"However, once per turn, I can add a level 4 or lower DD monster from my deck to my hand. I will add DD Cerberus." Reiji explained.

"DD?" Futoshi asked.

"It refers to an alternate reality." Sora told the kids.

"DD stands for Different Dimension." O'Brien added.

"I'll activate another copy of Dark Contract with the Gate." Reiji said as another copy of Gate appeared on the field.

"What?! Now in the Standby Phase of his next turn, he'll…" Gongenzaka started.

"...take 2000 points of damage?" Yuzu finished.

"No. There has to be more than just adding cards to his hand. He most likely is going to use the effects now and destroy the cards before his next turn." Shark told the group.

"Are you sure?" O'Brien asked.

"No. It's just a hunch." Shark responded. He had never seen Dark Contract with the Gate before.

"Like before, I use the effect, I add level 4 or lower DD monster to my hand. I add DD Lilith. Next,I activate the Continuous Magic Dark Contract with the Swamp King (NOT SHREK.) Like the other 2 Contracts, this card deals 1000 points of damage to myself during each of my Standby Phases." Reiji exclaimed calmly, like there was nothing wrong with risking his life points.

"That's 3000 points of damage. Just what is he planning?" Yuya asked himself.

"With Dark Contract with the Swamp King, once per turn, I can Fusion Summon a Fiend-type Fusion Monster without the need of a Fusion spell card." Reiji explained, shocking everyone, Sora especially.

"A Fusion Summon without using a Fusion Spell?!" Yuya exclaimed. He hasn't seen one of these much, he almost if not always have seen a Fusion Summon done by a Fusion card

"I shall fuse DD Cerberus and DD Lilith. Hellhound that bares its fangs, vamp of the dark night! In a whirlpool of light from the realm of the dead, become one and give birth to a new king. Fusion Summon! Be born! DDD Raging Inferno King - Temujin!" Reiji yelled as his Fusion Monster appeared.

Temujin: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1500 Def

"He's a Fusion user!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"But why is he taking such a risk to summon that monster?" Yuzu asked the question almost everyone was wondering.

"DDD?" Ayu questioned.

"Three D's this time." Tatsuya noted.

"But what does it mean?" Futoshi asked.

"Something is completely different. Could it be the real thing?" Sora asked himself, perking up the ears of Shark. He looked at O'Brien, as he had a shocked look on his face.

 _DDD… I have heard that before. Isn't that the Professor's deck, or at least part of it? So his son uses the same deck._ O'Brien thought to himself as sweat trickled down his face.

"Odd. There isn't any record of Akaba Reiji using Fusion Monsters during any of his past Duels. Is he that strong even without using Fusion Monsters? Does that mean he is even stronger now? C-can you win, Yuya?" Shuzo asked himself.

"I set 2 cards and end my turn." Reiji concluded.

"Those were the last 2 cards in his hand." O'Brien noted.

Reiji adjusted his glasses and looked at Yuya with a small interested look.

"Why does he act so high and mighty?" Ayu asked with anger.

"He's all lax and all of that, even though in reality he is just some fourth-rate substitute player!" Futoshi exclaimed.

"Beat this guy to a pulp Yuya!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"Yeah, kick his butt!" Ayu joined in.

"Knock im down til I feel the shivers!" Futoshi yelled.

"Yeah! However, the shivers will have to wait from my entertainment!" Yuya yelled as he started running. "My turn, draw! I summon Entermate Whip Viper!"

Whip Viper: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 900 Def

"I use Whip Viper's effect! Once per turn, I can switch the attack and defense of a monster you control." Yuya explained.

Temujin: 1500 Atk, 2000 Def

"He lowered Temujin's attack!" Ayu exclaimed with joy.

"Whip Viper's attack is 1700! He can win this!" Tatsuya added.

"Shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed as he shook his butt again.

"Battle! Go, Whip Viper, attack Temujin!" Yuya declared as Whip Viper jumped towards Temujin.

"Continuous Trap, Dark Contract with the Witch! I take 1000 points of damage during each of my Standby Phases. Also, all Fiend-type monsters on my field gain 1000 attack points." Reiji explained as Yuya looked around for an Action Card. Whip Viper got a shocked expression as Yuya jumped onto one of the spheres in the air which had an Action Card on it. Yuya grabbed it and jumped to the top.

Temujin: 1500-2500 Atk

"Action Magic, High Dive! Until the end of the turn, Whip Viper gains 1000 attack!" Yuya exclaimed as a trampoline appeared, which Whip Viper jumped on as it's attack points raised.

Whip Viper: 1700-2700 Atk

Temujin raised up Reiji, who jumped for an Action Card and activated a trap, he smirked as Temujin's attack returned to 1500 right as Whip Viper connected with him., an explosion occurred.

"Yeah!" The 3 kids exclaimed as they jumped into the air. Hokuto, Yaiba, and Masumi had shocked looks on their face while Himeka was smiling.

"W-what?!" Yuzu suddenly exclaimed.

Temujin appeared from the smoke growling in anger, scaring Whip Viper, who jumped back to Yuya in fear. (Poor Whip Viper)

"N-no way!" Yuya said.

"I activated an Action Card also. The Action Magic, Evasion." Reiji told Yuya, who's shock turned into a smile

"That was pretty good." Yuya admitted, Reiji gave Yuya a small smile.

"They've been about even so far." Shuzo said.

"That's not true!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"She's right! He activated 4 Dark Contracts, now on the Standby Phase of his next turn he should receive 4000 points of damage, making him lose!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Then Yuya-oniichan won?" Ayu asked.

"That was quick!" Futoshi exclaimed.

"That guy made a big mistake with his strategy." Tatsuya said.

"No." Sora suddenly said, shocking the kids.

"He doesn't seem like someone who would make a stupid mistake like that. There has to be something he can do with that other set card he placed down." Shark beat Sora to it.

"Also, right before the attack connected, Temujin's 2500 attack points returned to 1500." O'Brien told them.

"Sharp eye." Sora commented. "They're right you know." Sora told the group.

"Hmph." Reiji smirked.

"What's so funny?" Yuya asked.

"My apologies. I just remembered that before our bout you mentioned things like "thanks" and "giving." (Not Thanksgiving.) You seem to be a kind-hearted fellow. However, kindness like that will mean nothing on the battlefield!" Reiji raised the sound and tone of his voice. Yuya flinched and grunted. "You know that if you ended your turn, as it is now, you would win, but you are hesitating. It's probably due to that kindness of yours. I wonder what kind of results this kindness of yours will bring."

"What nonsense is he spilling?!" Futoshi exclaimed.

"Don't hesitate Yuya!" Gongenzaka yelled.

"Beat him up!" Ayu exclaimed.

"Hurry up and end your turn!" Tatsuya shouted.

"I set one card and end my turn. At this moment, the effect of Whip Viper ends, Temjuin's attack and defense are switched back to normal. Also, High Dive's effect ends, and Whip Viper's attack returns to normal." Yuya explained.

Temujin: 2000 Atk, 1500 Def

Whip Viper: 2700-1700 Atk

"Now, due to the effects of your Dark Contracts, you will be taking 4000 points of damage!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Dark Contracts? Such trivial things." Reiji whispered as all 4 Dark Contracts were destroyed, shocking everyone.

"What just happened?" Yuya asked.

"The Dark Contracts have been broken. I have already used the Trap Card, Lease Laundering. This card negates the effects of all Dark Contract Cards, and during the End Phase, all of those Dark Contract cards are destroyed." Reiji explained to everyone.

"I see! So that's why Temujin's attack points returned to 1500." Sora said.

"He is able to negate 4000 damage like that!?" Gongenzaka exclaimed in shock.

"That's not all. For every card, I draw a card!" Reiji yelled as he drew 4 cards from his deck.

"Softness, huh? But I wouldn't have been able to enjoy this duel to it's fullest if I won like that. Because no one would see my Entertainment Dueling that everyone loved. It might seem pointless to you… but… I want to show that I can win by Entertainment Dueling, the dueling that I inherited from my dad!" Yuy told Reiji.

"How Sakaki Yusho dueled, am I correct?" Reiji asked. This made Yuya and Shark gasp.

 _Yusho-sensei! Does he really come from here and not the Xyz Dimension?_ Shark thought to himself.

"Do you know… my father?" Yuya asked.

"Of course! In fact, everyone does! Your father is a freaking celebrity." Yaiba told Yuya.

"As the former champion who ran away." Hokuto said with a grin. Yuya gritted his teeth and Shark got even more shocked.

 _Ran away? Former champion? Yusho-sensei ran away from his home to Heartland, and left his son like that? No, he isn't that type of person._ Shark denied the fact that Yusho could have ditched his son.

"Shut up!" Reiji shouted at Hokuto and Yaiba, who flinched in fear.

"Idiots." Masumi insulted Yaiba and Hokuto.

"Excuse them. Of course I know your father Sakaki Yusho. As one of the pioneers who helped build the foundations for the current age of Action Duels, I have genuine respect for him. Today, if you show that kind of dueling that you inherited from your father, then it would be best if I also went serious." Reiji told Yuya, shocking him.

"Serious? Then, you weren't serious up until now!" Yuya exclaimed. Reiji started his turn.

"My turn, draw!" Reiji drew his card as he got serious again.

"I activate the Magic Cars Pot of Greed, I draw 2 cards. I Summon the level 3 Tuner monster, DD Night Howling!" Reiji exclaimed.

Night Howling: Level 3, 300 Atk, 600 Def

"A tuner monster!" Yuya exclaimed.

"He can even Synchro Summon? Incredible." O'Brien said.

"When this Card is successfully summoned, from the grave, I can revive a level 4 or lower DD monster. However, the attack points of the monster are 0. Revive, DD Lilith!" Reiji yelled as his monster revived in front of Yuya and Whip Viper, scaring both of them, Yuya jumped to the pole behind him and stayed there while Whip Viper jumped into Yuya's back.

"I'm tuning the level 4 DD Lilith with the level 3 DD Night Howling! Howls that tear through the night. Gain the swiftness of a gale and become the cries of a newborn king! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 7! DDD Gale King - Alexander!" Reiji chanted as his monster appeared.

Alexander: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Synchro and Fusion!" Shark exclaimed in shock.

"I'm not dome. I activate the effect of Temujin, when a DDD monster other than this Card is Special Summoned, I can Special a Summon a DD monster from my graveyard! Once again, revive, DD Lilith! Next, Alexander's effect activates, when a DD monster is Specila Summoned, I can Specila Summon one DD Monster from my Graveyard! Revive, DD Cerberus! I overlay the level 4 DD Lilith and DD Cerberus! In order to subjugate all that resides in this world, now, descend onto the peak of the world! Xyz Summon! Be born! Rank 4! Surging Waves King - Caesar!" Reiji chanted as another monster appeared.

Caesar: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"NO WAY!" Shark shouted.

"This guy can... use all Summoning Methods." O'Brien said. Was there any hope for the You Show Duel School at this point.

"DDD stands for Different Dimension Demon, I've prepared a large taste for you of the kings that rule the different dimension." Reiji told Yuya as he adjusted his glasses.

"Anyways, let's move on shall we? Battle, Temujin, attack Whip Viper!" Reiji declared as his minster jumped into the air ready to strike.

"Quick-Play, Hippo Carnival, activate! I summon 3 Hippo Tokens in Defense, by this card's effect, you can only attack the tokens." Yuya said as one if the Hippos were destroyed by Temujin.

"Alriht! He protected Whip Viper!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"Go, Alexander! Attack his Hippo!" Reiji yelled as the token was destroyed. "Alexander's effect activates, once per turn, when he destroys a monster, it can destroy one more monster." Reiji said as Alexander knocked out a Hippo with its wind.

"Attack now, Caesar!" Reiji declared, Whip Viper jumped off Yuya's arm and got hit by the sword, not wanting Yuya to get hurt.

"Whip Viper!" Yuya yelled in concern for his destroyed monster.

Yuya grunted as he took damage.

Yuya: 4000-3300 Lp

"He still managed to destroy all of them!" Ayu exclaimed.

"I set a card and end my turn." Reiji concluded.

 _What can I do? I_

"You're amazing! This your real strentgth? Honestly, I was shocked when I saw you use the 3 summoning methods. Now, it's my turn! I don't use Fusion, Synchro or Xyz, but I have a unique power that's been granted to me! The fun has just begun!" Yuya yelled as he drew his Card.

"I activate the Magic Pot of Greed in order to draw 2 cards! Alright!" Yuya yelled a she saw his cards.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! My dear fans, I'm sorry to keep you waiting! Now, I present to you what only Sakaki Yuya can do, Sakaki Yuya's Entertianment Dueling! I, using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician, and the Scale 8 Timetazer Magican, set the Pemdulum Scale! With this I can Special Summon monsters with levels 2 to 7! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters! First, is Odd Eyea Pendulum Dragon! Second is Entermate Fire Mufferlion! Last, is the one who is going to change the course of this duel, Entermate Curtain Switcher!" Yuya yelled.

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Mufferlion: Level 3, 800 Atk, 800 Def

Curtian Switcher: Level 4, 0 Atk, 1600 Def

"That monster!" Shark yelled.

"Now, I realized that all this time that I said I don't have an extra deck monster. Well, I just remembered that I do!" Yuya exclaimed.

"He does!" Yuzu exclaimed in shock.

"Thus should be interesting." Gongenzaka said.

"Curtain Switcher's effect activates, once per turn, until the end of the turn, I can switch a characteristic of a monster with another monster, I switch the levels of Curtain Switcher and Alexander!" Yuya exclaimed.

"What." Reiji questioned.

Curtain Switcher: Level 4-7

Alexander: Level 7-4

"Wait! Now Yuya has..." O'Brien started.

"2 Level 7 monsters." Shark finished.

"I, using the level 7 Odd Eyes Oendulum Dragon and Entermate Curtain Switcher, overlay! Dragon with dual-colored eyes, step into a brand new stage of ice and snow, and show your absolute powers to the world! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 7, Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya yelled as his new monster appeared.

"Yuya... Xyz Summoned." Yuzu said to herself. Shark and Sora looked on in interest while the others were shocked, however Reiji looked shocked for a moment but went back to being serious.

"I have never seen Yuya Xyz Summon before." Shuzo said to himself.

"Impressive. However, let's see if that monster is enough to defeat me!" Reiji told Yuya.

"Oh, it will at least help good, that's for sure. But I'll tell you this, the fun has just begun!" Yuya yelled as he jumped onto Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon.

* * *

 **Finished. Sorry for the late update guys. also sorry for the duel being mostly the same, the differences will show next chapter hopefully. So the Card I was talking about last chapter was Absolute, I might include Vortex next chapter, don't know yet.**

 **No preview, sorry.**

 **Fanime1: Welcome back! The reason why Shun is lie, that is cause first, his homeland/the place he grew up in his attacked out of the blue, and he sees innocent people getting carded without mercy. Then, his sister gets kidnapped. Along with that, he finds that he might not be able to trust his best friend as much as he used to. If I were Shun, I would act like him, except I would keep a more stable head and think things through more. I understand why yo ask that. Anyways, best of luck on the exam!**

 **Big Duels: The differences will be bigger next chapter.**

 **Venomous Blade: lol, really nothing to respond to, don't know why but I feel like writing you down here, it seems rude if I don't. (That sounded so hypocritical for some reason.)**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. One more thing, I want your guys' opinion on the cover picture. I tried editing it, but every time I saved nothing changed, and I waited for a while and nothing changed.**

 **See you guys next chapter, take care, goodbye!**


	21. Reiji's Surprise

"An Xyz Summon… Yuya told us he doesn't have any Extra Deck Monsters!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Yuya…" Yuzu whispered as she thought back to Yuto Xyz Summoning Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. No, she couldn't think that now, even if Yuya can Xyz Summon, she must still believe in him. "Go, Yuya!"

"Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, let's have fun with our newcomer Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya pointed to the new dragon with a smile on his face.

"Beat him up, Yuya-oniichan!" Aye cheered. However, she, Futoshi, Yuzu, and Tatsuya gasped in shock and fear as Yuya dropped off his platform and was plummeting towards the ground. Yuya put on his goggles and did a flip in midair as he jumped onto Absolute's back.

"Let's do this, Odd Eyes!" Yuya declaredd as Absolute roared as he started running.

"Battle! Go, Absolute, attack Temujin! However, I now activate your effect, once per turn, when an attack is declared, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card, I can negate the attack!" Yuya yelled as an overlay unit disappeared and Absolute stopped running.

"Why would he negate his own attack like that?" Shark asked.

"Wow! He must have lost his mind! This is an example of a bad Duelist!" Hokuto insulted.

"And yet you lost to this 'bad Duelist' last time I checked." Masumi told Hokuto, Yaiba made an "oooo" sound as Hokuto felt an arrow stab his heart. He went to go sit in the corner alone while Masumi gave him a weird look.

"Now! After the battle is negated, I can Special Summon an Odd Eyes Monster from my Hand or Graveyard, so revive, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya yelled as his ace appeared.

 **Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Go, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Temujin! With those dual-colored eyes of yours, lay waste to all that lies before you! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya yelled Odd Eyes jumped into the air and let out a reddish-orangish spiral flame which hit Temujin. "At this moment, the effect of Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon activates! When it battles a level 5 or higher Monster, the battle damage is doubled! Reaction Force!" Odd Eyes roared again as he made his blast even more powerful, finally overpowering Temujin, destroying it. Reiji shielded himself from the dust as he grunted.

 **Reiji: 4000-3000 LP**

"Alright! 1000 points of damage!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"He's turned the tides!" Aye exclaimed.

"No, he hasn't. This guy doesn't seem like someone who would lose easily. Something tells me Yuya is playing right into his hands." O'Brien told the kids, surprising them.

"Huh? What do you mean? Look at Yuya-oniichan, he is going to win! Do you doubt him?" Futoshi asked with a disappointed look in his face.

"No. It's just that I'm unsure about if he can win." O'Brien responded.

"Furthermore, I activate the effect of Fire Mufferlion! If this Monster is in Attack Position, a Pendulum Monster that has destroyed a Monster by battle this turn, that Monster gains 200 Attack points until the end of the Battle Phase, also, the Monster can make another attack!" Yuya explained as flame came out of Mufferlion's body as it formed into a circle in the air. "Go! Jump right through that ring of fire, Odd Eyes!" Odd Eyes nodded and roared in response as he ran towards the circle and jumped through it, powering up in the process.

 **Odd Eyes: 2500-2700 Atk**

"Odd Eyes made it through!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"To think that he could use that move in order to gain a power up!" Yuzu exclaimed with a smile. No matter what, she trusted Yuya, she definitely knew now that Yuya didn't attack Sawatari.

"He truly is an wild animal tamer, no! A dragon tamer!" Gongenzaka said with an impressed look on his face. Yuya has grown, to the point where he is willing to use Xyz Summoning in order to win.

"Now that's entertainment! It's burning and hot-blooded, Yuya" Shuzo yelled in excitement.

"My second attack target will be Alexander! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya yelled as Odd eyes let out another spiral flame, which hit Alexander, destroying it. Reiji grunted as he lost life points.

 **Reiji: 3000-2800 LP**

"Wait, why didn't Odd eyes deal 400 points of damage?" Ayu asked with confusion.

"Because in order to summon that Xyz Dragon, Yuya needed 2 level 7 monsters. Yuya used the effect of Curtain Switcher to switch the levels of Alexander and Curtain Switcher, making Alexander's level 4." Shark explained to the kids.

Yuya jumped on Odd Eyes Absolute who ran towards an Action Card, which Yuya picked up. He looked at it and smiled.

"Alright! I'm on it today! Action Magic, Wonder Chance! I can give one monster an additional attack! Go, Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon, attack Caesar!" Yuya yelled. However, unknown to him, an overlay unit was detached from Caesar, Reiji narrowed his eyes as a spiral flame hit Caesar, destroying it.

 **Reiji: 2800-2400 LP**

"Alright! He took out all of them!" Ayu exclaimed.

"And he knocked out 1600 of his opponent's life points!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"I'm getting the shivers!" Futoshi yelled.

"He can win! Even if the opponent has the ability of all 3 Summoning methods, as long as Yuya uses Pendulum Summoning, he can protect You Show Duel School!" Yuzu said.

Yuya jumped off Absolute, and took off his goggles.

"Everyone, I hope you enjoyed the attack of the Odd Eyes', Fire Mufferlion can't attack this turn because of its own effect. At this moment, Fire Mufferlion's effect ends and Odd Eyes' attack returns to normal." Yuya explained as he took a bow.

 **Odd Eyes: 2700-2500 Atk**

Yuya walked up to Odd Eyes and put his hand on Odd Eyes' leg. _"You did good, Odd Eyes."_

Yuya gasped. He swore he had just heard someone compliment Odd Eyes with him. He looked around, and saw no one except for the people watching, and Reiji who was behind the dust standing there with his 3 DDD's back on the OH MY GOD WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE! Those were Yuya's thoughts at that moment. Yuya focused back on the Duel, he should worry about the voice later, besides, he could have been hearing things.

"No way…" Yuzu whispered.

"But he just destroyed all of them…" Tatsuya whispered.

"Geez… he just got his Monsters back! How?" O'Brien asked the question everyone was thinking.

"I used Caesar's effect." Reiji revealed, shocking Yuya. "By using an overlay unit, Caesar can Special Summon any number of Monsters destroyed by battle this turn at the end of the Battle Phase. However, now, on my next turn, if I control Monsters that were Special Summoned by this effect, I'll take 1000 points of damage for each monster." Reiji explained.

"He revived 3 monsters." Tatsuya noted.

"He only has 2400 life, so with 3000 damage he beat himsel-" Futoshi was interrupted by Sora.

"I already told you, that won't be happening! There's no way he would lose like that." Sora told them as they gave him a confused look.

"Trap Card, activate! DDD Human Resources! This card returns 3 DDD Monsters on my Field into the Deck, then, it adds 2 DD Monsters from my Deck to my Hand." Reiji added 2 certain Cards, however, no one could see what they were.

"Look at that!" Sora exclaimed.

"He doesn't have any Monsters on the Field, so he is safe from that damage." Shark noted.

"See, I told you." Sora said.

"All he did was take back his Monsters…" Futoshi responded to Sora.

"What's so great about this ability?" Ayu asked.

"He managed to get 2 more Cards in his Hand though…" Tatsuya pointed out.

"Whatever they are, they might be able to put the Duel in his favor." O'Brien told the group.

"Those 2 Cards…" Sora whispered as he narrowed his gaze at Reiji.

"Keep it up, Yuya! Just make it through with a smile on your face using your Entertainment Dueling!" Yuzu yelled out to Yuya.

"Hmm…" Gongenzaka grumbled. He had both a weird and bad feeling about this.

"I set one Card and end my turn." Yuya concluded as a set Card materialized in front of him. "You are really amazing! Everything you do surpasses my imagination!"

"Yeah, except Yuya is too dumb to have an imagination in the first place." Shark muttered, only to get smacked by Yuzu's fan.

"OW! Why did you hit me?!" Shark yelled.

"That's really mean! Don't ever call my-I mean, don't call Yuya that!" Yuzu yelled in anger, stuttering in the middle of her sentence after almost saying something suspicious, something that Shark noticed.

 _Hah! She has feelings for him! Just like Yuto and Ruri, except Yuto and Ruri already know each other's love for each other and are already a couple. Those 2 aren't. Well, at some point I'm gonna have to fix that!_ Shark thought as a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"I'm looking forward to whatever surprises you have in store!" Yuya exclaimed. "Hah, just kidding."

"Likewise, you have done very well. You have allowed me to see for myself the nature of Pendulum Summoning… now it's your turn." Reiji told Yuya as he adjusted his glasses.

"Huh?" Yuya questioned, confused by what he meant.

"I'll have you confirm whether or not Pendulum Summoning is still unique to you with your own eyes! My turn, draw! I activate DD Draw! I can draw Cards equal to the highest amount of DD monsters I had on the Field during the turn before this Card is played. I had 3 Monsters on your turn, so, I can draw 3 Cards! Now, I, using the Scale 1 DD Savant Galilei, and the Scale 10 DD Savant Kepler..." Reiji started as he held out to familiar Cards out to everyone while they looked on in shock.

"What?!" Yuya yelled in shock, no one else has used their own Pendulum Cards before, the only person who was close was Sawatari and he stole them from Yuya.

"...set the Pendulum Scale!" Reiji finished as he swiped the cards onto each side of the duel disk, as the word PENDULUM came across his Duel Disk.

"With this I can now summon multiple Monsters from level 2 to 9." Reji explained.

"Incredible…" Shark whispered, this was the power of the Professor's son? He shouldn't take this guy lightly, nor should he engage, that would be a very risky move.

"Grand power which shakes my very soul! Arise within me and give birth to a new light that tends the darkness! Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my Monsters!" Reiji yelled as a big purple beam of light came out of a portal.

"The 3 transcendental deities who rule over all of the kings… DDD CEO Hell Armageddon!" Reiji yelled.

 **Hell Armageddon(s): Level 8, 3000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Next is DD Shadow Slime!" Reiji announced as a black slimy creature with yellow eyes appeared to the field.

 **DD Shadow Slime: Level 2, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"3 Monsters with 3000 Attack!" Sora examined the Field in surprise.

"I need to tell Shun and Yuto about this." Shark told O'Brien as he turned around to leave.

"Wait!" O'Brien yelled, making Shark stop.

"What?" Shark asked.

"Stay. Watch the rest of this Duel. We can't ditch them like this, it will raise some suspicion." O'Brien told Shark.

"I don't care, this is huge!" Shark responded as he began running, however, he stopped when he felt O'Brien grab his hand, Shark looked at O'Brien and he gave him a look that said, 'stay here or else.' Shark paused for a bit before sighing in defeat.

"Fine." Shark grumbled as he looked back at the Duel.

"Why… how come he can Pendulum Summon!?" Yuya panicked.

"I activate Shadow Slime's effect, once per turn, until the End Phase of your turn, this Card's name becomes another Monster's name on the Field and it gains that Monster's level, effect, Attack, and Defense. I choose Hell Armageddon." Reiji explained as Shadow Slime took the form of Hell Armageddon except it was black in color.

 **Shadow Slime-Hell Armageddon: Level 2-8, 0-3000 Atk,** **0-1000 Def**

"4 monsters with 3000 Attack points!" Yuya exclaimed with shock, his hand trembling.

"Damn…" Shark whispered. He was really this strong, Shark didn't even think he and someone else on a team could be this guy if he were alone.

"Now I activate the Continuous Magic Dark Contract with the Forbidden Seal! Once per turn, I can send a Dark Contract Card from my Deck to my Graveyard in order to negate the effect of one Card on the Field until the end of the turn, I send another copy of Dark Contract with the Swamp King in order to negate your Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon's effect." Reiji exclaimed as Odd Eyes Absolute slumped down from losing his effect

"Absolute!" Yuya yelled in concern.

"Battle! Hell Armageddon, attack Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Reiji declared as one Armageddon flew to Odd Eyes slowly and powered up its cannon.

"Yuya! Hurry!" Yuzu yelled as she hit the glass wall. Yuya just realized that he was in danger and made a move for an Action Card near him.

"Action Magic, Miracle! The Monster's destruction is negated, and the battle damage is halved." Yuya explained.

 **Yuya: 3300-3050 LP**

"Miracles only happen once. Continue, Hell Armageddon!" Reiji yelled as another Armageddon shot Yuya's Odd Eyes, this time, destroying it.

 **Yuya: 3950-2550 LP**

"Odd Eyes was…" Futoshi panicked.

"However, even if they are destroyed, Pendulum Monsters don't go to the graveyard…" Tatsuya said.

"I see, so when they are destroyed they are sent to the Extra Deck. Then that one will too. Go! Hell Armageddon, attack Fire Mufferlion!" Reiji yelled as Armageddon shot Firemufferlion, destroying it.

"Kgh." Yuya grunted."

 **Yuya: 2550-350 LP**

"Now! Shadow Hell Armageddon, attack Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Reiji yelled as Armageddon started to shoot Absolute, however, Absolute jumped out of the way, Armageddon kept turning and shooting Absolute, who kept dodging, they kept doing this, while Yuya grabbed an Action Card.

"Action Magic, Evasion! The attack is negated!" Yuya yelled as Absolute jumped so high he jumped over Armageddon, who stopped shooting.

"Why… why do you have Pendulum Summoning? Answer me!" Yuya demanded, Reiji ignored him and continued.

"I set one card and end my turn." Reiji concluded.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-In an Alleyway**

Shun and Marco were standing face to face, Shun had 4000 Life while Marco also had 600 Life, Shun only had Rise Falcon and a set Card on the Field while Marco had nothing, until now.

"Fusion Summon! Show yourself, level 7, The Last Warrior from Another Planet!" Marco yelled as his Monster appeared.

 **Last Warrior:** **Level 7,** **2350 Atk, 2300 Def**

"Normally, this Monsterr would destroy all other Monsters on my Field, but I don't have any other than Last Warrior." Marco told Shun, who had a blank expression on his face under his shades and mask. "Although, no one can Normal Summon, Flip Summon, or Flip Summon any Monster."

"Continuous Trap, Raid Raptors-Lock Chain! Once per turn, if a Monsters(s) with an Attack which is higher than the combined Attack of all Raid Raptors Monsters on my Field is Special Summoned, I can change the Battle Position of that monster." Shun explained as Last Warrior got into a defensive stance.

"No… I end my turn." Marco concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate Rise Falcon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, Rise Falcon can gain the Attack of all other Special Summoned Monsters on the Field." Shun told Marco.

 **Rise Falcon: 100-2450 Atk**

"I won't take any damage though." Marco told Shun.

"I know, but I'm not attacking. I activate the Magic Card Raid Raptors-Burn! I destroy Rise Falcon, and deal half of its current attack points to you as damage!" Shun yelled as Rise Falcon disappeared in a flame and Marco was hit by a fireball, yelling in pain as he fell to the ground, his Duel Disk fell off and smashed onto the ground, Marco's Deck scattered, the Duel Disk was heavily damaged from the impact. Unknown to Shun, 3 cards, Fusion Substitute, Last Warrior, and Instant Fusion were on the Duel Diskk.

 **Marco: 600-0 LP**

Shun walked up to him and Marco gave him a frightened look.

"Please, stop. What are you going to do to me? Stop, please!" Marco yelled but what was caught off when his body was covered by a purple light, a card fell to the floor, Shun picked it up and Marco's face appeared. Shun picked up Marco's scattered deck and walked away.

* * *

 **Observatory-LDS**

"We've lost signal of Professor Marco!" A woman suddenly yelled, surprising a lot of people.

"What?! Oh god... how?" A man asked.

"Unknown. However, before his disappearance, a very powerful Xyz Summon was detected." The Woman replied.

"I should tell Nakajima, he should be near Chairwoman Akaba." The man told himself as he left the room.

 **Back at the Duel-You Show Duel School**

"Splendid, Reiji-san." Himeka clapped. "If you have mastered Pendulum to this extent, then this measly Duel School…"

 _If we don't need them, we might as well crush them! Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz all belong to LDS._ Himeka thought to herself as she smiled.

"Just how much power does this Akaba Reiji possess, to be able to Pendulum Summon? Huh?" Shuzo looked at the screen and sw Yuya panicking.

"Who… who is this guy?" Yuya asked himself. He still couldn't believe that something that he invented, someone was using already. There were already more Pendulum Cards than the one Yuya himself had.

"Yuya! The match isn't over yet! Keep burning and burning and burning! Be hot-blooded!" Shuzo yelled in encouragement as he grabbed the screen.

"That's right! I'm still in a Duel! Calm down… calm down. Instead of worrying about the fact that he can use Pendulum, you have to win this Duel! Pendulum…his Monsters…Pendulum was something only given to me-stop it! Don't think about that! If I don't win, then… My turn!" Yuya announced as he put his hand on the top of his Deck

 _My Hand is at zero, this draw, will decide everything!_ Yuya thought as he remembered what was on the lie during the Duel

"Draw! It's here! With the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monsters! Return to us once more! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, in Defense! Entermate Fire Mufferlion! Finally, Entermate Turn Toad, in Defense!" Yuya yelled.

 **Fire Mufferlion: Level 3, 800 Atk, 800 Def**

 **Turn Toad: Level 2, 0 Atk, 800 Def**

"Battle! At this moment, I use Turn Toad's effect, I switch Odd Eyes into Attack Position, also, it gains attack equal to half its Defense!" Yuya exclaimed.

 **Odd Eyes: 2500-3500 Atk**

"3500 Attack!" Ayu exclaimed.

"With this, and the effect of Odd Eyes, he can cripple him down!" Tatsuya realized.

"Nice job, Yuya!" Gongenzaka yelled.

"Get him!" Yuzu yelled.

"Shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed as he shook his butt again.

 _If I attack with Odd Eyes, his double damage effect will kick in, getting him down on life points. Then,_ _I'll use Fire Mufferlion's effect, giving Odd Eyes 200 more Attack and another chance decrease his life points. Furthermore, I can use my Trap Card, One-Two Jump, in order to give Odd Eyes an extra attack, also, if he survives till next turn somehow, I can negate his attack with Absolute, then, I'll just have to go from there. But then again, if I can at least to 1600 points of damage, his contract should finish him off if it has the same 1000 damage consolation._ Yuya thought to himself as he strategized.

"Battle, Odd Eyes, attack Hell Armageddon! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya yelled as Odd Eyes sot Armageddon with it's spiral fire, however.

"Shadow Slime's effect activates, if the Monster that it copied battles, then I can negate the effect of one Card on your Field, I choose Odd Eyes!" Reiji explained as Armageddon was destroyed.

 **Reiji: 2400-1900 LP**

"When destroyed, Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck." Reiji said.

"This is the end, with Fire Mufferlion's effect I-" Yuya was interrupted by Reiji.

"Hell Armageddon's effect activates! When a Monster I control leaves the Field, Hell Armageddon gains that Monster's Attack until the end of the turn. The destroyed Armageddon's Attack was 3000, so the remaining 3 gain 3000 Attack." Reiji explained.

 **Armageddons: 3000-6000 Atk**

"6000 Attack!" Shark, O'Brien and Yuya yelled out in shock as they widened their eyes.

"How do you beat that?" Futoshi asked with a worried look.

"I...I...I… end my turn." Yuya said.

 **Armageddon-Shadow Slime: Level 8-2, 6000-0 Atk, 1000-0 Def**

 **Armageddons: 6000-3000 Atk**

"My turn, draw!" Reiji yelled. However, Reiji's Scale starting sparking with electricity, the Scale changed from 1-10 to 2-5, then, Reiji's Armageddon's and Shadow Slime were destroyed.

"What?!" Reiji yelled.

"Alright! Yuya-oniichan has a chance!" Ayu jumped up and down.

"But why did his monsters get destroyed?" O'Brien asked.

"It might have something to do with the Pendulum Scale changing!" Sora suggested. Although he had to admit, he was interested in what was going on also.

"He can only Pendulum Summon Monsters with 3 to 4, this is a chance!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Only 3 to 4… he only has one card in his Hand, so it's unlikely that he can Pendulum Summon more than 1 Monster. Odd Eyes Absolute can negate an attack, and I have 350 life points." Yuya said to himself. Suddenly, Reiji cried out in pain as his life was hit.

"Oh yeah! The Dark Contract!" Tatsuya remembered. However…

"This Contract halves my life, not decreases it by 1000." Reiji explained for why his life points decreased differently.

 **Reiji: 1900-950 LP**

 _Anyways, in the end they were just prototypes, they were still unstable, but this situation._ Reiji thought to himself as he looked at his set card. Reiji started laughing.

"Why didn't I notice until now?! Pendulum Summoning is not yet complete." Reiji said as he covered his face with his hand.

"What?!" Yuya gasped.

"I have seen the possibilities of further evolution in Pendulum Summoning! And I'll have you bear witness to it at this moment!" Reiji declared.

 _What is he talking about?_ Yuya thought in confusion.

"What did you say?!" Himeka suddenly exclaimed. Yuya and Reiji looked to where Yaiba, Himeka, Masumi, and Hokuto were, and saw that Nakajima was whispering something something into Himeka's ear, she gained a fearful expression on her face. Then…

"Professor Marco was-!?" Masumi yelled.

"Reiji-san!" Himeka called.

"What's wrong Nakajima?" Reiji asked as Nakajima appeared on Reiji's glasses, who quietly told him the news, when Nakajima was finished, Reiji narrowed his eyes, he jumped off the platform he was on, and onto the floor. He walked past Yuya, who was confused.

"Wha-wait!" Yuya yelled.

"I'll give you the win." Reiji told Yuya. Yuya jumped off Odd Eyes and went to the edge of his platform.

"H-hold on! What's your name?" Yuya asked, Reiji stopped walking. Reiji glanced at Yuya slightly.

"Akaba Reiji." Reiji told Yuya, before continuing to walk away.

"Akaba… Reiji…" Yuya whispered the name again, making sure he remembered it.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **DDD Draw Magic: You can draw cards up to the highest number of DDD Monsters you had on the Field the turn before this Card was played. You can only activate DDD Draw once per turn.**

 **DD Shadow Slime Dark/Fiend: Once per turn, until the end of your opponent's turn, you can choose one Monster on the Field, this Card's name, effect, Attack, Defense, and level become the same as the targeted Monster. When the chosen Monster battles, you can negate the effect of one Card on the Field until the end of the battle Phase.**

 **Dark Contract with the Forbidden Seal Continuous Magic: Once per turn, you can send a Dark Contract to the Grave, negate the effect of one Card on the Field until the end of the turn. On your Standby Phase, halve your life points.**

 **Raid Raptors-Burn Magic: Destroy one Raid Raptors Monster you control, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of the Attack points of the destroyed Monster.**

* * *

 **Finished! Alright, so I said I would change the Duel a bit, but I didn't want to change the Duel completely. To be honest, the Duel in the anime was already good, so there wasn't really a need to change much.**

 **No chapter preview, sorry. Lol, I have not been doing these.**

 **Zyderthebass002: Sorry, not going to do the previous protagonists. As for your second thing, I don't know the answer to that yet.**

 **Venomous Blade: Find out next time, on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z! Too soon? Yeah, I think it was. Also, I put episode even though it's a chapter. Anyways, as for what Shark is going to do, I'll give you a hint, he won't do what Shun would do in this position.**

 **Fanime1: What do you mean by 75th thousand mark? I was confused by that lol. Hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **That's all for now guys. See you guys in the next chapter, take care, goodbye!**


	22. Aftermath of Yuya vs Reiji

They had left. Just as quickly as they had came (not really.) The You Show crew were both happy and confused. They had won, they had protected the duel school, but the challenger named Akaba Reiji had just left, giving Yuya the win. The circus had disappeared and Yuya was back in the duel arena. He opened the door and stepped out of the arena, with a depressed look on his face, the sun was setting, and Yuya had his goggles over his eyes.

"That was pretty awesome wasn't it?" Sora asked.

"To think… that he could use Pendulum…" Gongenzaka said, still trying to take in what he saw.

"Yuya!" Yuzu exclaimed in concern as she and the others ran towards him, he dropped to his knees.

"How could he know how to use Pendulum? Pendulum Summoning is...unique to me." Yuya said to himself. Then, Shuzo walked in scratching his head with a small smile on his face.

"Man… anyways, good for us!" Shuzo told the group.

"Good for us?!" Yuzu repeated in a confused and surprised manner.

"Yeah. The LDS left. Also, we managed to protect our school thanks to everyone's efforts." Shuzo told the group. However, Sora had different thoughts about it.

"Well, even if you say "everyone," in reality, the only one who actually won was O'Brien, Yuzu lost, Gongenzaka ended it in a draw, and we don't even know if Yuya would have won his match…" Sora pointed out. This made Yuzu look down in shame, Gongenzaka closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, Yuya just stayed depressed, Shark and O'Brien gave Sora weird looks, while the 3 kids got mad.

"How can you complain, you didn't even fight!" Tatsuya yelled.

"Yeah, you weakling!" Ayu insulted Sora, who just had a stale look on his face.

"You Show Duel School doesn't want a person like you on board!" Futoshi told Sora. He didn't stand for Sora saying that Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka did bad, even though they tried their hardest. Shark didn't matter because he won, so he wasn't included in the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Sora said nonchalantly as he walked away.

"Hey, where are you going Sora? Also, you 3 can't go saying stuff like that, it's rude!" Shuzo scolded.

"Whatever!" Futoshi yelled.

"We don't need weaklings like HIM anyway!" Ayu shouted.

"IF the LDS tries to attack again, I'll protect us next time!" Tatsuya offered to Yuya, who was still looking down at the ground with a depressed look on his face.

"Me too!" Futoshi joined.

"Me three!" Ayu added.

"So please, Yuya-oniichan, train us again, with your Pendulum Summoning!" Tatsuya pleaded.

"Pendulum Summoning isn't just mine!" Yuya snapped as he got off the his knees and ra past Tatsuya, planning to run out of the Duel School, however, he didn't get far because Shuzo grabbed his wrist firmly.

"Where do you think you are going? Reality will never change even if you look at it. You have to face it like a man! As you said, Pendulum Summoning isn't unique to you anymore." Shuzo told Yuya, who gasped.

Meanwhile, at LDS

"President! Good work as always." Nakajima congratulated as all workers in the room turned to face Reiji and put their hands to their side and looked at him respectively.

"Yeah." Reiji responded as he, Himeka, and Nakajima entered the observatory. "Report to me the details of the Marco assault incident."

"Yes sir." A man replied as he scrolled through districts of Miami City. "The incident took place in Miami's City District NLD-038. The incident took place at 17:54. (Or 5:54 P.M.) We detected a very strong summoning reactions."

"What was the Summoning method?" Himeka asked with interest.

"Xyz… it was an Xyz Summon. This one was just as strong as the one from the Sawatari incident." The man told Himeka.

"However, at the time of this incident, Sakaki Yuya was with us. However, he did perform an Xyz Summon." Himeka remembered as she thought back to when Yuya summoned Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon.

"Hmm… was there a detection of an Xyz Summon a couple of minutes ago, excluding the one from the Marco incident?" Reiji asked the man, because chances are Yuya's signal could be weaker.

"We did get one. However, it was strong, but not compared to the Xyz Summon signals during the Sawatari and Marco incidents." The man told Reiji.

"Then now it should be clear that Sakaki Yuya is not the culprit here. Nakajima. Where is Marco now?" Reiji asked as he looked at Nakajima.

"Right away." Nakajima replied as he looked at the page on his screen. "His whereabouts are still unknown. Just… Section Chief, bring the items."

"Yes sir." A man in a blue jacket replied as he walked up to the group with a bag in hand, inside it, there were 3 cards and a broken duel disk. Two of the cards were Magic, Instant Fusion and Fusion Recovery (I said this card was Fusion Substitute last chapter, I meant Fusion Recovery,) and Last Warrior from Another Planet.

"This was all they found. His team got to the scene faster than anyone." The man told Reiji.

"They're significantly damaged, but there's no mistaking that they belong to Marco." Sector Chief told them. He had seen Professor Marco wear and use this duel disk before, and he had seen Marco use Last Warrior from Another Planet before.

"Use all of the LDS' resources in order to locate Marco. Don't stop until you find him." Reiji told them.

"Yes, sir!" Sector Chief replied before walking away.

 _Just what is going on here?_ Reiji thought to himself. He had an idea of what it was, but he wasn't too sure on if he was right or not.

"Actually, President, there is something else I should tell you." Nakajima told Reiji.

"What?" Reiji asked.

"Today, before the Marco incident, and before the Chairwoman left for You Show Duel School, a strong Xyz Summon has been found." Nakajima told Reiji. "Also, when the Chairwoman was at You Show, a strong Fusion Summon signal picked up. They were around the same strength as each other and about the same strength as the Xyz Summon signals during the incidents."

"Interesting. That will be now Nakajima." Reiji told him. Nakajima bowed towards Reiji and walked away.

 _Come to think of it, in the duel between O'Brien and Hokuto, O'Brien Fusion Summoned, could he be the strong Fusion signal?_ Reiji wondered to himself.

Meanwhile

"If he's okay, why won't they let us see him?" Masumi asked Yaiba and Hokuto. "Professor Marco would surely be happy if he saw me!"

"I bet he's all wrapped up in mummy bandages just Sawatari and doesn't want anyone except the people who are taking care of him to see him in that state." Hokuto guessed, however, this angered Masumi.

"Don't liken me to that piece of trash!" Masumi yelled at Hokuto who had a drop of sweat roll down his face.

"However, there was no Action Field, and for him to get hurt…" Yaiba said as Masumi started running. "Ah… hey! Where are you going?"

"To find out what happened, obviously!" Masumi told them as she continued running.

Back at You Show Duel School

"Pendulum cards were a power that were uniquely granted to you. Despite that, more people who use them have shown up. That's a shock to you, isn't it? I don't know how in the world Akaba Reiji got his hands on Pendulum Cards. My guess is that his company developed them in the first place." Shuzo revealed, shocking everyone except Shark, and O'Brien, as they had already known this beforehand.

"Company?" Yuzu asked with interest.

"Yes. Akaba Reiji is the CEO of LEo Corporation. For his company which boasts worldwide number one share in duel systems, decrypting the secrets of Pendulum Cards could be child's play to him. If that is true, then one day, the world will be overflowing with Pendulum cards." Shuzo told Yuya and the rest. Yuya gasped in shock. Shuzo threw his hand off of Yuya's wrist.

"Yuya! Duel me, right this instant! I'll beat that pessimistic personality that you have still been clinging onto into shape with my hot-blooded guidance!" Shuzo challenged.

"Wait, what are you saying, Dad?" Yuzu asked. Shuzo walked up to Yuya and put his goggles up on his head.

"That's why you couldn't beat Akaba Reiji! Now, duel me!" Shuzo challenged.

"Yuya won at first, didn't he? I'm the one who lost Dad! If you're going to get mad at someone, don't get mad at Yuya, get mad at me!" Yuzu yelled. She had still felt guilty for letting her mind be clouded by Yuto, which caused her to lose the duel.

"No need for interference. The principal is challenging Yuya to a serious duel. You can tell just by the look in his eyes." Gongenzaka told Yuzu, now that Yuzu looked at her Dad, she saw something in him that doesn't come out often, Yuzu ran out of the group's way and pulled out her duel disk and dialed in a number.

"We're leaving." Shark suddenly said.

"What? Why?" Shuzo asked.

"We have some things to take care of, besides, I know you can beat some sense into Yuya." Shark told Shuzo with a small smile.

"Goodbye." O'Brien said as he and Shark left You Show Duel School, ready to go back to their hideout.

Later, with Shark and O'Brien, back at the hideout

Shark and O'Brien walked in to see Yuto sitting on the ground without his bandana covering his mouth, he was arranging his deck, taking some things and out and putting some things in.

"We're back." Shark told Yuto.

"Where's Shun?" O'Brien asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question. Because he was gone when I came back. You don't think he went on to attack people from LDS?" Yuto asked. He had noticed Shun had wanted to get along with the plan as fast as possible.

"Maybe." Shark said.

"So, anything interesting happen at the Duel School?" Yuto asked them. He had been interested if they had met that girl who looked like Ruri (Yuzu) and this Yuya person that the girl had mistook him for.

"Yeah. We met someone who looks very similar to you and Ruri. Their names are Yuya and Yuzu." O'Brien told Yuto.

"The boy Yuya… his last name… is Sakaki." Shark revealed.

"What?! That's the last name of Sakaki Yusho, the same one who mysteriously appeared in Heartland!" Yuto yelled in shock.

"Get this, from what I've heard him say, he has created a Summoning method that only he has, called Pendulum." O'Brien added.

"Pendulum? I thought there was only 3 Summoning Methods. I mean, there is Ritual, but I'm not counting that." Yuto said.

"Well, we were wrong." O'Brien responded.

"Also, LDS came to the Duel School, and they accused Yuya of assaulting an LDS student named Sawatari. Also, they say the person was an Xyz user who looked just like Yuya, ring a bell?" Shark asked suspiciously. "They also said that Yuzu was there, so you met Yuzu before any of us, and you never said anything about it!"

Yuto gasped. They found out just like that? Well., there was no hiding anymore, as long as Shun doesn't find out.

"Yes. I dueled Sawatari, but I never meant to hurt him." Yuto told them.

"Yeah, but they say that Sawatari was hospitalized." O'Brien told Yuto, shocking him.

"What?! I saw him, he didn't have any injuries whatsoever. Also, don't tell Shun this but, yes, I did see a girl that looked very similar to Ruri." Yuto was about to continue but was interrupted by a voice.

"What?!" The voice yelled, Shark, O'Brien, and Yuto looked in the direction of the voice and gasped, Shun was standing there.

"Where were you?" Yuto asked immediately.

"Oh, I shouldn't be the one giving answers Yuto! You're telling us that you saw a Ruri lookalike and didn't even bother telling us?" Shun asked.

"If I told you, you would go on a reckless rampage, and if I told those two, they might tell you." Yuto told Shun.

"Shun, where were you?" O'Brien asked calmly, he decided to approach this safely.

"I faced an LDS teacher, I dueled him, beat him, and carded him." Shun told the three.

"What?!" Yuto shouted in shock. "I thought I told you to not card anyone!"

"No. Last time I checked, you said don't card the students, you never said about anyone else at LDS, that guy was a teacher." Shun told Yuto.

"Shun, you're acting too recklessly! You need to calm down!" Yuto shouted.

"How am I supposed to calm down Yuto! We were just innocent people living our normal lives, and then out of the blue, some Academia bastards decide to attack us! Then, we find that a lot of people are losing their lives. Then, my sister gets kidnapped, who knows what Academia could be doing to her! All of our friends and families are in danger, some are already gone, like your Dad, and Allen's parents!" Shun shouted. He still had some anger bottled up inside him like a load of TNT.

"Shun, I understand your pain, we all do, but at least calm it down a few notches, if you act too recklessly, someone innocent might get hurt because of it, and I don't mean by getting carded. Shun, the 4 of us can deal real damage through dueling, we could kill someone if our rage is strong enough. What if, we were trying to free Ruri, and you acted so reckless that you accidentally killed her, what would you do?" Yuto asked Shun, who froze in his place, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed that Yuto was right, but still, there was another side of him that had a hatred so strong that he had the feeling to defeat all Academia students.

"How about this, I'll do it my way, and you do it your way." Shun told them harshly as he walked past them, ready to get some rest.

At Academia

Ryo was sitting in his room, he had been preparing for this moment. The moment where he would get revenge. Revenge in the Professor. Ryo had now realized just how sick this world is, the soldiers go to Heartland and card people, hardly showing any respect in dueling either. Well then, if that was how it was going to be played, then Ryo was going to have to go to hell, and he doesn't know if he's coming back. Ryo opened the drawer next to his bed, inside was a deck and a deck box, Ryo picked up the deck and looked at the top card.

 _Cyber End, will you join me in this conquest? Or will I have to give into the desires of that deck._ Ryo thought to himself as he eyed the deck box in the drawer, knowing what hellish powers laid inside.

 **Alright guys, finished! I decided to get this chapter out as fast as possible since this chapter doesn't have a duel. Sorry for it being so short.**

 **Anyways, this time, we will have a short chapter preview, better than nothing.**

 **Ryo has finally decided to commence his plan, escape Duel Academia. He manages to sneak onto the boat that new students arrive to Academia on. When back on land, away from Academia, the Juvenile Officers find him and challenge him to a duel for his life (by that I mean if he loses he gets carded.) The 3 officers seem to have the upper hand, but Ryo pulls through with all his strength, when more Officers come however, someone interferes.**

 **So yeah, I decided that Ryo should get to move along now.**

 **Remember to leave a review with a suggestion, for example, should Ryo have a heart problems like he did in Gx, or should he not have one?**

 **Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed this short chapter, take care, goodbye.**


	23. Departure from Academia

It was the time. The time that Ryo had been thinking of having for so long but denied, under the thought that Academia might change their ways. But they didn't. So, now it is the time to escape. He already knew when to leave, their was a boat with new students that came in the morning. The boat didn't go back till night. It was night now, and the boat was about to leave, so Ryo thought that it was the perfect time to escape.

Ryo was hidden behind a crate near the docks, where the boat was. He saw a person dressed like a pirate wearing an evil grin as he boarded the ship. The crew call him Captain Solo, if he found anyone on his ship, he would do one of two things, make them walk the plank, and card them when they are about to jump, or two, duel them, beat them, make them walk the plank, then card them. So either way, it isn't good. However, this was the only way Ryo could get off the island, he didn't know where a boat was, if he started building a boat, people might get suspicious of him, and Ryo certainly can't swim back.

Ryo saw one of the crew members go near his crate, and Ryo got an idea, Ryo with great speed strangled the crew member and gagged him so he wouldn't yell. Ryo pulled the guy back into the shadows and chopped the member, rendering him unconscious.

"My god, I am never going to live this down." Ryo told himself as he stripped the man out of his clothes, leaving him in only underwear.

Ryo came out of the shadows in the unconscious man's clothes. He walked towards the boat, he knew Captain Solo was an idiot, so he wouldn't be able to tell if Ryo was his crew member or not. He stepped on to the boat, there wasn't many people on. Ryo had expected this, as it was night and the only reason for the boat ride to Academia was to drop off new students, now they were going back to the harbor, where Ryo will escape.

* * *

 **Later-At the Docks**

Ryo had made sure to stay out of sight, and was relieved when he saw the boat stop moving, with the crew at their destination. Ryo made a hurry to the edge of the boat and jumped off, no one saw him, as Captain Solo was in his quarters and the rest of the crew was sleeping. The person who drove the boat already left.

Ryo jumped off and ran away.

* * *

 **Later**

Ryo came up to a hill, however, he was greeted by a bright light. Ryo grunted as he squinted at the people shining the light. Unfortunately, it was the Juvenile Officers.

 _Damn!_ Ryo cursed in his thoughts.

"You there, why are you away from your crew?" One Juvenile Officer asked.

"Captain Solo sent me off to get something for him." Ryo told them.

"Nice try. That's what the last scrub said." Another Juvenile Officer told Ryo.

"Before we beat them and Carded them." The first Juvenile Officer added.

Ryo gritted his teeth as he looked at the Officers in anger. He threw off the clothes and revealed an Obelisk Blue uniform. (Let's just have it be the one he wore in Gx in Season 1.)

"An Academia runaway!" A third Juvenile Officer yelled in shock.

"Wait. That face…I know that face from somewhere." Juvenile Officer 2 said, lost in his thoughts.

"Well, looks like I'm going to have to duel my way out." Ryo said as he activated his duel disk and glared at the 3 Juvenile Officers, who also activated theirs, however, Juvenile Officer 2, was distracted compared to the other 2.

"DUEL!" All 4 duelists shouted.

 _I swear, if they all do the same thing._ Ryo thought to himself. _That will be both annoying and easy._

"You go first." Juvenile Officer 2 offered.

"Looks like I have no choice. But with this hand, I don't have many options. I Summon Proto-Cyber Dragon." Ryo said as a Monster resembling Cyber Dragon appeared.

 **Proto: Level 3, 1100 Atk, 600 Def**

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Ryo concluded.

"That's it! Hah, this won't be a challenge! My turn, draw! I Summon Armor Canine-Cannonboxer!" Juvenile Officer 1 yelled.

 **Cannonboxer: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 700 Def (I made up the defense)**

"I use Cannonboxer's effect, during my Main Phase, I can Special Summon 1 Armor Canine Monster from my Hand whose level is lower than this Card's. Come forth, Armor Canine-Bullcopter!" Juvenile 1 explained.

 **Bullcopter: Level 2, 600 Atk, 0 Def**

"When Bullcopter is Special Summoned I can add Fusion to my Hand. But wait, there's more! Cannonboxer's effect isn't once per turn, I can use as many times as I want, as long as I have an Armor Canine Monster to Special Summon, so I use his effect twice in order to Special Summon 2 more Bullcopters! Then, I use their effect in order to add 2 copies of Fusion from my Deck to my Hand." Juvenile 1 explained. "Now, I activate Fusion, I fuse Bullcopter and Cannonboxer! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Level 6, Full Armor Canine-Bullfortress!"

 **Bullfortress: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I use his effect, I can send any number of Fusion Cards from my Hand to the Grave, then, this Card gains 1000 Attack. for each Card sent. I send 2 copies, so, Bullfortress gains 2000 Attack points." Juvenile Officer 1 explained.

 **Bullfortress: 2000-4000 Atk**

"Hmph." Ryo smirked to himself. This was the same strategy they always used. He wondered if they will even use different strategies.

"I end my turn." Juvenile Officer 1 concluded.

"On the end of your turn, I activate Cyber Network, once per turn, if Cyber Dragon is on the Field, I can banish a light-machine type monster from my Deck." Ryo explained.

"Cyber Dragon…" Juvenile Officer 2 whispered.

"But you don't have Cyber Dragon on the Field." Juvenile Officer 3 told Ryo.

"Wrong. Proto-Cyber Dragon's name becomes Cyber Dragon while on the Field, I banish a Cyber Dragon from my Deck." Ryo told them.

"Grr… my turn, draw!" Juvenile Officer 2 yelled.

(I'm going to skip to right before Juvenile Officer 3 battles, because Juvenile Officer 2's turn is exactly the same as 1 Ryo also banished Cyber Dragon with Cyber Network on Officer 2's turn, and the beginning of 3 is the same as the other 2, sorry guys.)

"Now, battle! Go, Bullfortress, destroy Proto-Cyber Dragon!" Juvenile Officer 3 yelled as bullets started heading towards Proto.

"First, I activate the effect of Cyber Network, I banish my 3rd Cyber Dragon!" Ryo explained, the bullets connected, Ryo grunted as he took damage.

 **Ryo: 4000-1100 LP**

"I activate my trap, Cyber Life, since a Machine monster was destroyed, I gain life points equal to its attack points. I gain 1100." Ryo explained.

 **Ryo: 1100-2200 LP**

"Grr... I activate the Magic Card Fusion Bullet, this allows me to deal damage to you equal to half of the current Attack points of a level 7 or lower Fusion Monster on the Field, Bullfortress has 4000 Attack, so you take 2000 points of damage!" Officer 3 yelled as Ryo was hit by a bullet, he winced as he took damage.

 **Ryo: 2200-200 LP**

"I end my turn." Juvenile Officer 3 concluded.

"So this is the great Kaiser Ryooo...oh my god... its Kaiser Ryo! That's why I recognized him, he is one of, if not the best student at Academia! We're about to beat him, and turn him into a Card! Which is good, he didn't seem like a person who would join the Professor's noble cause." Juvenile Officer 2 said.

"Noble cause? So you think ruining innocent people's lives is a noble cause? Hah, bullshit! My turn, draw! It's sad really, you people never use different strategies. It's just cheap, easily predictable and definitely not unstoppable." Ryo told the Officers as he closed his eyes.

"Why you!" Juvenile Officer 3 yelled.

"What can you do? Even if you are Kaiser Ryo, there is no way you are getting through this." Juvenile Officer 1 told Ryo.

"I wonder about that. Cause if you know me, then you know that I don't quit! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon in order to destroy Cyber Network, which activates its effect, I Special Summon the banished monsters! Come forth, Cyber Dragons!" Ryo yelled.

 **Cyber Dragons: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 1600 Def**

"Now, this monster can be Fusion Summoned without the need of a Fusion Card. So, I fuse, one Cyber Dragon, with every single Monster that you have!" Ryo yelled.

"What?!" All 3 Officers yelled.

"You made a mistake by Fusion Summoning, if you didn't, then I couldn't Summon this Monster, but then again, I could probably still win this anyway. Now, it's time! Dragon with the power of evolution, obtain the true power of the Cyber Style, and evolve once more! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, level 10, Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon!" Ryo yelled as a gigantic machine appeared, roaring in its glory.

 **Megafleet: Level 10, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"He… used our monsters to Fusion Summon…" The Juvenile Officers whispered.

"This is the end, Megafleet gains 1200 Attack for each of its materials, there was 4, so he gains 4800 Attack!"Ryo yelled.

 **Megafleet: 0-4800 Atk**

"Now, from my hand, I activate Power Bond! I fuse the 2 Cyber Dragons on my field, Dragons of evolution, become one and evolve into a new machine with twice the power! Fusion Summon, show yourself, level 8, Cyber Twin Dragon!" Ryo chanted as a Cyber Dragon with two heads appeared.

 **Twin Dragon: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2100 Def**

"Due to Power Bond's effect, I would take damage equal to Twin Dragon's Attack at the End Phase, but that won't matter, because not only can Twin Dragon twice, but his Attack points are doubled because of Power Bond!" Ryo explained,

 **Twin Dragon: 2800-5600 Atk**

"No way!" Juvenile Officer 1 shouted in fear.

"Attack them, my dragons!" Ryo yelled as both dragons let out a blue stream from their mouth (or mouths in Twin Dragon's case) and blasted the Officers, they yelled in pain as they fell to the ground.

 **Officers: 4000-0 LP**

"Good riddance." Ryo said to himself as he began running, since that duel might have caused a lot of attention. Unfortunately, Ryo was right, cause when he came up the hill, there was 2 Juvenile Officers waiting for him.

"You want to duel?" Ryo questioned, surprised that there was only 2 instead of 3.

"For your life, yes." Juvenile 1 said.

"Time to die, Kaiser!" Juvenile 2 exclaimed as all 3 duelists were interrupted by…

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A man yelled out, next thing the 3 duelists know, a man comes flying by on a monster, it seemed to look like a magician. The man flew to the ground.

"Now, I would like you all to see a magic trick! First you see him, now you don't!"The man exclaimed as the magician disappeared, the man landed on the ground activating his duel disk.

"Stay back." The man told Ryo.

"Who are you?" Ryo asked.

"Who am I? I am Sakaki Yusho!" The man introduced himself with a smile as he faced the Officers.

"Look old man, our business is with him, so stay out of this or you'll get carded too!" Juvenile Officer 1 exclaimed.

"My business is in this. This person is danger, and I'm going to help him out." Yusho responded.

" **DUEL!** " The Duelists shouted in unison.

"My turn, I activate Fusion, I fuse 2 Armor Canine-Cannonboxers. Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Full Armor Canine-Bullfortress! Now, battle!" Juvenile Officer 1 declared, shocking Ryo. He couldn't do that, this guy was cheating. "Attack him directly!"

Yusho flinched as he was hit by bullets, but he kept a smile on his face.

 **Yusho: 4000-2000 LP**

"I set 1 Card and end my turn." Juvenile Officer 1 concluded.

"What are you doing?! That's cheating, you are more disappointing than the others!" Ryo yelled.

"He's in our way, we're just making this quick." Juvenile Officer 1 responded.

"My turn, draw! I also activate Fusion, I also Fusion Summon Bullfortress. Now, I attack you directly and end this duel!" Juvenile Officer 2 yelled as bullets flew towards Yusho, who simply smirked.

"The fun has just begun! If I don't control any cards, I can activate this card from my Hand, Entermate Show Stealer! I can redirect a Monster's attack to another Monster, and since this a Battle Royale, I will make both Bullfortress' destroy themselves!" Yusho exclaimed.

"What?!" Both Officers cried out as they saw a spotlight shine on Juvenile Officer 1's Bullfortress, who got shot by bullets, destroying it, however, the explosion destroyed the other Bullfortress.

"Then, I can Special Summon an Entermate Monster from my hand, I Special Summon Entermate Sky Magician!" Yusho yelled as he held up his hands. A joyful laugh was heard as Yusho's ace monster appeared. The same Monster that Yusho was seen riding earlier.

 **Sky Magician: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Grr… I end my turn." Juvenile Officer 2 concluded.

"He survived, incredible." Ryo said.

"My turn, draw! Now, I activate the Continuous Magic Right Hand! Now, Sky Magician's effect activates, when a Continuous Magic Card is activated, this Monster gains 300 Attack!" Yusho explained.

 **Sky Magician: 2500-2800 Atk**

"Now, I activate a second Continuous Magic, Magician's Disappearing Act, Sky Magician's effect activates, once during either player's turn, if a Magic/Trap Card would be activated, I can return a Continuous Magic to my hand, and then I can activate another one! I return Right Hand, and from my Hand I activate Magician's Left Hand, since both Continuous Magic cards activations have been resolved, Sky Magician gains 600 Attack (I think that's how it works.)" Yusho explained.

 **Sky Magician: 2800-3400 Atk**

"I reactivate Magician's Right Hand, now Sky Magician gains another 300 Attack Points." Yusho stated.

 **Sky Magician: 3400-3700 Atk**

"Incredible!" Juvenile Officer 2 gawked, while Ryo and Officer 1 were wanting to know what happened next, this was the thing about Sakaki Yusho's Dueling, it keeps you guessing on what happens next.

"I activate the last Card in my Hand, Magician's Encore! Sky Magician gains 300 Attack." Yusho explained.

 **Sky Magician: 3700-4000 Atk**

"4-4000 attack!" Juvenile Officer 2 exclaimed.

"But Sky Magician can only take out one of them!" Juvenile Officer 1 realized.

"No. It's over. He has something, I can tell." Ryo said.

"Go, Sky Magician! Attack him directly! Don't think about using that set card, no matter what, if it is Magic or Trap, my Magician's Left Hand can once per turn, negate the activation of a Magic Card and destroy it, my Magician's Right Hand can do the same thing except with Trap cards instead of Magic. " Yusho declared as Sky Magician's rings let out a glow, before laughing joyfully and hitting Juvenile Officer 1 with a small beam of light sending him back.

 **Juvenile Officer 1: 4000-0 LP**

"Now, let's play a game. If I win, I win the Diel, if you win, I will automatically lose the game, and you get to do whatever you want!" Yusho offered.

"What?!" Ryo yelled out of shock. Was the man seriously making a game out of a situaion like this? if so, then he must be really good or really stupid.

"Interesting, sure old man." Juvenile Officer 2 grinned.

"The effect of Magician's Encore activates, when a Spellcaster Monster I control destroys a Monster by battle or deals damage through battle, I can draw a Card, if it is a Spellcaster-Type Monster, I can send it to the Grave, then, Sky Magician can attack again. However, if the card isn't a Spellcaster-Type monster, then I take 1000 damage, and the Attack of all Monsters on my Field are reduced to 0." Yusho explained.

"That's a high risk old man." Juvenile Officer 2 taunted.

"I like taking those risks, it makes the Duel more fun!" Yusho exclaimed.

"Fun? Hah, bullshit! A Duel is a battle to determine who survives and who dies!" Juvenile Officer 2 mocked Yusho's ideals of Dueling, yet the man did not show a reaction.

Ryo was speechless. Yusho was taking these kinds of risks in a Duel, in his entire life, he had never seen anyone Duel like this. But seeing Dueling like this, almost made him happy.

"Now, it all depends on this next draw. Draw!" Yusho yelled. A long silence filled the area.

"Well, get along with it already!" Juvenile Officer 2 yelled impatiently.

"As you wish. The Card I drew was, Entermate Sky Pupil!" Yusho yelled.

"No way!" Juvenile Officer 2 exclaimed.

"Now, end this Sky Magician, direct attack!" Yusho yelled as Juvenile Officer 2 was hit by a small beam of light.

 **Juvenile Officer 2: 4000-0 LP**

"Let's go!" Yusho told Ryo as they started running. "Sky Magician!" Sky Magician responded to Yusho and let out a bright shine of light, blinding the 2 Officers, by the time Sky Magician and the light disappeared, Yusho and Ryo were already gone.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Cyber Life, Trap: When a Machine-Type Monster is destroyed, gain life points equal to that Monster's Attack.**

 **Magician's Disappearing Act's effect will be shown the next time it is activated, so I'm not telling you guys the effect yet, sorry guys.**

 **Magician's Encore, Continuous Magic: If a Spellcaster-Type Monster you control deals damage to your opponent or destroys a Monster by battle, you can draw a Card, if the Card is a Spellcaster Monster, you can send it to the Grave, then, a Spellcaster-Type Monster can attack again. However, if the Card is not a Spellcaster, take 1000 points of damage, then, reduce the Attack of all monsters on your field to 0.**

* * *

 **Finished.**

 **Now, I want to throw this out right now before I get any rage by you guys. I changed the Summoning condition of Megafleet Dragon. In real life, the materials are a Cyber Dragon and a monster(s) in the Extra Monster Zone. Obviously, since this fanfic isn't in Link Format, there is no Extra Monster Zone, so I just decided to buff this Card significantly and make it so the materials are a Cyber Dragon and any Extra Deck Monster on the Field.**

 **Sorry for the late update, I planned to have this chapter out by yesterday, but I forgot to include the Card Catalog.**

 **Anyways, here is a chapter preview.**

 **While inside a warehouse, Sora and Yuzu find the Masked Duelist (Yuto.) Then, Masumi sees what's going on and challenges Yuto to a Duel. However, Sora is persistent, so, instead, the 2 Duel have a Battle Royale against Yuto. (If you're wondering, what about Yuya, the meeting will take place a little earlier than in the anime. But Yuya will appear at the same time, in order to have enough time for the duel. Whether the duel comes in a no result or a win for someone, or a draw, that you guys will have to find out.)**

 **Matrixnis: Asuka will still appear, Ryo isn't replacing her and kicking her out of the way or anything like that, unless that actually happensu in the story lol. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded if Asuka got trashed in her duel against Yuri if they at least gave her 1 or 2 important Duels. For example, they could have had her Duel against Dennis instead of Kaito in that one episode. Either that, or Yusho could have dueled, but I would have prefered Asuka. Anyways, she should have 1 or 2 more Duels.**

 **Guest: Later, Ryo will use the Cyberdark series. I actually hinted towards that deck at the end of the last chapter when Ryo talked to Cyber End.**

 **Fanime1: So that's what you meant!**

 **That's all for now guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	24. The Confrontation

Yuto hid in an alleyway so no one could see him, however, from where he was, he could see a lot of people. He could also see the LDS building. Yuto noticed a light-blue haired boy with a lollipop in his mouth (Sora.) Yuto took note of the blue jacket he was wearing. Then, he saw the Ruri lookalike (Yuzu) from a couple days ago go near him. Even from far Yuto could notice that the girl was talking to the boy.

"I'd knew you would be here!" Sora heard a girl say out loud. Sora turned around and saw Yuzu running towards him. "This is the reason why you haven't been going to the Duel School recently. You were after after Akaba Reiji, right?"

"Ah, no, I'm not _after_ him, I'm just…" Sora started to deny but was interrupted by Yuzu.

"Just like when you kept approaching Yuya. Whenever you get interested in someone strong, you start to follow them." Yuzu told Sora, who put a goofy smile on his face.

"Well, that's because he is really interesting! The way he just slammed out Fusion, Synchro and… Xyz and Pendulum like that!" Sora responded as he threw his arms into the air.

"But he is the President of LDS. He isn't someone who you can just get close to easily." Yuzu rebutted. "Anyways, come with me!" Yuzu grabbed Sora's wrist and started dragging him away from the LDS tower, much to the shock of Sora.

"Hey, where are we going?" Sora asked.

"Just come with me!" Yuzu responded as they continued running.

"Just tell me!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hurry up!" Yuzu rushed Sora. Yuto kept his eyes shifted towards the direction they went. He might know where they were going.

* * *

Later, at the warehouse

Sora walked into the warehouse. Yuzu had directed him to the same warehouse where Yuto and Sawatari had dueled. The warehouse has been repaired from the damage Yuto caused, it looks like Yuto never damaged it at all.

"So, why did you bring me here?" Sora asked Yuzu, who was closing the door to the warehouse. Yuzu walked up to Sora. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before clapping her hands together and bent down.

"Please! Teach me how to use Fusion Summoning!" Yuzu pleaded. Unknown to Yuzu and Sora, Yuto was above them, watching them. He was shocked, now knowing for sure that this girl was not Ruri. Ruri would not want to learn the enemy's Summoning Method.

"Huh? Here?" Sora asked for more details.

"Yes!" Yuzu responded.

"Why…?" Sora asked.

"I want to get more stronger! As I am now, I'm not enough!" Yuzu told Sora.

"Umm… are you still upset about losing to that umm… what was her name… Kotsu Masumi?" Sora asked Yuzu.

Yuzu got a disappointed look on her face. However, the disappointment was directed towards her as she thought back to the duel between her and Masumi. She saw an Action Card and leaped for it, however, she didn't get the Action Card because she deceived by the crystals and was distracted by what happened the day before. The Action Card, in reality, was behind her, she got hit by Masumi's attack and lost the Duel.

Yuzu glanced away from Sora as her hands started to tremble. "Akaba Reiji said he gave us the win. I want to become strong to protect You Show also! I want to be able to defeat Kotsu Masumi!"

"That's why you want a Fusion user like me to teach you, right?" Sora asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, so I'm begging you! Teach me!" Yuzu begged.

"Hmm… what should I do…" Sora trailed off as Yuzu got a worried look on her face.

"You can't do it?" Yuzu asked.

"It's not that I can't. But, is it really ok? If I taught you then you would definitely get stronger…" Sora stated.

"Then all the better, right? Make me so I don't lose to anyone!" Yuzu said.

"But, I just don't know if this is okay...fine!" Sora suddenly said as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a card. Yuto widened his eyes when he saw it, it was the card that caused him and his comrades so much pain, Fusion. "This is the Fusion Card, this allows you to fuse Fusion Materials. This is like the bread and butter of Fusion Summoning, understand?" Yuzu nodded in response as she took the card, Sora looked away.

" _Jeez… I'm really teaching her… being too nice is my only flaw, isn't it.._ Sora thought to himself, however, Yuzu broke him out of them as she asked a question.

"The Fusion Materials have to be on my Field or in my Hand, correct?" Yuzu asked.

"Huh, yeah, that's right." Sora could swear that someone else was with them in the room. "The important thing is that you have the correct Fusion Materials for a Fusion Summon. However, there are some exceptions…" Sora stopped talking as he looked at the crate near them on the next level and saw Yuto.

 _Damn… he saw me!_ Yuto thought as he jumped out of hiding. Sora ran towards a red couch and jumped onto it and jumped onto the green crate behind it, while Yuto jumped away from him. Sora jumped off the crate and quickly placed on his duel disk.

Yuto jumped away from where he landed while Sora landed where Yuto originally was, he started chasing Yuto as they ran around Yuzu, who looked on with a confused look on her face. Yuto tapped something on his duel disk, he jumped onto a green crate and jumped onto the wall he launched himself off the wall and swung back his cape, revealing his duel disk while also activating it. Sora jumped towards Yuto and activated his duel disk, they clashed in mid-air. Sora gritted his teeth and under his mask, Yuto was also.

Both dropped to the floor and jumped away from each other. Both had a silence between them, before Sora broke it.

"And just who are you?" Sora asked Yuto. However, Yuto ignored Sora's question and kept staring at him. "You're not from _here_ are you?"

This time Yuto actually answered back. "Neither are you!" Yuzu gasped as she recognized Yuto, Yuto glanced at her.

"You're from before!" Yuzu realized.

"Huh? You know this guy Yuzu?" Sora asked with interest.

"Yeah, the last time I was here with Sawatari…" Yuzu said as she remembered back to when Yuto Xyz Summoned Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

"Are you behind the incident this time too?" Yuzu asked Yuto, who remained silent.

"Incident?" Sora repeated.

"Apparently an LDS teacher was attacked." Yuzu told Sora.

"LDS…" Sora said as he realized. "So that's why there were so many guards. So… you're the culprit then?"

No response.

"Just who are you? Was your Duel with Sawtari to save me? Or do you have some sort of grudge against LDS? Answer me!" Yuzu demanded, she has been wanting answers from that day, and now she has the chance to get those answers.

"That's…" Yuto started to answer, however, he was interrupted by the door of the warehouse being slid open.

"So you're the culprit!" A voice was heard. Yuzu turned around while Sora just glanced, at the doorway, they saw Masumi.

"Kotsu Masumi!" Yuzu exclaimed in shock. Masumi walked into the warehouse.

"What the hell did you do to Professor Marco?" Masumi asked Yuto with anger clear in her voice. "Answer me!"

 _What did I do with Professor Marco? Who is that? I only attacked Sawatari... unless._ Yuto realized at the person who could have done it.

"What are you doing here?" Yuzu asked Masumi.

"I thought that if I were to go the scene of the first incident, I would find something. But if you were biding time here all along then you saved me the trouble of searching." Masumi explained her purpose for being at the warehouse as she took her duel disk out of her holster and strapped it onto her wrist.

"Wait, I'm still talking to him!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"I've got things to say to him first!" Masumi yelled back. She had been wanting to get answers since she had heard of the Marco incident. Marco was like the sun to her. Professor Marco helped her whenever she was stuck, so Masumi wanted to pay him back.

"What are you talking about? Besides, we have no proof that he is the culprit of the Marco incident!" Yuzu told Masumi. Yuto gasped. This girl was defending him, in a way.

"Once we see whether or not he uses Xyz or not, we'll know the truth!" Masumi responded.

"Xyz…? Oh… is that so?" Sora asked as a grin appeared on his face.

 _So there was some of them that came here._ Sora thought to himself.

"I'll find out the truth myself, fight me!" Masumi challenged Yuto as she activated her duel disk.

"Cut it out!" Yuzu ran to Masumi. "Give it a rest already!" (In the anime, this is where Yuzu's bracelet would activate, Yuto would then be teleported away and Yuya would appear. However, this time, Yuya is a little late to the party.)

"No! I have to do this! To get some answers about what happened to Professor Marco!" Masumi yelled as she shoved Yuzu out of her way.

"Hey! Watch it lady, he's mine!" Sora told Masumi, wanting to duel Yuto.

"You just want to fight him because he uses Xyz, do you? I have more important matters to take care of!" Masumi told Sora.

 _If you only knew._ Sora thought.

"How about this, we'll take him on together." Sora suggested, as much as he hated to say it, this was the only to duel the Masked Man. Sora could just knock her out, but that would raise suspicion.

"Fine. Are you ready?!" Masumi asked Yuto.

"Stop! You don't need to do this!" Yuzu exclaimed as she ran in front of Masumi and Sora.

Masumi was already getting annoyed. She went up to Yuzu and pushed her out of the way, Yuzu screamed as she fell to the floor. Yuzu now decided that it's best not to interfere. If she continued doing this, Masumi might knock her out next time, and Yuzu wanted to see what would happen, she might have some of her questions answered.

"Leave her out of this." Yuto suddenly said, surprising Masumi.

"What do you mean? She interfered!" Masumi exclaimed.

"She had nothing to do with this. She was just involved. If it is me you want, then fine. But I will tell you this, I didn't ambush whoever this Professor Marco is." Yuto told Masumi as he closed his eyes.

"Stop lying! I will beat the answers out of you. Short kid with the stupid lollipop, don't get in my way!" Masumi told Sora with a menacing tone.

"Trust me, if anyone is going to in anyone's way, it's going to be YOU getting in MY way." Sora replied.

DUEL!

"I'll go first." Yuto said.

"You'll need it! Now we'll see if you use Xyz Summoning!" Masumi exclaimed.

 _Maybe Xyz Summoning on the first turn isn't a good idea._ Yuto thought to himself. _Then this plan should do!_

"I summon Phantom Knights Dusty Robe!" Yuto said as Dusty Robe was summoned in attack mode.

Dusty Robe: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1000 Def

"He has a monster this time." Yuzu whispered. When she saw Yuto duel Sawatari, Yuto didn't Normal Summon any monster. In fact, the only monster he summoned was Dark Rebellion. The Shadow Veils were monster spells of Yuzu were to guess.

"Now, if I control a Phantom Knights monster, from my hand, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots." Yuto explained as a misty ghost with boots appeared in Defense mode.

"2 level 3 monsters." Sora got excited as he saw the setup.

"Now, Xyz Summon!" Masumi demanded.

"I activate Dusty Robe's effect, by changing this monster to Defense mode, I can increase the attack of a Phantom Knights monster by 800, I choose Dusty Robe himself." Yuto declared.

Dusty Robe: 800-1600 Atk

"I set 2 cards and end my turn." Yuto concluded as 3 set cards appeared in front of him.

"What?!" Yuzu, Masumi, and Sora exclaimed in shock.

"My turn, draw! I activate Fusion! I fuse Edge Imp Scissors and Furnimal Bear! Claws of the demon! Fangs of the beast! Become one and reveal a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Appear, horrifying beast that shreds everything! Death-Toy Scissor Bear!" Sora chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Scissor Bear: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1800 Def

Yuto clenched his fist and under his mask, he gritted his teeth. Sora saw Yuto's fist and smirked.

"That seemed to get a reaction out of you. I activate the Continuous Magic Death-Toy Dismantle! Battle! Go, Scissor Bear, attack Phantom Knights Dusty Robe!" Sora declared as Scissor Bear pounced on Robe, destroying him.

"I'm not done yet, Scissor Bear's effect activates, when he destroys a monster by battle, he can equip the destroyed monster. Scissor Bear gains the attack of all monsters equipped to him. "

Scissor Bear: 2200-3000 Atk

I activate the effect of Death-Toy Dismantle, once per turn, I can banish one of the Fusion Materials of a Death-Toy Fusion Monster, then, that monster can attack again! I banish Edge Imp Scissors! Go, Scissor Bear, destroy Silent Boots!" Sora yelled as Scissor Bear ate Silent Boots. Yuto remained calm while Masumi was getting impatient. "Once again, Scissor Bear equips the destroyed monster and gains attack!"

Scissor Bear: 3000-3200 Atk

"I set a card and end my turn. Your up, lady." Sora told Masumi.

"I will avenge Professor Marco! Prepare yourself! My turn, draw! I activate Gem-Knight Fusion, from my hand, I fuse Gem-Knight Tourmaline and Gem-Knight Obsidian! Fusion Summon! Appear, level 8, Gem-Knight Zirconia!" Masumi shouted as a big monster appeared, creating great winds, Yuzu shielded her eyes, while Sora and Yuto stayed calm.

Zirconia: Level 8, 2900 Atk, 2500 Def

"Just like last time. I felt the wind, and there is no Action Field. What's going on?" Yuzu asked no one in particular.

"I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Obsidian, if this card is sent from my hand to the grave, I can add a normal monster in my graveyard to my hand, I add Tourmaline! Next I'll summon it!" Masumi slapped the card on her duel disk.

Tourmaline: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1800 Def

"Battle, go, Gem-Knight Tourmaline, attack him directly!" Masumi declared as Tourmaline shot a yellow ball of energy at Yuto, Yuto winced as he took damage.

Yuto: 4000-2400 Lp

"This is for Marco! Go, Zirconia, attack him directly and end this duel!" Masumi declared as Zirconia held back his fist, getting ready to strike.

"I activate the trap Phantom Knights' Dark Gauntlets! Using this card's effect, I can send a Phantom Knights Spell/Trap card from my deck to my graveyard. I send Phantom Knights Secret Arsenal! The effect of Secret Arsenal activates, when this card is sent to the grave, I can add any Phantom Knights card from my deck to my hand! I add another copy of Phantom Knights Secret Arsenal!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Even if you get to add a card, this duel is still over! End this Zirconia!" Masumi shouted.

"I activate my other set card, Phantom Knights Wrong Magnetring! First, I have to discard a card in my hand that has the same name as a card in my graveyard. I discard Secret Arsenal! Now, I can negate your attack and Special Summon this card as an effect monster!" Yuto explained as his trap moved to the monster zone.

Wrong Magnetring: Level 1, ? Atk, ? Def

"Also, due to Secret Arsenal going to the grave, I can add a card!" Yuto added a card from his deck.

"Grr... I end my turn." Masumi ended her turn as she looked at Yuto with a frustrated look on her face.

"My turn, draw! I activate Wrong Magnetring, I can equip all equip cards on the field to this card!" Yuto explained.

"What?!" Sora widened his eyes as the attack of Scissor Bear decreased.

Scissor Bear: 3200-2200 Atk

"Now, I activate the next effect of Wrong Magnetring, by releasing this card, I can draw 1 card for every 2 cards that were equipped to this card. There was 2, so I can draw 1 card!"

Wrong Magnetring disappeared and Yuto drew a card.

"I activate the Magic Card Phantom Xyz! I Special Summon 2 monsters with the same level from my grave, then, I can Xyz Summon a monster using these monsters! Revive, Dusty Robe and Silent Boots! Now, I overlay these monsters! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Yuto Xyz Summoned Break Sword.

Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def

"An Xyz Summon!" Sora grinned in excitement.

"Kgh… so you are the culprit… tell me! What did you do to Professor Marco!" Masumi demanded. Yuto once again didn't respond. "Answer me!"

No response

"From my hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights Launch! Using this card, and Phantom Knights Break Sword, I can Xyz Summon a monster from my extra deck who has a Rank 1 higher! Also, the Xyz Materials on the chosen monster can be attached to the new monster. Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace monster appeared.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"That monster!" Yuzu exclaimed as she remembered the last time Yuto summoned Dark Rebellion.

"4 overlay units!" Sora realized as he saw 4 orbs orbiting Dark Rebellion.

"I activate Dark Rebellion's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, until the end of the turn, I can halve the attack of a level 5 or higher, then, Dark Rebellion gains that lost amount! Treason Discharge!" Yuto yelled as Dark Rebellion let out its wings and fired electricity at Scissor Bear, Scissor Bear slumped down from the attack decrease.

Scissor Bear: 2200-1100 Lp

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3600 Atk

"Once again, I use Dark Rebellion's effect! Treason Discharge!"

Zirconia: 2900-1450

Dark Rebellion: 3600-5050

"5050 attack!" Masumi took a step back.

"I activate the Magic Card Xyz Assault! By paying 1000 life points, an Xyz Monster I control can attack twice!" Yuto said.

Yuto: 2400-1400 Lp

"No way!" Yuzu exclaimed in shock.

"Battle! Go, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Death-Toy Scissor Bear and Gem-Knight Zirconia! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Yuto yelled as Dark Rebellion's fangs electrified as it flew towards both monsters, Dark Rebellion stabbed both monsters.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Both Sora and Masumi yelled in pain as they fell to the floor. A big dust cloud filled the entire warehouse, Yuto remained calm and just stood there while Yuzu shielded her eyes. When it cleared, Sora and Masumi were getting back on their feet, with scratches and dirt on their clothes and faces. Interestingly, Sora was getting up faster than Masumi, despite taking more of the damage. Also, while Masumi's monster was destroyed Sora's was still standing, and Sora had a trap card activated called Death-Toy Backup, which negated the destruction of Scissor Bear and gave it 800 attack.

Scissor Bear: 1100-1900 Atk

Sora: 4000-50 Lp

Masumi: 4000-400 Lp

"Again, I felt that! But this time there wasn't any severe damage, why?" Yuzu asked.

"I end my turn. At this moment, Dark Rebellion's effect ends, both his and Scissor Bear's attack returns to normal." Yuto said.

Dark Rebellion: 5050-2500 Atk

Scissor Bear: 1900-3000 Atk

"Surrender now. That way I won't have to hurt you more than I already have." Yuto told them. He truly didn't want to hurt them. He had been wondering ever since he attacked Sawatari if what he, Shun, Shark, and O'Brien was doing was the right thing.

"Never! For what you did to Professor Marco! I won't forgive you! Hurry up and end your turn so I can get my revenge on him worthless piece of junk!" Masumi yelled at Sora, angering him.

"Hey, who's calling me a piece of junk! I've been doing better than you lady! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have even scratched his life points! Watch and learn, I'm getting serious! My turn, dr-" Sora was caught off by a bright pink light. "What?!" Sora, Masumi, and Yuto looked to see Yuzu's bracelet shining, the light covered the entire room, making everyone, even Yuto shield their eyes. When the light dissipated, Yuto was gone, shocking Yuzu, Sora, and Masumi.

"No way." Masumi said.

"Woah." Sora gasped.

"What?! Just like last time!" Yuzu said, she then heard a voice.

"Yuzu!" The voice called out. Yuzu turned to the entrance to see Yuya run into the warehouse.

"I knew you would be here! Principal was getting worried, so he sent me to come get you. What are you doing here and not answering your phone? Also, why does it look like an explosion happened in here, but no fire?" Yuya asked.

"Sakaki Yuya!" Masumi deactivated her duel disk and ran to Yuya and grabbed him by the collar. "So you really are with them?! Tell me, where did you hide him!"

"Him?" Yuya repeated in confusion. "Also, why are you dirty? Also, why did you and Sora have your duel disks out? Were you dueling each other?"

"That's not important! Stop acting dumb! Where are you hiding him?!" Masumi demanded for an answer.

"I'm telling you I don't know who 'him' is!" Yuya responded.

"Wait a second!" Yuzu exclaimed as she separated both Masumi and Yuya from each other. "You really don't know?"

"You too, Yuzu? What're you guys talking about?" Yuya questioned.

"Just like before...that guy disappears and then Yuya appears." Yuzu whispered, however, this didn't go unheard by Yuya.

"He…?" Yuya questioned in a soft voice so no one could hear him.

"Give it a rest and find him already!" Masumi told Yuya.

"Ah! There he is!" Sora suddenly shouted. "I saw him just now! He ran that way!" Sora pointed in the direction away from the warehouse. Luckily, Masumi took the bait.

"Dammit! You won't escape!" Masumi exclaimed as she ran past Yuya and in the direction Sora pointed.

(The part with Yuya, Yuzu, and Sora is the same as in the anime so I'm just going to skip it.)

* * *

With Yuto

Again. It had happened again. The Ruri lookalike named Yuzu's bracelet had shone again, and just like that, the next thing Yuto knew, he wasn't in the warehouse.

"What's going on here?" Yuto asked himself as he looked at his surroundings. He on a roof of some building, and he could still see the LDS building from where he was. Yuto just noticed that the sun was setting, so he decided that it would be a good time to head back to the hideout.

"I'll have to find out more later."

* * *

Later at night

Shun was prowling (this word is used for animals but since Shun uses birds/falcons, I thought it would be cool to compare him to a bird hunting for prey) on a hill near the LDS tower. He was looking on his duel disk, which was scanning the building of the people in there. Shun had the LDS tower in his sights. He was waiting, for the right moment, for eventually, the time would come, the time where the Falcon would finally strike.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Death-Toy Dismantle Continuous/Magic: Once per turn, during your battle phase, you can banish one of the Fusion Materials of a Fusion Monster you control, that monster gain attack twice this battle phase.**

 **Phantom Knights Secret Arsenal Trap: When a Phantom Knights monster you control battles, target that monster, then, send 1 Phantom Knights monster from your hand to the graveyard, the targeted monster gains the attack of the discarded monster. When this card is sent to the grave, you can add 1 Phantom Knights card from your deck to your hand. When a monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish this card from your graveyard instead.**

 **Phantom Xyz Magic: Target 2 monsters in the graveyard with the same level, Special Summon them, then, Xyz Summon a monster using only those monsters.**

* * *

 **Finished! So, I had the duel end in a No Result. You guys will probably get upset at that. But, I didn't want to have Sora lose as Yuto and Sora will duel again. As for Masumi, she and Yuto won't duel again most likely.**

 **There were 2 changes I was going to make to this chapter, one is minor and one is a little major… for the duel at least. The minor change is when Yuzu went in front of Masumi before she dueled Yuto, I was originally going to have Masumi get impatient, and, to make sure Yuzu didn't bother her, Masumi would punch Yuzu in the stomach, hard, making her pass out. Then, I would have Masumi throw Yuzu to the side. Basically, I would make it so Yuzu would be unconscious for the entire duel until right before her bracelet shines. I wanted to do it because it would kind of be a reference to when Yuto punched Shun in the stomach because, ironically, before Yuto got absorbed by Yuya in the anime, he dueled the same amount of times Masumi was shown dueling in the entire series, which is 3 times.**

 **The major change that would have affected the duel was to have Sora set the trap card Fusion Death Waltz instead of Death-Toy Backup. Then, he would activate the card during Yuto's turn when he was summoning Dark Rebellion. The effect is "Target 2 Fusion Monsters on the field; destroy as many Special Summoned monsters on the field as possible with ATK less than or equal to the total ATK of those targets (other than Fusion Monsters), then inflict damage to their controllers equal to the total ATK of those targets.**

 **However, I would realize that Yuto would just use the effect of Break Sword, summon the materials, and summon Dark Rebellion. Then, Masumi would have been screwed over because the Trap would have destroyed Tourmaline and Masumi would have been down to 2400 life points. Then, Yuto would just finish her off, which I didn't want happening.**

 **Matrixnis: Thanks for the advice, I tried to use it a little bit this chapter. I think the Obelisk Force had attacked on the first turn in the Xyz DImension arc in the anime, I'm not sure though. To be honest, the only Obelisk Force I remembered well was Berserk Yuya vs the 3 Obelisk Force members during the Miami Championship, and the only reasons I remember it was because one, Berserk/Awakened/You-know-who possessing Yuya, and two, it was the debut of Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon.**

 **Venomous Blade: Yeah, Ryo could have handled them. But, it was the first time Yusho had met Ryo, so he assumed that Ryo needed help, because Yusho didn't see his duel earlier. Either that or, he just wanted a way to show Ryo that he could trust him by helping him out. Actually, the real reason why I had Yusho duel was because I wanted to make up for skipping out on the Yusho vs Dennis duel that took place in Heartland.**

 **That's all for now guys. Sorry for the late update. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	25. Confusion

At the hideout

Yuto entered the hideout, immediately seeing O'Brien and Shark.

"What were you guys doing?" Yuto asked them as he took off his mask.

"Well, I was at You Show Duel School. Sakaki Yuya's manager...I think… was there. They were talking about free pass to some Miami Championship. But Yuya turned it down and wanted Nico, his manager, to get him 4 duels before the Championship." Shark explained.

"Why did he turn it down?" O'Brien asked, who was in the hideout the entire day coming up with plans.

"He said that he didn't think it was fair that he could get in for free and other people didn't. He wanted to test himself as a duelist. Hmph, that's what I like about him, he's willing to test his own strength." Shark smirked. "What about you?"

"First, I have to ask you, is there someone who goes to your Duel School named Sora?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah." O'Brien told Yuto.

Yuto put a grim expression on his face. "I dueled him and an LDS student, I was teleported by Hiragi Yuzu's bracelet during the duel. They thought that I was the culprit for the incident of that Professor Marco person Shun dueled."

Speaking of Shun, he had just walked into the hideout. (This is before he was scanning the LDS tower from last chapter, that occurs at night, the sun is setting still.)

"You...don't tell me you dueled another person from LDS!" Shark exclaimed.

"So what if I did?" Shun said nonchalantly.

"Shun, we know your pain. After all, you're not the only person who has experienced pain. We all have, my Dad, Shark's parents, O'Brien's parents. But, Shun, listen to me. This is not our battlefield." Yuto told Shun.

Shun remained silent and didn't respond. He just walked past them, however, it was better than shoving past them. In reality, Shun didn't actually duel anyone, he was just scouting, but he didn't tell the others, so they were unaware of this. However, for some reason Shun didn't want to tell them that he was just scouting.

"Guys, come with me. Shun, we'll be back in a couple of minutes!" Yuto called out to Shun.

"Fine." Shun replied.

* * *

Outside

"What do you want, Yuto?" O'Brien asked.

"That Miami Championship thing, are you guys planning on entering?" Yuto asked.

"No." O'Brien said.

"Maybe." Shark said.

"Maybe?" Yuto repeated.

"To be honest, I thought that if I entered, I could get closer to Akaba Reiji. I don't have the needed requirements to get into the championship, so Yuya offered his pass to me. I took it, so I might join." Shark explained his reason for thinking on joining the tournament.

"Anyways, besides that, Shun is going to far with what he's doing." Yuto got to the point.

"We knew that. But, what we don't is how to stop him from going too far." O'Brien said.

"Honestly, I think that he's going to do anything to get Ruri back. Even if it means...defeating us." Yuto told them. He has noticed how harsh Shun has been, and a very big strain had been put on their friendship. It was funny, Yuto's best friend is turning out to be one of his worst problems.

"I think you should follow him in secret while he's out Yuto, except at night." O'Brien suggested.

"We'll have to worry about this later, let's get some sleep." Shark told them as he walked back into the hideout.

* * *

Later

Yuto, Shark, O'Brien, and Shun we're currently sound asleep. Well, at least the first three were, Shun was faking his sleep. He was actually going to go out and scout for any weak points in LDS.

Shun quietly got up from his "bed"/the floor and made sure the others were sleeping. Shun strapped on his duel disk and left the hideout.

(He's going to be doing what he was doing at the end of last Chapter now.)

* * *

Days later

Sora and Yuzu we're currently at the docks. Yuto was hiding in between 2 buildings so no one could see him. He was listening in on what they were doing. Yuzu was trying to do a Fusion Summon, however, she failed because she had the Fusion Monster in her main deck and not her extra deck. Now, after a bit, her bracelet started shining again, Yuto looked over and realized that he was about to be teleported again.

* * *

With Yuto

Yuto found himself in an alleyway.

"Great, again." Yuto said to himself. Suddenly, he heard a small explosion, one that didn't actually make much sound. Yuto ran to where he heard the sound and saw Shun dueling someone from LDS.

"Go, Rise Falcon! End this, Brave Claw Revolution!" Shun yelled as he destroyed the monster the person had, he was sent back and dropped to the floor in pain, he looked up in terror as Shun walked up to him. Yuto knew what he was about to do.

"Shun, stop!" Yuto shouted, but it was too late, Shun had pressed the button, the man's body was enveloped with a purple light. Soon, the body was gone, and a card dropped to the ground.

Shun turned around and faced Yuto. The two gave each other a serious stare, not letting their eyes off of the other person for even one second. A cold tension had grew in between the two.l, as a gust of wind blew at Yuto's cape as if it was a flag.

"I told you, this isn't our battlefield, if you're going to assault the people from LDS then at least don't card them." Yuto told Shun.

"If I let them be, they might take the chance they have to call reinforcements." Shun quickly rebutted.

"I'll be heading back to base." Yuto informed Shun quietly.

"Fine with me." Shun replied calmly as Yuto left the alley they were in.

* * *

Days later (In episode 21 I think)

Shun was standing near the docks in the shadows in between two crates. Unknown to him, Yuto was watching him nearby. Then, they heard the voice of a boy.

"I would've ended that Duel one turn earlier." Sora bragged.

"Your opponent's monster was only 1500 attack. Instead of summoning Furnimal Bear, you could've summoned Furnimal Lion." Yuzu told Sora.

"I know. I just wanted to show you more Fusion Summoning. You didn't seem to get it last time, after all." Sora explained.

"I've got Fusion down now! I've gotten more than enough practice! Now, I just need to polish those skills in a real match!" Yuzu exclaimed in excitement.

"Well, aren't you confident." Sora commented. "Then I guess you should show me your Fusion Summoning. I've been waiting to have another match with you for a while now."

"You're on!" Yuzu accepted the challenge. However, they were interrupted when they saw Kotsu Masumi walk in front of them.

"You're...Kotsu Masumi." Yuzu realized.

 _Oh no, its her._ Sora rolled his eyes.

"Have you heard the news?" Masumi asked Yuzu.

"News?" Yuzu repeated.

"The constant assaults by a mysterious Duelist, no doubt that one me and the twerp dueled the other day." Masumi assumed the duelist being Yuto.

Shun, who was listening, perked his ears. Yuto dueled at some point. The assaults were really him, by Yuto dueled the girl and the boy.

"More assault incidents?" Yuzu said in shock. There was even more. How many was there going to be before it all stopped?

"All victims are connected to LDS. However, we can't get any word from them, because they have disappeared. All of them." Masumi explained.

"Disappeared?" Yuzu questioned.

"They're all gone!" Masumi exclaimed as her body started trembling, tears coming down her face. "Professor Marco and members of the LDS top team. Please, tell me where I can find that guy! You know, don't you!" Masumi was at a very high level of panic. It could be seen all over her, the trembling hands, the fear on her face.

"Him…?" Yuzu was confused by whom Masumi meant by 'him.'

"The one who dueled me and the boy last time, the black-masked man!" Masumi reminded Yuzu as she clenched her fist. "If I had captured him back then...if I had beaten him then...I could've been able to prevent all of the incidents after that!" Masumi pointed her finger at Yuzu with anger. "It's all because you let him get away!"

"I don't know anything…" Yuzu denied.

Masumi closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and clenched her trembling hand into a fist. "Don't lie to me! Professor Marco has disappeared. That kind and strong Professor Marco...he might be suffering somewhere right now!"

 _Yeah, suffering in a card._ Shun thought to himself.

"That's why I need to find him as fast as possible! Hurry up and tell me where he is!" Masumi demanded.

"I've told you that I don't know!" Yuzu yelled.

"Then how come you were at the scene of the first incident when he was there!? If you're going to be ignorant then…" Masumi trailed off as she got her duel disk from her holster and strapped it onto her wrist. "Then, as a Duelist, I'll beat the answers out of you!"

"An LDS Fusion Summon isn't a problem for you now." Sora told Yuzu confidently. "You can take her out in a jiff."

"You're saying I should take her challenge?" Yuzu asked Sora.

"Yeah, plus, you've been saying a lot now that you've been getting enough practice. This is the perfect time to test your skills." Sora explained his reason.

"Me, taken out in a jiff, by her?! Did you see how badly she lost to me last time?!" Masumi exclaimed.

"Yeah, but that was last time. Yuzu is on a completely different level compared to back then. She now understands that LDS Fusion Summons aren't a threat to her anymore." Sora told Masumi, angering her.

"That is an insult to Professor Marco who taught me Fusion Summoning! I won't forgive you! I'll beat some sense into you first!" Masumi declared at Sora.

"Huh? You want to duel me?" Sora asked. "You shouldn't do that. You'll just lose the little amount of confidence you have left."

"Shut up! LDS is the strongest! I'll make you never forget it!" Masumi yelled, at those words Shun finally spoke.

"You are LDS?!" Shun exclaimed.

Masumi gasped in shock, Sora looked behind him and widened his eyes. With great speed, Shun ran out of his hiding place and rammed into Yuzu, who screamed as she dropped her Duel disk, however, Shun kept running. Yuzu fell to the ground, while her Duel disk also did, her deck scattered around the ground. Shun looked at Masumi and activated his duel disk.

"If you're LDS, then I'll be your opponent!" Shun yelled as he activated his duel disk. A drop of sweat formed on Masumi's head. Shun took a step towards her while Masumi stepped back.

"Are you… the real culprit of all the incidents, so it really wasn't that Masked Man?" Masumi asked.

"The Masked Man is a comrade of mine and nothing more than that!" Shun responded. These words hurt Yuto, as before the war, Yuto and Shun were best friends, so for Shun to say that he is just a comrade to him hurt Yuto inside.

"Now, face me!" Shun yelled.

No response

"Duel me!" Shun challenged Masumi forcefully.

 _This has gone too far!_ Yuto thought as he jumped off the roof of the warehouse he was on.

"Stop it, Shun!" Yuto yelled as he landed on the ground and forced Shun's hand with the activated Duel disk down. Shun looked at him with a look of shock under his sunglasses and scarf. How did Yuto know he was here? "Stop being so reckless!"

Masumi, Yuzu, and Sora gasped in shock at the sudden appearance of Yuto.

"Yuto!" Shun yelled out his comrade's name.

Yuto slipped down his mask so he could talk more clearly. "God damn it Shun, why the hell do I always have to fix the messes that you cause?! I thought I told you before that this isn't our battlefield! I already told you that these people aren't our enemies! "

Shun forced Yuto's hand off of him and put down his scarf mask. "This is MY battlefield! I have to do this, in order to get Ruri back! I'll do anything to get her back. If ANYONE gets in my way, then I'll defeat them too!" Shun raised his voice. Meanwhile, Masumi ws talking on her duel disk like a phone.

"I've finally found the culprit behind the incident. Send backup, Yaiba, Hokuto!" Masumi said through the phone. Everyone looked at Masumi, however, Yuzu was the one who spoke up.

"Wait! We don't know if he's the culprit yet!" Shun, who finally noticed Yuzu, looked at her, and gasped in shock, she looked like…

"Ruri! Why is Ruri here…?" Shun asked himself as he took off his shades and walked towards Yuzu, as Yuzu stepped back out of fear and confusion. "Did you escape on your own, Ruri?!"

"This has gone on long enough!" Yuto yelled as he ran in front of Shun and with extreme force, he punched Shun in the stomach. Shun spit out saliva as he just stood there in pain. Shun took one last look at Yuzu, thinking she was his little sister. The one he had lost.

"Ruri…" Shun stopped as he finally lost consciousness.

"She is not Ruri. I wish she was, but she isn't." Yuto whispered to Shun, if he had any bit of consciousness left, he would have been able to hear that. Yuto picked up Shun and held him over his shoulder.

"Contact LDS and send as many people as possible!" Masumi told Hokuto through the disk.

"Alright! Yaiba is right on it!" Hokuto responded through the disk.

Yuto looked at Yuzu's scattered cards on the floor and saw the card that his enemies used, Fusion. Yuto bent down and picked it up. Yuto looked at Yuzu and held up the card.

"This card doesn't suit you." Yuto said.

"Well isn't that too bad." Sora suddenly said. Yuto turned to Sora and looked at him. "I don't like hearing that about presens I give people though. I wouldn't mind showing you even more of a reason on why that card is amazing though, without any other people interrupting."

"Sora!" Yuzu scolded. However, that call went on deaf ears as Yuto and Sora stared at each other dead in the eyes. An intense burning fire could be felt between these two. Yuto had a really big suspicion on this boy, thinking that he is from Fusion. He was pretty sure Sora knew that he was from the Xyz Dimension, if his hunch was correct, that is. Yuzu walked in between the two.

"Cut it out, Sora! And you too!" Yuzu told both Yuto and Sora.

"Masumi!" Hokuto called out.

Masumi looked to where she heard his voice and saw Yaiba, Hokuto, and Yuya running towards her. Once again, Yuzu's bracelet shined, and Yuto disappeared. Also, since he was holding Shun, Shun disappeared with Yuto.

* * *

With Yuto and Shun

Yuto found himself in an alleyway. Just his luck, he got transported again. Actually, he was about to leave anyway. He should wait for Shun to wake up, after all, he needs to talk to Shun.

Later

Yuto heard Shun groaning and looked at his body which was on the ground, Shun had his eyes open. Shun rose to his feet.

"What happened?" Shun asked Yuto.

"I knocked you out." Yuto responded. Shun put his hand on his stomach, he remembered now, how Yuto knocked him out, how there was someone from LDS, how there was a girl who looked like…

"Ruri!" Shun exclaimed as he was about to run, however Yuto put a hand in his way. "What are you doing? I saw Ruri!"

"So you didn't hear me after all. What's gotten into you, Shun?" Yuto asked.

"First off, you FREAKING PUNCHED ME IN THE STOMACH, you might not know it, but you're actually a really strong person. Second off, I saw my little sister and what do you, you come up to my face, and punched me, IN THE STOMACH, HARD! So why the hell are you asking me what's gotten into me?!" Shun yelled.

"Calm down. You're going to get us caught. You've already attracted so much attention, even more than me, and look how much attention I got. Besides, about the girl, she isn't Ruri. She just looks like her." Yuto told Shun.

"Yuto, I have known Ruri longer than you, I am her brother for crying out loud. We have been together for almost my entire life, do you think I would forget the face of my own sister?! I saw her face, it was Ruri!" Shun rebutted.

"She's not Ruri. I saw the girl had the card Fusion in her scattered deck, heck I even saw her try to perform a Fusion Summon. If you know your sister, then you would know that she wouldn't use the card or the Summoning Method that brought so much pain to her and her loved ones, with a smile on her face no less." Yuto countered.

A long silence filled in between the 2. Neither of them had said a word. Finally, Yuto managed to break the silence.

"Shun." Yuto said.

"What?" Shun responded rudely.

"Did you really mean what you said to me back there when I came. Where if someone got in your way, then you would beat them too. Did you mean to say, that if I got in your way, that you would…" Yuto stopped talking, as he figured Shun knew where he was going with this question.

Another long silence followed. Shun thought about it. Yuto was his best friend, but to him, Ruri was the most important person in the world. He would give anything to get her back, even if it meant eradicating his best friend.

"Yuto... I would do anything. Ruri is the most important thing to me, I would do anything to get her back. Even if it means getting you out of my way." Shun responded.

Yuto frowned. So this is what it came to. At that moment, Yuto felt a big pillar of sadness and rage pile up on his heart. Shun had to think about the answer, and not only that but he said that he would get Yuto out of his way if it meant saving Ruri. That was the last straw, Yuto knew that the real Shun wouldn't act like this, Shun has been blinded by rage too much. Soon, these actions might get the very person he's trying to safe killed. Yuto and especially Shun wouldn't want that. Yuto put on his most serious face as his eyes flashed completely blue for a second, however, this didn't go noticed by Shun.

"Shun, duel me." Yuto suddenly challenged Shun.

"Excuse me?" Shun asked, had he heard him right, Yuto wanted to duel him, was it something he said? (Umm, yeah, it kinda is.)

"I said duel me. This has gone too far to your head. If your willing to go this far, if our so called friendship at this moment is having so many problems...then, there is only one way for us to settle it." Yuto explained.

"With a duel. Hmph, don't you remember the last 3 times we dueled, I beat you, and we didn't even get to finish the duel before those 3. You know I've always had the very small edge on you when it comes to dueling." Shun told Yuto.

"I know. But ever since our last duel, I've gotten stronger. Plus, you're being blinded by rage. This is one of the if not the only way I know to get my old friend back. So, do you accept my challenge, Shun?" Yuto asked.

A third long silence has filled between the 2, at that moment, a really strong gust of wind blew on both Xyz Users. Both were staring each other right in the eye, as they both knew what Shun's answer was going to be.

Shun activated his duel disk, prompting Yuto to do the same. Shun and Yuto walked away from each other so they could have space. The 2 faced off, putting on their most serious faces. They both knew, that no matter what the outcome of this duel was, there friendship, was going to change drastically.

"DUEL!" Both Xyz Duelists shouted in unison.

* * *

 **We're finished!**

 **I realize that I forgot to put in a chapter preview last chapter. Sorry about that guys.**

 **Nothing much new is happening here, sorry guys.**

 **So yeah, Shun and Yuto are going to Duel. I actually thought they were going to duel at this point in the anime for like 1 episode but they didn't. You could actually feel the tension between the 2 in episode 21, or at least I could. The war had changed Shun into a monster, one who doesn't listen to much reason. Yuto, well he became more serious but still kept a straight head, and he always kept fighting, fighting for a sliver of hope, and he found that hope, in one boy, in the Standard Dimension, and his name was Sakaki Yuya. My god that sounded cheesy.**

 **Anyways, here is the next chapter preview.**

 **Yuto and Shun initiate a duel, its unknown who is going to win. But both are winning for a purpose, Shun, to get Yuto out of his way, and Yuto, to get his old friend currently driven by rage back. Things go down as one friendship, starts to change. The question...is the change for the better, or the worse?**

 **Matrixnis: I actually forgot that they attacked in that episode, I thought it was in Heartland in like Episode 109 or something. I agree with you on how Yuto didn't interact with anyone except Yuya, and rarely with Shun after being absorbed. He did interact with Serena and Ruri in 124 and 125, but both girls were brainwashed, Ruri has interacted with Yuto a lot as we have seen, and not long after he takes control, he fricking loses control on Ruri's turn. Although, it did lead to a really badass scene with berserk Yuya and Yuto summoning Odd Eyes Raging Dragon, which is to this day, one of my favorite Arc-V moments and one of my favorite in the entire franchise honestly. Oh yeah, and Yuto won't be getting absorbed by Yuya, who knows, maybe it will be the other way around. I don't know, there is still some time left until that day comes when the decision will be made. But even if Yuya does get absorbed, I'll make sure to find a way for him to separate at least once. :)**

 **Venomous Blade: Your wish is my command Mr. Blade of the Venomousness. In the setting I put the line in, it probably isn't funny though, as this was a serious moment.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. See you guys in the next chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	26. Battle of Rebellion

"DUEL!" Both Xyz Duelists shouted in unison, as the battle that tests their friendship begins.

"I'll go first! I set 4 cards. I end my turn." Yuto ended his turn as 4 set cards materialized in front of him.

"Hmph. That old strategy again. If you think that using the your most common strategy is going to help, then you are wrong! My turn, draw! I summon Raid Raptors-Vanishing Lanius!" Shun summoned his Lanius.

Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def

"Vanishing Lanius' effect activates, when it is Normal or Special Summoned, another Vanishing Lanius is Special Summoned, once again, the effect of Vanishing Lanius Special Summons another Vanishing Lanius! Battle, Vanishing Lanius, attack Yuto directly!" Shun declared as Vanishing Lanius flew towards Yuto.

"Double Trap, Activate! Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace! Two of your Vanishing Lanius' will lose 600 attack, then, these traps are Special Summoned as a Normal Monster in Attack Position!" Yuto explained.

Lost Vambraces: Level 2, 600 Atk, 0 Def

Vanishing Lanius: 1300-700 Atk

Vanishing Lanius: 1300-700 Atk

"I'm aware of the fact that your Phantom Knights Monsters can't be destroyed by battle for the rest of the turn! You still take the damage from the attack though! Go, Vanishing Lanius!" Shun yelled. Yuto stood in his place as he took damage.

Yuto: 4000-3900 Lp

Shun waited for a bit, thinking that Yuto was going to use something. "Strange. Normally, you use Phantom Knights Double Badge right after you take damage an attack on your Lost Vambraces in order to Summon Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin. No matter, attack, my second Vanishing Lanius!" Once again, Yuto showed no reaction.

Yuto: 3900-3800 Lp

"Take this! Go, my last Vanishing Lanius!" Shun yelled. Vanishing Lanius scratched its talons across the wall and onto Lost Vambrace, however, the latter stood strong. This time, Yuto flinched by the pebbles of the wall.

Yuto: 3800-3100 Lp

"I set 2 cards and end my turn." Shun concluded. "This is all that you've got? I've known you for years Yuto, I know you have more than this!" Yuto ignored what Shun said and started his turn.

"My turn!" Yuto drew his card, he took a look at his 2 Lost Vambraces and then back at Shun, knowing what to do. "I, using both of my level 2 Lost Vambraces to overlay! Piercing through ten thousand warriors, the cursed spear of rebellion entombed in darkness, descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin!"

Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def

"Cursed Javelin's effect, once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the effect of a monster you control, then, that monster's attack become 0! I choose the Vanishing Lanius with 1300 attack!" Yuto pointed at Shun's Lanius as it flinched.

Vanishing Lanius: 1300-0 Atk

"Battle! Go, Cursed Javelin, attack Shun's Vanishing Lanius!" Yuto declared as Cursed Javelin jumped towards Vanishing Lanius.

"Trap activate, Raid Raptors-Risky Flight! If an attack position level 4 or lower Raid Raptors monster is being targeted for an attack, I can negate the destruction in that battle, then, the damage I take from the battle is halved. Finally, the Battle Phase ends!" Shun explained as Cursed Javelin stabbed Vanishing Lanius, however, the bird managed to survive. Shun winced in pain as he took damage.

Shun: 4000-3200 Lp

"I end my turn." Yuto ended.

"My turn, draw! I, using my 3 level 4 Raid Raptors Vanishing Lanius' overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as he slammed the card of his ace monster on the duel disk. In a wall of flames, Rise Falcon flew out.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

"Rise Falcon's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, Rise Falcon gains the attack of all Special Summoned monsters except himself." Shun explained as a purple orb from Cursed Javelin connected with Rise Falcon.

Rise Falcon: 100-1700 Atk

"Battle! Go, Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon, attack Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin! Brave Claw Revolution!" Shun declared as Rise Falcon's body ignited with fire as it charged at Cursed Javelin.

"I activate the effect of Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin! Once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I negate the effect of Rise Falcon and make its attack 0!" Yuto explained.

"Trap activate, Raid Raptors-Claws of Adversity! When a Monster effect, Magic, or Trap is activated, I can negate the effect, and then draw a card! Since Cursed Javelin's effect is negated, the attack continues! Eradicate Cursed Javelin, Rise Falcon!" Shun shouted as Rise Falcon struck Cursed Javelin, destroying it. Meanwhile, Shun drew a card from his deck.

Yuto: 3100-3000 Lp

"I set a card and end my turn." Shun told Yuto.

"My turn, draw! From my hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Burial of the Phantom Knights! I can Special Summon a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster in my grave! I revive Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin! Shun...I never wanted for this to happen. But, if we have to fight...then I will! Now, I can Special Summon an Xyz monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 2 higher than the revived monster! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto Xyz Summoned his ace monster as it roared in glory.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Battle! Go, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Yuto pointed at Rise Falcon as Dark Rebellion flew towards it with its fangs surging with electricity.

"Quick-Play, Rank-Up-Magic Escape Force! When an Xyz Monster I control is attacked, I can target that monster, negate the attack, and then I can Xyz Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than the Xyz Monster on the field. Ferocious falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Raid Raptors - Blaze Falcon!" Shun shouted as Rise Falcon evolved into Blaze Falcon.

Blaze Falcon: Rank 5, 1000, 2000 Def

"I set a card and end my turn." A set card materialized in front of Yuto as he ended his turn.

"You're not winning! Whatever it takes, I will win! My turn, draw!" Shun shouted as he drew his card with so much force that a gust of wind lashed out at Yuto, making him cover his eyes.

* * *

Fusion Dimension

Yusho and Ryo had ran away from the Juvenile Officers, where Yusho at that point lead Ryo to a hidden place that had yet to be found by Academia.

It was a place where either people who want to fight against Academia or former members of Academia stay in order to not get caught by any members of Academia.

Yusho also taught some people there the art of Entertainment Dueling. The fact that Dueling shouldn't be used to fight, it should be used as a way to make friends and have a good time. Interestingly, Yusho named the place after his school in the Standard Dimension. He named the You Show Duel School, as a reminder…

Yusho and Ryo we're walking in the hallway, which had many doors, Ryo saw people laughing, eating, Dueling, or just talking to each other. It looked like what Academia used to be.

It was at this moment that Ryo noticed that Yusho was walking with a staff, acting as if it were a crutch.

"What happened to your leg?" Ryo asked Yusho with interest.

"Duel. I was dueling against someone from Academia. His name was...Edo Phoenix." Yusho answered Ryo's question.

"Edo Phoenix?!" Ryo questioned. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. They used to be good rivals, however, when Ryo started to question the beliefs of Academia, they kind of became enemies. In fact, now that Ryo defected, they actually were enemies.

That wasn't all, Yusho injured his leg in a duel? That seemed a little weird, you shouldn't be able to get injured during a duel.

"You're back, Yusho-sensei!" A voice interrupted Ryo's thoughts.

He looked at the person and saw the all too familiar blonde haired Obelisk Blue Girl. The one who was so pretty that basically every student in Academia had a crush on her.

"Tenjouin Asuka." Yusho greeted.

"You…" Ryo said to Asuka. Asuka looked at him.

"Ryo Marufuji...better known as Kaiser Ryo! I thought you were at Academia! What are you doing here?" Asuka asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Ryo responded. Ryo and Asuka were friends in Asuka's time at Academia. However, they don't really see each other much. "I thought you were with Academia's plan."

"I changed my mind. A girl at Academia who went to the Xyz Dimension told me all about it, how the soldiers were carding innocent people while laughing. With that, I didn't want to stay, so we left. We were able attacked by Juvenile Officers, they carded the girl, Yusho-sensei saved my neck and brought me here. I have been here ever since." Asuka explained her side of the story. "Anyways, what about you?"

"I found out that my brother was carded. So I had enough and decided to leave. I was attacked by Juvenile Officers, I beat some. More arrived, and Yusho here came and beat them." Ryo explained.

"Your brother Sho?! Ryo...I'm so sorry..." Asuka apologized for Ryo's loss.

"So, it definitely seems like you 2 know each other. Well, I should go back to my quarters. Ryo, you just get comfortable here. Asuka, show him around the place." Yusho commanded Asuka, trying to ignore about what just happened. Just what was Leo thinking, what was his goal in all of this? What would he benefit? Yusho was in a state of confusion, major confusion.

"Yes, Yusho-sensei."

* * *

Back at the duel

"As you should know, Blaze Falcon can attack directly. Battle! Go, Raid Raptors-Blaze Falcon, attack Yuto directly!" Blaze Falcon rammed right into Yuto, making him fly back.

"AHHHHHH!" Yuto yelled in pain.

Yuto: 3000-2000 Lp

"Now, Blaze Falcon's effect activates! When he does Battle Damage to you, I can destroy a monster you control. Disappear, Dark Rebellion!" Shun pointed at Dark Rebellion while Blaze Falcon's body ignited with fire as it flew towards Dark Rebellion.

"Trap activate, Phantom Knights' Wing! When a monster I control were to be destroyed by battle or effect, I can activate this card. The destruction is negated, and now Dark Rebellion gains 500 attack!" Yuto explained. Blaze Falcon collided with Dark Rebellion, however, the latter stood his ground.

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3000 Atk

"Grr...then, I activate the effect of Blaze Falcon! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can destroy all Special Summoned monsters you control, then, for each one destroyed, you take 500 points of damage!" Shun told Yuto.

"Continuous Trap, Phantom Knights' Sword! Dark Rebellion gains 800 attack, however, if the equipped monster would be destroyed, I can send this card to the grave and negate the destruction. Of course, because of this, Dark Rebellion's attack returns from 3800 to 3000." Yuto said.

"I set a card and end my turn." Shun concluded. As expected Yuto was ready for whatever he threw at him. However, Shun wasn't going to lose.

"My turn, draw!" Yuto eyed the card he drew. He gasped, at that moment, he was trapped in a void of darkness. Suddenly, the face of a dragon cane and lit up the entire void with electricity. It was the face of the monster that made Yuto card an Academia Student and unintentionally harm Sawatari. It was Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon.

"You! No...stay back! I'm not being controlled by you again!" Yuto yelled as he took a step back.

Dark Requiem roared in response. It was calling to Yuto. For some reason, Yuto could feel like he knew what Dark Requiem was trying to tell him. To trust him, make him feel like a comrade and a friend. Dark Requiem only hurt Sawatari, the student that got carded, and that other student who carded Yuto's father because he wanted to protect Yuto.

"You...want to help me?" Yuto asked the big dragon.

Dark Requiem nodded in response.

"If this is going to work...you let me be in control of myself. No controlling me!" Yuto states his guidelines for if they were going to work together.

Dark Requiem roared in response. Yuto could tell that not only was the response one of agreement, it was also one of confusion.

However, before Yuto could ask the dragon, it let out its wings, which had a stained glass pattern on them. A bright light filled the void, which blinded Yuto. Yuto gasped, he was back in the alley where Shun was waiting for him to make his move. Yuto took one last look at the card. He had to trust Dark Require if he wanted to get this over with.

"Shun, in order to get you back, my old friend, who is trapped in rage and sorrow. I must give into the depths of purgatory! From my hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights Launch! Using this card, and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I can Xyz Summon a monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher!" Yuto explained. This shocked Shun.

"You're ranking up Dark Rebellion?! You've never done this before!" Shun exclaimed in shock. Yuto never ranks up Dark Rebellion, he normally ranks up a different Rank 4 monster instead.

"From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as Dark Requiem appeared, roaring in glory.

"A Rank-Up Dark Rebellion?!" Shun gasped as he looked at the dragon glaring at him

"Shun…" Yuto said.

* * *

 _3 years ago-Heartland Duel School-Spade Branch Classroom_

 _A younger Shun and Shark was seen in their classroom getting ready for the teacher's directions._

 _"Class. Listen up now! Yuki stop chewing with your mouth open!" The teacher yelled. "Alright! Now, we have a new student joining our branch today. Everyone give a warm welcome to Yuto!"_

 _The teacher stepped aside to reveal a boy. It was Yuto, albeit younger. Yuto took a polite bow towards the class._

* * *

 _Later_

 _"Alright. Are we ready, we're going to the stadium. Yuto, hmm...your new to this so..." The teacher trailed off as he looked around the classroom. "Ah! Mr. Kamishiro and Mr. Kurosaki, would you please come up here."_

 _Shun and Shark made their way over to the teacher, who was with Yuto._

 _"Since Yuto is new to this, I want you 2 to show him the ropes. Can I count on you?" The teacher asked._

 _"You can count on us." Shun replied with a smile._

* * *

 _Later_

 _"So, Yuto, my name is Shun, Shun Kurosaki." Shun introduced himself._

 _"I'm Shark Kamishiro." Shark added._

 _Yuto smiled. "Nice to meet you both. This is a great start to my year already!"_

 _"We should hurry to the stadium, I have a match today." Shun told them._

* * *

 _Later_

 _"Go, Blaze Falcon, attack him directly!" Shun declared as the duel was finished with that attack. Shun's opponent got up and they shook hands in a friendly manner. Later, he found Yuto and Shark waiting for him._

 _"Nice." Shark complimented. Though, he didn't expect less from Shun. He was one of the most skilled Duelists he's ever known._

 _"You're really good, Kurosaki." Yuto told Shun._

 _"Thanks. But, Yuto, you can call me Shun." Shun told Yuto as he held out a hand as a sign of friendship._

 _Without hesitation, Yuto shook the hand. At that moment, a true friendship was born._

* * *

Now

"Shun...revenge isn't the right way to get Ruri or our other comrades back. And I'll prove it!" Yuto exclaimed as he pointed at Shun. "Shun! From here on out, the true fight has just begun!

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Raid Raptors-Claws of Adversity Trap: When a Monster, Magic, or Trap Card is activated wheel you control a Raid Raptors Monster, you can negate the activation, then, you can draw a card. If a Raid Raptors monster(s)would be destroyed, you can banish this Card from your graveyard instead.**

* * *

 **Finally finished.**

 **I don't know why it took me 6 days or whatever to upload a chapter that isn't even long at all. I'm sorry for the wait guys, I really am. For some reason, I was writing way slower than I usually do, I guess it was cause I missed out in some sleep in order to get this chapter out as fast as possible, but as you can see, that didn't turn out well. I'm sleepy right now, so if there are some mistakes in spelling grammar, or things like that I'm sorry.**

 **Anyways, next chapter, Yuto and Shun will finish their duel. That's all I'm giving you for a heads up on the next chapter cause frankly, I am blanking out.**

 **By the way, I got a challenge for you guys. I put in a reference to the dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX somewhere in this chapter. I wonder if you can find it.**

 **That's all for now guys. I will try to get the next chapter out by next week. I feel like this was the worst chapter out of this story, so there is a small chance I will come back to this chapter and fix some things up. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	27. Self-Destruction

Yuzu, Yuya, and Sora were currently walking back to You Show Duel School. Sora and Yuya were talking to each other while Yuzu was just lost in thought. She was thinking about what is happening around her. First, that guy comes out of nowhere and wants to duel Masumi, then, that Masked Man appears and tries to stop him. Then, the guy calls her Ruri, while the Masked Man says she isn't Ruri. The question on Yuzu's mind was, who is Ruri? However, her thoughts were interrupted by Yuya.

"Yuzu!" Yuya yelled Yuzu's name while shaking her shoulders, frightening her. Yuzu pushed Yuya to the ground, who yelped in surprise.

"Oi, what was that for? What's going on with you today, Yuzu?" Yuya asked.

"Don't get so close like that!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Yuzu...ever since that Masked Man showed up, you've been out of it. In fact, you were kind of out of it for a while the day after Sawatari was assaulted." Sora said.

"I don't know...but...when he took of his mask that day, he looked exactly like Yuya. He had his face, it was a spitting image of you, Yuya. And the weird thing is, whenever he is around, everytime I see him, at some point, my bracelet shines, then, he disappears. If things couldn't get any more weird, you come right after he disappears. I don't know what's going on!" Yuzu exclaimed. "I guess...I just need to rest. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Besides, my Dad is probably going to head back soon." Yuzu started to run away, leaving Yuya and Sora to look on in confusion. However, Yuya just remembered something.

"Wait, Yuzu! Come back!" Yuya called out, however, Yuzu didn't hear somehow and kept running. Yuya was trying to give Yuzu her Fusion Card back, but he could give it back later.

"She really needs to get over this. Soon, it's just going to end, then it will be like the assaults never happened." Sora said to Yuya.

"Yeah...well, as she said, she just needs rest. Let's go back to You Show Duel School and tell teacher, if he's still there." Yuya told Sora as they continued walking.

* * *

At Academia-Professor's Throne Room

"What?! He left the island?!" Leo shouted in disbelief after hearing a random student tell him bad news.

"Yes. Kaiser Ryo left last night." The student reported.

"Damn! Now we lost our best student! Well, it's too late to go after him now. We would just waste our time. Bring the Doktor in here will you." Leo commanded.

* * *

Later

"You called, Professor." A white-haired man known as the Doktor said with a malicious and sadistic grin.

"Yes, give the latest status of the girls now!" The Professor commanded.

"Let's see here…" The doktor trailed off as he pulled out a remote and turned on a screen nearby. One showed Ruri, who was in her tower.

"As you can see, the Xyz girl is in captivity." The doktor clicked another button to show Rin struggling against the soldiers. She was trying to escape. She was heard saying stuff like, "I'm not going in there!" and "I'm getting out of this place!" Eventually, one Soldier pushed her into her cell chopped her on the neck. Rin immediately collapsed, rendering her unconscious.

"The Synchro girl is very stubborn. But, we still have it under control." The doktor told Leo.

"What about Serena?" The Professor asked.

"I don't know. All I know is she's on the island. She was saying stuff like wanting to go fight alongside the other soldiers in the Xyz Dimension. She and the Synchro girl will be the hardest to cooperate with in my...experiments." The doktor explained in a creepy manner.

"Experiments? I thought I told you to find a way to control the girls so they won't escape, not use them as test subjects in your 'experiments.' Leo told the Doktor.

"Don't worry about it. They will be fine." The doktor told the Professor.

"No! You will find a way to keep them captive and that's all! If I find out your doing more than I will execute you myself!" The Professor shouted as he stood up from his throne.

"Ok...ok. I will take my leave now." The doktor told Leo as he took a bow and left.

 _Hmph. Execute me? You won't be around to execute me, Professor. For I, have a genius plan. Just you wait, Professor, soon, I will rule Academia. Then, I will move on to rule the other dimensions. No one will be able to stop me!_ The doktor chuckled to himself as soon as he was out of Leo's throne room.

* * *

With Yuto and Shun

"Continuous Trap, activate Rank/Level Switch! Now, once per turn, I can choose one of our fields, then, the Monsters on your field who have a Rank gets their Rank switched to a Level equal to the original Rank. The same applies for monsters with Levels, which means the Levels is switched to Ranks. I declare your field." Yuto explained as his Trap glowed.

Blaze Falcon: Rank 5-Level 5

"Time to end this! I activate Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, Dark Requiem can make the attack of level 5 or higher monster 0, then, Dark Requiem gains the lost attack! Requiem Salvation!" Dark Requiem let out electricity at Blaze Falcon, causing it to flinch.

Blaze Falcon: 1000-0 Atk

Dark Requiem: 3000-4000 Atk

Shun stayed calm as he looked at the dragon.

"Battle! Go, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, attack Raid Raptors-Blaze Falcon! Requiem of Disaster Disobey!" Yuto shouted as Dark Requiem flew up into the air and let put its wings. A stained glass design appeared on his wings. Then, the dragon flew towards Blaze Falcon.

"Quick-Play, activate! Rank-Up-Magic Shadow Force! When a Monster you control declares an attack, I can choose an Xyz Monster and Xyz Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than the chosen Monster, also, this card attaches itself as an overlay unit to the Special Summoned Monster! Prideful falcon. Spread your wings, dyed in the blood of heroes, and charge through the path of revolution! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 6! Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon!" A wall of fire sprouted behind Shun, out came Revolution Falcon roaring in rage.

Revolution Falcon: Rank 6, 2000 Atk, 3000 Def

* * *

At the LDS observatory

"What's wrong? You called me here." Reiji said.

"We have been seeing some very strong simultaneous Xyz Summon signal strength. 2 even stronger ones came in just now!" A woman explained to Reiji.

"Simultaneous…" Reiji whispered to himself.

* * *

Back at the Duel

"Revolution Falcon's effect activates, when this card is Xyz Summoned by Ranking up a Raid Raptors Monster, I can destroy one Special Summoned Monster my opponent controls, and then I deal damage to you equal to half its attack!" Shun widened his eyes and pointed at Dark Requiem. "Go! Revolution Falcon!" Revolution Falcon flew high into the air while screeching.

People nearby heard the screech and got scared, so scared that they didn't bother to look up and see Revolution Falcon.

"This is what I said I would do! I would eradicate you if it means getting Ruri back! Now, disappear and burn in the flames of revolution, FOREVER!" Shun yelled at Yuto.

"Not so fast! I detach another overlay unit from Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon in order to activate his second effect! From the grave, I will Special Summon Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin in defense!" Yuto explained.

Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def

"Now, Revolution Falcon's effect is negated! Now, continue the attack, Dark Requiem!" Dark Requiem continued its attack, striking Revolution Falcon, destroying it. Shun flinched as he took damage.

Shun: 3200-1200 Lp

"I'm not finished! I activate the effect of Rank-Up-Magic Shadow Force! When the Xyz Monster this card is attached to leaves the field, I can banish this card, and immediately activate a Rank-Up-Magic card from my hand or deck! Now, from my deck, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Doom Double Force! I can target an Xyz Monster in my Graveyard that was destroyed by battle, that monster is Special Summoned. Then, I can Xyz Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is twice more than that Monster. I Special Summon Revolution Falcon. Falcon of my very soul! With your heart of unwavering conviction and deep affection, become my sturdy last defense and descend! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 12! Raid Raptors - Final Fortress Falcon!" Shun chanted as his strongest monster appeared.

"There it is." Yuto said to himself. This was Shun's last ace in the hole. This meant that the end was nearing.

Raid Raptors-Final Fortress Falcon: Rank 12, 3800 Atk, 2800 Def

* * *

At the observatory

"Another strong Xyz Summon! This is the strongest one yet!" The Woman exclaimed.

"Could it be that 2 Xyz Duelists are Dueling each other?" Nakajima asked Reiji.

"Yes. However, all of these readings are very strong. Stronger than any of the strengths of the citizens here." Reiji replied, keeping his eyes on the screen.

* * *

Back at the Duel

Yuto looked at the last card in his hand. _This Duel is ending soon, I can feel it._

"I set a card and end my turn." Yuto concluded.

"This ends now! My turn, draw! Battle! Go, Final Fortress Falcon, attack Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!" Shun declared as Final Fortress flew towards Dark Requiem, destroying him. Yuto grunted as he fell to the ground.

Yuto: 2000-1200 Lp

"I activate Final Fortress Falcon's effect, after a Raid Raptors Monster has attacked, by detaching all of his overlay units, I can banish any amount of Raid Raptors Xyz Monsters from my graveyard, then, that Raid Raptors Monster can attack for every banished monster. I banish Blaze Falcon. Final Fortress Falcon, continue your assault!" Shun yelled as Final Fortress shot a bullet at Cursed Javelin.

Yuto got up from the ground and pointed to his set card. "Trap, activate! Phantom Knights Substitute! When an attack is declared on a Phantom Knights Monster I control, I can return a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster on my Field to the Extra Deck, negate the attack, then, I Special Summon 2 Phantom Knights Monsters from my hand, deck, or graveyard with the same Level with their effects negated.. I return Cursed Javelin, I Special Summon Cloven Helm and Fragile Armor in defense!"

Cloven Helm: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 500 Def

Fragile Armor: Level 4 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"I use Final Fortress' effect again, I banish Rise Falcon! Attack, once again!" Shun shouted. Final Fortress Falcon shot Silent Boots.

"One more time! I banish Revolution Falcon! Destroy him!" Final Fortress shot Dusty Robe. "I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I activate Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards. I activate the effect of Phantom Knights Substitute, by banishing this card from my grave, I can Special Summon 2 Phantom Knights Monsters with the same level from my graveyard. Then, I can Xyz Summon a Phantom Knights Monster from my Extra Deck using those Monsters! I Special Summon Phantom Knights Cloven Helm and Fragile Armor. Now, using these 2 monsters, I overlay! Ghostly Souls who haunt the battlefield! Transform your souls into that of the deceased archer, and break the darkness with your Arrow of Silence! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 4! Phantom Knights Silent Bow!" Yuto chanted as his new monster appeared, sporting black armor with blue lining with a ghostly vibe to itself while holding a bow that looked like it was made out of mist.

Silent Bow: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1600 Def

"I activate the effect of Silent Bow, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the effect of a monster on the field until the end of the turn. However, that monster can attack directly this turn. I choose Silent Bow himself!" Yuto exclaimed.

"What?!" Shun gasped.

"Battle! Silent Bow, attack Shun directly and finish this!" Yuto declared as Silent Bow's body disappeared. A blue mist was seen traveling past Final Fortress Falcon. Then, Silent Bow reappeared in front of Shun, ready to shoot.

"Trap activate, Raid Raptors-Force Flight! When you declare an attack, I can change the target of the attack to any Raid Raptors monster on my field! I direct the attack from me to Final Fortress Falcon! Get out of my way, Yuto!" Shun shouted at Yuto as both of their monsters turned to face each other. Silent Boots shot an arrow towards Final Fortress Falcon, however…

"Quick-Play, Phantom Knights Around Burn, activate! During either of our Battle Phases, I banish 2 Phantom Knights Cards from my grave, I banish the 2 Lost Vambraces, now, all monsters on both of our Fields are destroyed, then, the Battle Phase immediately ends!" Yuto explained.

"Oh no!" Shun widened his eyes in shock as he saw all monsters getting hit by meteors.

"I'm not done yet. There's still more to Around Burn, now, we both take 800 points of damage for every monster in our possession that was destroyed." Yuto added.

"From my hand, I activate the Monster Effect of Raid Raptors-Reflecting Lanius, when effect damage would be dealt to me, I can send this card to the grave, negate the damage, then, you take the damage I would have taken. Now, Yuto, disappear, for good!" Shun shouted as a meteor missed Shun as 2 meteors flew towards Yuto, instead of only one.

"This is it, Shun...this is the end of our Duel." Yuto said to Shun as he held up the last card in his hand. "I may be going down, but even though the Phantom Knights fall, they will stop at nothing to make sure that their enemy falls with them! This has gone for too long! Quick-Play, Phantom Knights Self-Destruction! I negate any damage that comes towards me." Yuto explained as the meteors missed him, blowing up on the ground as an explosion appeared behind him. "Now, I banish all Phantom Knights Monsters in my graveyard, then, we both take damage equal to half of the total attack of the banished Monsters." A big ball of appeared in the middle of Yuto and Shun as the spirits of all Phantom Knight Monsters in Yuto's graveyard traveled into the ball.

"Wait! The total of all Phantom Knights Monsters?! The total attack is 4900! So that means-" Shun realized as he widened his eyes.

"That's right, 2450 points of is the last resort of the Phantom Knights! Now, explode!" Yuto shouted as he lifted his hand up to the ball. At his command, the ball in the middle exploded, a big smoke cloud covered both Yuto and Shun. The explosion could be heard from nearby citizens who froze and looked at the explosion. They started to run towards it, wondering what it could be.

Yuto and Shun yelled in pain as they both fell to the floor, bruises and scratches on their faces.

Yuto: 1200-0 Lp

Shun:1200-0 Lp

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Rank-Up-Magic Shadow Force Quick-Play: When a Monster your opponent controls declares an attack, you can target one Xyz Monster on your field, Xyz Summon a Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than the chosen Monster. This card is then attached to the Special Summoned Monster. If the Monster this card is attached is destroyed, you can banish this card from your graveyard, activate a Rank-Up-Magic Card from your hand or deck.**

 **Phantom Knights Substitute Trap: When your opponent declares an attack, you can return a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster on your Field to the Extra Deck, negate the attack, then, Special Summon 2 Phantom Knight Monster with the same level from your hand, deck, or graveyard. You can banish this card from your graveyard, Special Summon 2 Phantom Knights Monsters with the same level from your graveyard. Then, Xyz Summon a Phantom Knights Monster using those 2 Monsters.**

 **Phantom Knights Silent Bow Dark, Warrior, Xyz: Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, you can negate the effect of a Monster on the Field until the end of the turn, however, that Monster can attack directly this turn. If this card is in your grave, you can banish it, target one Monster on your field, that Monster can attack this turn, but any damage done by a direct attack is halved until the end of the turn.**

 **Raid Raptors-Force Flight Trap: When an opponent's Monster declares an attack, you can change the attack target to a Raid Raptors Monster that you control.**

 **Raid Raptors-Reflecting Lanius Dark, Winged-Beast: When you would take effect damage, you can send this card to the grave, negate the damage, then, your opponent takes damage equal to the negated amount.**

 **Phantom Knights Self-Destruction Quick-Play: This card can only be activated if you would take damage. When this card is activated, negate the damage, then, banish all Phantom Knights Monsters in your graveyard, then, deal damage to both players equal to half of the total amount of banished Monsters.**

* * *

 **And it ends in a draw!**

 **I think some of you guys might have seen that coming. On a side note, this is the first duel in this fanfiction that has ever ended in a draw. Yay, I guess.**

 **For this chapter, I think it was ok, how it turned out. I definitely think it was better than last chapter though.**

 **Just a thing before the chapter preview, I decided to give the Doktor more of a antagonistic role. Let's be honest, all he did was control the girls, and even still, only 3 of them dueled. The doktor himself didn't even duel, he was just carded on the spot. In this fanfic, the doktor will duel 1 or 2 times.**

 **Also, a question for you guys. How do you spell the doktor's name? Is it "doctor," as in the occupation, or is it "doktor" the way I have been spelling it the entire chapter. If I remember correctly, in an episode of the anime, the subs spelled out "Doctor." But, I'm still not sure. It's not a big thing, but if you guys could tell me, I would appreciate it.**

 **Anyways, here is the chapter preview.**

 **After their duel, Shun and Yuto call a temporary truce. Shun stops carding the people he beats, then he can assault as many LDS students as he wants. Shark comes to watch Yuya's Duel against Mieru Hochun, however, he sees Yuya perform something very unexpected.**

 **Matrixnis: Thanks. I tried to make this chapter better than the last one. Tell me if it was better or not if you review this chapter.**

 **Anyways, that should be all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Sorry for another short one guys. Also, sorry for the little bit of a late update, I made sure to check for any errors in the Duel before posting it. Also, keep in mind I used the anime effect of Final Fortress Falcon.**

 **One more thing, by the time this chapter is out, we will have reached over 100,000 words. Not a good accomplishment compared to others, but I'll take it.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	28. Arcane Dragon with Dual-Colored Eyes

"Did you hear that explosion?" A woman asked a man.

"Yeah. I hear they are sending out LDS officials to go check it out. But I'm going to go take a peek. Before the explosion, I was hearing roars of a dragon and a bird. If my ears were working right, I'm pretty sure I heard electricity too." The man responded as he went to go check the scene of the explosion.

Slowly, at the place of the explosion, both Yuto and Shun rose to their feet. However, both were feeling massive pain in their bodies and were very tired. However, that pain and feeling of exhaustion soon disappeared when they heard the voices of many people, and they were hearing footsteps, coming their way. In a flash, Yuto and Shun wall jumped to a separate roof above their alleyway. They positioned themselves so they were facing each other. They were staring at one another dead in the eye.

Shun looked down and saw LDS officials. Shun was about to jump down, however…

"Don't even think about it!" Yuto jumped over to Shun and blocked his way.

"Out of my way. I don't have time for this bullshit!" Shun cursed at Yuto.

"Shun. I'll make a deal for you." Yuto said.

"What is this deal?" Shun asked with an annoyed expression.

"For the rest of the day, you can't assault LDS students. Also, if you beat any LDS students in a duel after tomorrow, YOU CAN'T CARD THEM." Yuto put an emphasis on the last part about not carding the students. "Oh yeah, that goes for anyone who works at LDS too.

"Only for a week then. Deal?" Shun proposed.

"...It's a start. Deal. No crossing your fingers or your toes now Shun." Yuto told Shun.

"Hmph. Whatever. I'm going back to hideout. Come along if you like, I don't really care if you do." Shun told Yuto as he left the rooftop they were standing on.

* * *

Later

The LDS officials were coming back from where the explosion occurred, however, they had found nothing.

"President." Nakajima called for Reiji through his communicator when he was in the transport truck.

"Speak, Nakajima." Reiji calmly allowed Nakajima to speak.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find much. All we found was some debris from the wall along with those ominous talons. However, unlike the assault incidents, the victim didn't leave anything behind." Nakajima informed Reiji the news.

"Interesting. Perhaps the victim, was not a victim at all. Perhaps one of the Duelists was that Duelist from the Marco incident. I think the person Dueling him was trying to stop him. However, the person used Xyz, and they weren't a part of LDS. Also, I noticed something peculiar. If you recall, Marco was delivered to us sealed in a card a couple of days ago. Along with Tio, who was also in a card. However, if you remember, Sawatari was assaulted, however, he wasn't sealed into a card. Also, at the scene of the Tio and Marco incidents, there were talons on the walls (I'm just gonna say that there were talons on the walls for Shun's Duel against Tio in the anime, I can't remember.) However, at Sawatari, there was no sign of the talon marks, only destruction to the warehouse. This makes me believe that there are 2 Xyz culprits out there. I think the one in the Sawatari incident dueled the one in the Marco and Tio incident. We recorded some very strong summoning signals at the time of the Duel. This is only my assumption, of course." Reiji told Nakajima.

Nakajima remained silent. Reiji's explanation did make sense. But why was the Xyz Duelists dueling each other? Are they comrades? If so, then again, why were they Dueling? Why did the culprit from the Sawatari incident never attack again? These questions made Nakajima very frustrated.

"Report back to LDS. There, we will devise a plan." Reiji commanded Nakajima.

"Yes sir."

* * *

At the duel between Yuya and Mieru

The duel was already underway. Shark had appeared in the middle of it. Mieru had a ritual monster on the field and two face-up Monsters, while Yuya had Stargazer and Timegazer in his Pendulum Zones along with a set card. Shark stood at the entrance watching the duel, he just came in to hear Mieru say something interesting to Yuya.

"If you continue struggling like this, you'll do something that can't be undone!" Mieru warmed Yuya.

"Can't be undone?" Shark questioned. Yuya looked at Mieru with a blank expression.

"It doesn't matter what I say, does it? My turn, draw! I activate Tarotrei's effect. All Flip Monsters on my Field are put into face-down Defense Position! Full Sleep!" Mieru exclaimed.

"Flip Monsters?" Shark hadn't seen one of those Monsters in a while.

 _The card I just set, Performapal Call, allows me to negate a direct attack… and then I am allowed to add "Performapal" Monsters from my Deck to my hand whose total Defense equal the negated Monster's attack. With Petal Elf and Ouija Morrigan face-down, the only one who can attack me now is just Tarotray. With this, I can fend off a direct attack and add another monster to my hand…_ Yuya's thoughts were interrupted by Mieru.

"Didn't I tell you to stop struggling? Let me divine the consequences of your actions with this Action Card." Mieru told Yuya as the platform she was standing on lifted her up to an Action Card, which she picked up. She widened her eyes when she saw it. "This is...fine. Action Magic, Draw Lock! Until you send an Action Card to your graveyard, you cannot draw."

Chains appeared on Yuya's Duel Disk, shocking him.

"Draw sealing?!" Yuya looked at his chained up Duel Disk.

"The cards themselves are telling you to stop fighting against your destiny. I won't criticize you, just surrender." Mieru commanded Yuya.

"If I give here, my path to becoming a pro will...NO! I don't want that!" Yuya yelled to himself as he started running for an Action Card.

"It's come to this, and he's still…" Mieru whispered to herself. "If this is how it's going to be, then I have to end the Duel as soon as possible. I set one card and end my turn!"

 _The card I set, Reverse Reuse, is a Trap Card that allows me to Special Summon 2 Flip Monsters from my graveyard onto my opponent's Field in face-up Defense Position. When I activate this, I can use Petal Elf and Ouija Morrigan to end this Duel for sure. I can end it without fulfilling that prophecy! Mieru thought._

As all of this was going on, the chains holding up the chandelier slightly cracked. (I can't remember if it was holding up a chandelier but it was something like that.)

Shark's ears perked up, he swore he had heard something crack. He looked around quickly making sure nothing too dangerous was breaking. However, he could find what it was.

Yuya quickly ran up some stairs as he began his turn. "My turn!"

"Because of the effect of Draw Lock, you can't Draw a card!" Mieru reminded Yuya.

"I already know that! But still, I won't give up!" Yuya responded as he jumped off the stairs.

"Stop this already! Continuing this Duel won't benefit you in anyway!" Mieru told Yuya. However, her voice was heard on deaf ears, as Yuya grabbed a ledge, and continued to look for an Action Card. "Give up already!" Mieru continued. "Don't you hear me telling you it's dangerous!"

"Dangerous?" Futoshi questioned.

"Besides falling off, what's so dangerous about what Yuya-oniichan is doing?" Ayu asked out loud, while other members of the audience looked on in confusion.

"I don't know…" Tatsuya said to himself as he looked around the room for any sign of danger.

"Hmm…" Shark kept scanning the room. He heard Yuya yelling and looked up. Yuya was running towards a platform with an Action Card. It was at this moment Shark knew what was wrong, the chain was breaking.

"Yuya! Stop running! The chain is going to-" The rest of Shark's sentence was cut off by the snap of the chains, causing the platform/chandelier to collapse. However, Yuya kept running for the Action Card.

The entire thing collapsed, and the entire audience screamed in fear as a big dust cloud formed and blocked their view. When the dust cloud cleared, Yuya was nowhere to be found. This worried everyone, particularly Shark, Nico, Tatsuya, Futoshi, and Ayu. Mieru got a sad look on her face as she closed her eyes and looked away. However, at that moment, a piece of rock shifted off the pile, and out came Yuya's signature tomato-like hair.

The audience gasped in amazement and shock as Yuya stood up and showed that he picked up the Action Card. "Action Magic, Miracle!"

"Alright!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"You did it, Yuya-oniichan!" Ayu lifted her arms up in joy.

"Shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed as he shook his butt.

"It can't be...his fate changed? He overcame his life-threatening crisis with a miracle!?" Mieru whispered.

"He opened up the previously closed-off path to his future!" A woman watching the Duel through a crystal ball is. (This woman has no significance, I don't know her name, I don't think her name was ever mentioned.)

"I send one Action Card to my graveyard in order to dispel Draw Lock!" The chains on Yuya's Duel Disk disappeared.

"He pulled it off with a miracle. This teaches me that no matter how bad and desperate things are…miracles can still happen." Shark said to himself as he smiled. But, he put a frown on his face again. "However...Yuya needs to bet this on his next draw! Can he perform another miracle?"

"Alright! With this, I can bet it all on this one card. Draw!" Yuya looked at the card and gasped in shock. "Fusion!? This is Yuzu's...why is it in…" Yuya suddenly had a flashback to earlier, where he overslept and was late to the duel. He was quickly gathering up his cards and accidently took Fusion.

 _Back then! Kgh, I was betting my future on this draw!_ Yuya thought to himself.

He was placed in a gray void, however, he didn't notice this yet.

"Why did I draw a card I can't use?!" Yuya yelled. However, at that moment, an image of a dragon with dual-colored eyes appeared in his head. An image of using Fusion played in his head.

In the real world, Yuya stood up and put a smile on his face. He walked up the leftovers of the chandelier and held out his arms and faced the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Yuya yelled out as Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi got smiles on their faces while Mieru got a shocked look. "Already setting my Pendulum Scale is the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician. With this, I'm able to summon any monsters between levels 2 and 7. Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear now! My monsters!" Yuya yelled as beams of light came out of a circle in between his Magicians.

"Take a good look at these gallant figures!" Yuya called out to the audience.

Entermate Kaledio Scorpion: Level 6, 100 Atk, 2300 Def

Entermate Partnaga: Level 5, 500 Atk, 2100 Def

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Tarotray's effect! My face-down Monsters will now be flipped up. Full Rebirth! With Petal Elf's Flip effect, all of my opponent's monsters are switched to Defense Mode! Isn't it great you avoided your fate of destruction? Now I can win this duel with a clear conscience. At the end phase, Ouija Morrigan will destroy all Defense Monsters you control, and for each one destroyed, you take 200 points of damage. Your life is at 300, this is the end." Mieru told Yuya.

"This again. What does Yuya have planned?" Shark wondered.

"I wonder about that, miss." Yuya replied.

Mieru slightly blushed out of surprise. "Miss?"

"I activate Entermate Spring Goose's effect! By banishing this card from my grave, I can return 2 cards on the field to my hand. Return, Stargazer, Timegazer." More images of the monster appeared in Yuya's head.

 _Just wait, I'm going to free you!_ Yuya thought to himself.

"I release Entermate Kaleido scorpion in order to Advance Summon the Level 5 Stargazer Magician." Kaleido scorpion disappeared as Stargazer took the field.

Stargazer: Level 5, 1200 Atk, 2400 Def

At this moment, Sora and Yuzu came out of the entrance, making it to the duel just in time. They noticed Shark, but didn't say anything to him because they wanted to see the duel.

"Good, it's not over yet!" Sora told Yuzu, who caught up.

"Now!" Yuya started as he lifted up a card from his hand.

"That's-!" Yuzu got interested in the card he lifted.

"From my hand, i activate the Magic, Fusion!" Yuya declared as he placed Fusion in his Duel Disk, this shocked everyone as all of the audience gasped.

"What?!" Nico Smiley yelled out in shock.

"Fusion?!" Shark said with a tone of hate and surprise, however, no one except Sora heard the hate in his voice, but Sora pushed it aside.

"Yuya's going to Fusion Summon!?" Sora let out while Yuzu kept on watching.

The Extra Deck of Yuya's Duel Disk was shining with a yellow light. "The Monsters I will fuse are Stargazer Magician and Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Wielder of mysterious powers, become the bright light and dwell in the eyes of the dragon! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Arcane dragon wielder of ancient magic! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya chanted as his new Monster appeared. Roaring out loud, excited to be released.

Rune Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Th-This is…" Both Shark and Nico said at the same time.

"A 3000 attack Fusion Monster?!" Mieru exclaimed, however, she regained her composure. "But too bad, you won't be able to wipe out my life with that! Your fate of defeat remains unchanged!"

Yuya smiled. "Miss, if Rune Eyes Pendulum Dragon used a Spellcaster-Type Monster that was on the Field as a Fusion Material, I change the amount of times it can attack based on the level of that Spellcaster."

"What?!"

"It fused with Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Tatsuya exclaimed.

"Stargazer's level is 5!" Ayu noted.

"If the Fusion Material's level is 5 or 6, it can attack 3 times!" Yuya revealed, shocking everyone, even Sora and Shark. "It's showtime!" A spirit of Stargazer Magician turned into a tiny green ball as Yuya jumped on Rune Eyes, soon, there were multiple green spheres (I'm not saying balls cause that sounds wrong.) All spheres combined into a triangle shaped beam, each ball representing the triangle's points were placed on the circle on Rune Eyes' head. Rune Eyes roared and jumped at Mieru's Monsters.

"Battle, miss." Yuya said as Rune Eyes ran across the wall. "I attack Ouija Morrigan, Petal Elf, and Tarotray! Now here comes the climax! Eternal Shining Burst!" Two of the three spheres on Rune Eyes slammed into a Petal Elf and Morrigan, however, a beam of green light shot out of the last sphere at Mieru's Ritual Monster. Before the attack connected, Mieru looked at Yuya, who winked at her, it was at this moment, Mieru found her 'fated' person...aka she got a crush on Yuya.

Mieru fell back and screamed softly as her monster was destroyed and her life Mieru: 4000-0 Lp

Shark looked at Yuzu and Sora. "Hey, you 2."

"Hmm, what is it Shark?" Yuzu asked.

"Tell Yuya he did a good job, I need to go take care of something." Shark lied. Well, he lied about needing to go take care of something, he actually meant Yuya did a good job.

Shark left the room in a hurry and went to go tell the others what he saw. He still couldn't believe, Yuya Fusion Summoned!

"First when I meet him Yuya said he doesn't have an Extra Deck, later that day, he Xyz Summons. Now, he says he doesn't have a Fusion Monster, he Fusion Summons today. What is going on here?" Shark asked himself as he kept running.

* * *

 **Ok. This chapter was basically a repeat of the Duel in the anime, except with some of Shark's thoughts. I am sorry for that. I am also sorry for the short chapter. However, since it's Christmas, I wanted to spend time with my family, so I made this chapter short. Hope you guys understand.**

 **Next chapter will have a repeat Duel (sorry) and it will have the buildup to a Duel the chapter after. If you guys want, you can guess the Duel that will happen in 2 chapters. I'll give you a hint, the Duel never happened in the anime, but a lot of people wanted it to happen. Also, the Duel is a one-on-one.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **Shark returns to hideout to find out that Shun and Yuto had a Duel, and that they worked some things out with each other. He also tells them (and O'Brien) about Yuya Fusion Summoning and how he said he didn't have a Fusion Monster before, which sparks some interest in Yuto. Now days later, Masumi lures Shun into a trap in order to Duel him. She calls Hokuto and Yaiba and the 3 team up against him. Meanwhile, Yuzu is looking for Masumi but is stopped by Yuto. Shun manages to beat the 3 kids, however, he is then confronted by Akaba Reiji.**

 **Venomous Blade: I kind of wanted Yuto to win, but I decided against because although Shun is blinded by rage, he is still a Duelist with remarkable skill. Anyways, about the doktor, I always thought he could do more than act like a hated sadistic character that controlled and took away the shine from the REAL Bracelet girls.**

 **Matrixnis: Don't worry, Yuto will Duel way more times. He is the protagonist of this story after all. I just want to make sure that he isn't taking all of the glory. In the anime, it was Yuya, Yuzu in the beginning who had the shine, and that was it, albeit, Shun did have some great Duels. Yuri and Yugo were great characters, and Yuto got killed off too early despite being a good character. After the Synchro arc, Yuzu and the other girls were treated horribly, and the other characters other than Yuya didn't do much. Thanks, I'll just spell doktor. It fits the character more, cause when I write out 'doktor,' it seems like the name of an evil character, lol. But we all know that actually is true. About the people, I realized my mistake, I should have some random people have said something like, "What was that?!" Or "Did you hear that explosion?!" Well, maybe not the second one, cause I just realized that was the first line of the chapter. Thanks for catching me on that.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I hope you guys have a great Christmas.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	29. Questions Answered

**Just a heads up before we begin. In the chapter preview, I said "days later", I actually meant to say later that that day. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Shark returned to the hideout to see Yuto, Shun, and O'Brien just sitting there. What he noticed was Yuto and Shun were eyeing eying each other, not looking at anything else. All of their focus was one each other. Shark could feel a lot of tension in between the two.

"What happened to them?" Shark asked O'Brien.

"Yuto challenged Shun and they Dueled. It came out as a draw. They agreed on something where Shun wouldn't card anyone for a while but he could assault as many LDS students as he wanted." O'Brien informed Shark.

Shark lifted his brow. "Interesting. How many people from LDS has he carded and beaten?"

"I lost count." O'Brien replied. "A lot though."

"I'm heading out." Shun suddenly said, shocking Shark and O'Brien.

"I'll go too. We have a deal, but I'm just going to make sure no one gets in your way." Yuto told Shun. Shock was seen on Shun's for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Whatever. Just don't get in my way and punch me in the stomach again!" Shun warned Yuto as they both left.

"Something wrong?" O'Brien asked as he got up to his feet.

"It's Yuya." Shark said.

"What's wrong about him? Did he lose one of his Duels that he needs to get into the championship?" O'Brien guessed.

"No. He won his match today actually. But, it's the way he did won. He fused Fusion Summoning." Shark revealed.

"Really?!" O'Brien widened his eyes. He was shocked at this news, but then he got suspicious. "Wait, I thought Yuya didn't have a Fusion Monster."

"Exactly. He said the same thing that one day. He said he didn't have an Extra Deck, but then he Xyz Summons against that Akaba Reiji guy."

* * *

 _Flashback-Yuya vs Reiji_

 _Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 7! Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon! Yuya yelled as his new Monster appeared._

* * *

Now

"Interesting. Well, we shouldn't worry about it now." O'Brien told Shark. "I'm gonna go fix up my Deck. You can go out if you want."

* * *

At LDS

"What?! You're sending out students as bait?!" Nakajima yelled.

"Yes." A man responded.

"But they are just kids!" Nakajima rebutted.

"Kids who are at the top of their class and are one of the best Duelists LDS has to offer." The man quickly countered.

On the screen on the observatory, it switched from a view of Masumi walking, to Yaiba looking around, to Hokuto walking around.

"Let it happen, Nakajima." A voice suddenly said. Akaba Reiji was seen coming up an elevator and into the observatory.

"But President, with all due respect to you, they are just kids, they could easily get hurt and end up like the others at LDS." Nakajima argued.

"They can take care of themselves. Besides, we have the top team coming soon to back them up. Those mysterious Duelists _will_ show up." Reiji told Nakajima calmly.

* * *

Meanwhile

"Let's have a huge party today to celebrate my qualification for the Junior Youth Championship!" Sora exclaimed in excitement.

"Not yet!" Yuya said.

"Huh?! Why?" Sora questioned.

"I still have to win one more, so the celebrating is on hold until I finish my last Duel!" Yuya explained his reason for holding off the celebration.

"What?! But then if you don't qualify, we don't get a party?!" Sora asked in fear.

"Why, you!" Yuya yelled as he grinned and got Sora in a headlock. He and Sora started to laugh.

"I really want to eat some cake!"

"Once I qualify, I'll let you eat cake until you're sick of it!" Yuya exclaimed. The 3 kids laughed along with them while Yuzu looked at her Fusion Card in silence.

* * *

 _Flashback-Days earlier_

 _This card doesn't suit you. Yuto told Yuzu as he showed her the Fusion Card._

* * *

Now

Yuzu looked up as she saw Kotsu Masumi looking around, before running into an alleyway, Yuzu decided to run after her.

"Where are you going, Yuzu-oneechan?" Tatsuya asked as Yuya and Sora stopped laughing and looked at Yuzu.

"I remembered something I have to do!" Yuzu yelled back as she kept running.

"Something to do?" Yuya repeated.

"Is she getting the cake?!" Sora asked with happiness.

"Sorry, go back without me!" Yuzu called out while the group looked at her in surprise as Yuzu kept running away.

* * *

In a different area

There was a flock of birds (I don't know what they are, they're either crows or ravens) perched on a building, they were stalking Masumi, as if they knew something bad was about to happen to her.

Masumi gasped, there, standing in front of her, was Shun.

Shun turned to her with a serious and stoic face. "Are you alone?"

Masumi gave Shun a look of confusion, not knowing what he is talking about.

"Where are the brat and the girl from last time?" Shun interrogated Masumi.

"I don't know." At that moment, Yuzu ran into an alleyway. Masumi clenched her fist.

"I always thought that it was the black-masked man...the one who had attacked Professor Marco. What did you do with Professor Marco!?" Masumi demanded for an answer.

"Marco?" Shun repeated the name of Masumi's teacher.

"Yes, it's the name of the LDS teacher who taught me Fusion Summoning." Masumi told Shun.

"Oh, him." Shun said, now knowing who Masumi was talking about. "He wasn't that much of a challenge." Shun lifted his hand. "His lack of combat experience showed in his weak and flimsy-"

"SHUT UP!" Masumi interrupted Shun. "Professor Marco is my teacher! I won't forgive you for belittling him!"

"It wasn't just Marco! Everyone from LDS was flimsy and pathetic! In not one of my Duels against them did I sense an iron determination or steeled strength!" Shun admitted.

"Then...does that mean everyone from the other cases-?!" Masumi trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"I did it." Shun revealed. "If you say you won't forgive me, then…" Shun held up his Duel Disk and activated it. "Sate your grudge by defeating me!"

* * *

At the observatory

"President." Nakajima said. Reiji looked at him. "The team is at your command."

"Target located." They heard Masumi say, with that, they looked back at the screen.

* * *

With Shun and Masumi

"Hokuto, Yaiba, get here quickly!" Masumi commanded.

"Roger!" Hokuto replied through Masumi's Duel Disk, already on his way.

* * *

With Yaiba

"Sorry, finish up the rest on your own." Yaiba told Gongenzaka before leaving, making Gongenzaka look on in confusion as he deactivated his Duel Disk.

* * *

With Yuzu

Yuzu was walking through an alley, looking for Masumi, however, she looked ahead and saw a black shoe walk in front of her. More of the person was revealed, and Yuzu saw Yuto.

"I cannot let you go any further." Yuto told her.

* * *

With Shun

"So you called your friends? But you underestimate me if you think two more will suffice." Shun told Masumi.

"Don't worry. You're already well-known at LDS. Since I knew what you look like, I was used as bait, walking around town waiting for you to show yourself. Simply put, you fell for our trap!" Masumi pointed at Shun.

"That's right!" Hokuto came out of nowhere next to Masumi. "Don't you worry, Masumi. We're definitely going to avenge Professor Marco!" This shocked Masumi, then out of nowhere, Yaiba skidded to a halt right next to Masumi, grinning.

"Let's finish this up before the top team shows up! If we manage to catch the criminal ourselves, our opportunities will widen!" Yaiba told Masumi.

"Yaiba...Hokuto…" Masumi whispered.

"How about we go with the battle royale rules? None of us can draw or enter battle on our first turn." Yaiba told Shun.

"Fine. I'll finish you and your friends off all at once." Shun told the group calmly.

With Yuto and Yuzu

"I don't want my comrade to be interrupted." Yuto said.

"Your comrade...you mean that one guy from back then? Wait, don't tell me he's fighting Masumi right now as we speak?"

Meanwhile

Masumi strapped on her Duel Disk and activated it alongside Yaiba and Hokuto.

DUEL!

* * *

Back with Yuto and Yuzu

"Please, stop him! Didn't you stop him back then too? Why this time…" Yuzu trailed off.

"You don't need to know why. I don't want to involve you." Yuto told Yuzu. This made her frustrated, as a result, she started to run past Yuto, however, with great reflex, Yuto grabbed Yuzu's wrist.

"I don't want you to get hurt!" Yuto raised his voice.

"You don't want to hurt me?" Yuzu repeated. "Why are you saying things like that to me while you go around and hurt other people?!" Yuto gasped slightly. Yuzu forced Yuto's hand off her wrist. "Are you saying it's fine if Masumi gets hurt?!" Yuto looked down at the floor, away from Yuzu. "Just who are you!? No, the other guy too! Answer me! Who are you? What are you after?"

Yuto finally decided to give her a little insight, he looked at her. "We're after our comrades...saving our dear comrades who have been captured by our enemy!"

"Captured comrades…? Is that...Ruri?" Yuto gasped when Yuzu said that. "That person...he looked at me and called me Ruri. Is Ruri your captured comrade? Do I look like her…?" Yuto took of his mask.

"That's what I thought at first. 'Why is Ruri here…?' But you aren't Ruri! Ruri would never learn the enemy's summoning method, with a smile on her face no less!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Enemy?" Yuzu questioned.

"Yes. The Summoning Method of our enemy is...Fusion." Yuto revealed.

"Fusion Summoning? The reason I learned Fusion Summoning was to protect the school...because I wanted to protect my friends!" Yuto gasped again. She had good reason, plus, she didn't know about the invasion.

* * *

Back with Shun

"As I thought, I don't feel an iron determination or a steeled strength in your Dueling!" Shun told the 3.

"What was that?!" Yaiba exclaimed in shock.

Hokuto smirked. I'm amazed you can even run your mouth when you're this badly beaten!"

"That's right, because ever since that fateful day, we were always badly beaten and fighting and living on the edge." Shun explained.

"We?" Yaiba repeated.

"What is this guy on about?" Hokuto asked.

"But, we always had to stand up again!" Shun gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "We had to continue fighting, until we finally overwhelm and eradicate our enemies! MY TURN!" Shun drew his card with so much force, a strong gust of wind was released, all of the birds/ravens in the area went crazy, they started flying above the 3 LDS kids, now definitely knowing something bad was going to happen to them.

"I activate the Magic Card, Dimension Xyz! If my life is below 1000 and there are 3 of the same card in my Hand or Graveyard, I can Xyz Summon using those Monsters as overlay units! Using the 3 Vanishing Lanius' in my graveyard, I overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" In a wall of flames, Shun's ace monster flew out.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

Hokuto and Masumi looked at the Monster in confusion. "100 attack…"

"This Monster can attack every Special Summoned Monster on the Field!" Shun revealed.

"What was with that 'eradicate' nonsense? There is absolutely no way you can beat us with that low of an attack!" Yaiba told Shun.

"I activate Rise Falcon's effect. By detaching an overlay unit, it gains attack equal to the total attack of all of my opponent's Special Summoned Monsters!" Shun explained as beams of light coming from the Monsters clashed into Rise Falcon, making it burn up with fire.

Rise Falcon: 100-16400 Atk

"1-16400!?" Yaiba took a step back.

"No way!" Masumi exclaimed.

"Seriously?!" Yaiba yelled in shock.

"Battle! Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon! Rend and tear all of our enemies to shreds! Brave Claw Revolution!" Shun declared as Rise Falcon flew high into the air before skydiving down, striking the LDS trio's Monsters, destroying them. All 3 kids yelled in pain as they were thrown back. Yaiba and Hokuto fell to the ground face-up unconscious while Masumi was face-down also unconscious. Their life points had dropped to 0.

* * *

With Yuto and Yuzu

"We, too, are fighting to protect our comrades. In order to end this conflict, and to create a world where no one has to get to ever get hurt! I don't want to involve you in that conflict. However, if you have no choice but to fight, I want you to survive! Even if it means using Fusion Summoning! The you who is trying to become stronger to protect your friends…The you who is trying to change yourself isn't wrong." Yuto told Yuzu as he smiled. These words shocked Yuzu.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Yuya turned to face Yuzu and smiled. "With that, you're trying to change yourself into a different Yuzu from up until now!_

* * *

Now

Yuto continued to smile. "I'll continue to fight! With Ruri and my comrades. In order to save our future! Hmph, you are a lot like Ruri…" Yuto started to walk away.

"Wait! Tell me! Who is Ruri?" Yuzu asked. Yuzu winced as a strong gust of wind came.

"Ruri is one of our comrades, and Shun's younger sister." Yuto answered, his cape flying around because of the wind.

"What about you? What's your name?" Yuzu asked.

"Me…? I...am Yuto." Yuto replied as the gust of wind became stronger. Yuzu covered her eyes gain and looked away. When she looked back to where Yuto was standing, he was gone.

"Yuto…" Yuzu repeated the boys name.

* * *

With Shun

Shun stood over Masumi as the 3 kids laid unconscious. Soon, he heard multiple footsteps, he turned around to see Nakajima and other officials from LDS standing there.

"Took you long enough...but I'm sick of fighting small fry! Bring me your boss!" Shun commanded.

"If you want me, I am right here." Reiji said. Shun gasped.

Nakajima and the others stepped aside and made way for Akaba Reiji, who was walking towards Shun. Now was the moment that Shun had been waiting for, a chance to Duel Akaba Reiji, beat him, and use him as ransom. He thought this would get him one step closer to stopping Academia and getting his sister back.

Well, he was right...in a way.

* * *

 **False alarm! No Duel, just the last turn of a Duel in the anime. I didn't want to bore you guys with that, but I wanted to keep the last turn in because it was a really badass turn.**

 **Sorry for the really short chapter here guys. But, to be honest, I think covering basically all of episode 24 in this chapter is good.**

 **Anyways, not much to say here, so...here is the chapter preview.**

 **Shun finally has the chance to face off against Reiji. Shun challenges him to a Duel, although Reiji doesn't seem interested and wants to get to the chase of why he was there, he accepts the challenge. The 2 start to duke it out, little does Shun know, that he facing the man who controls all 3 Summoning Methods, along with the newest, Pendulum Summoning.**

 **Here you go! Reiji and Shun are Dueling. I didn't show the Duel this chapter because...well, I don't have a good reason actually. I just guess I want to save the Duel for next chapter. Just stay patient guys, the Duel will be next episode. I think a lot of people wanted this Duel to happen in the anime, but it never happened. Because at the time, both Duelists were undefeated, well… Reiji actually had a loss but that's because he surrendered to Yuya when he definitely could do something. But who knows who would have won that Duel, but I think Reiji would have won.**

 **Guest: Thanks!**

 **Totallynotobsessedperson: No, this is episode 24. The events of episode 21 were covered in chapters 25-27 basically, except I added a Duel between Yuto and Shun. The events of episode 22-23 were basically covered last chapter. Shark is suspicious of Sora, he's thinking he is from Academia at this point.**

 **Anyways. That's all for this chapter guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	30. Falcons VS Different Dimension Demons

"And you are?" Shun asked, although he already knows who it is, just from the amount of respect he is getting.

Reiji adjusted his glasses. "Akaba Reiji. Leo Corporation's current president."

"Akaba...Reiji…" Shun repeated the name, now knowing that it was him, the person that he was looking for.

"The fact that you continue to assault parties related to Leo Corporation such as LDS in this Miami City means you wish to meet me. Am I mistaken?" Reiji asked.

Shun smirked. "You're… Akaba Reiji...The son of Akaba Leo? I've been waiting for this moment ever since I arrived here! Now come at me! Duel me!"

"Before that, let me ask you...as to why you are fighting me." Reiji said.

"I don't need to answer that!" Shun replied rudely

"It's most likely to rescue your comrades." Shun gasped when heard those words. "The girl collapsed behind you testified that you said this when she first encountered you.

* * *

 _Flashback-At the Docks_

" _Ruri!" Shun exclaimed as he walked towards Yuzu, who took a step back and gasped. Shun took of his shades. "Why is Ruri here…? Did you get away?! Did you manage to escape on your own!?"_

* * *

Now

"From there, I deduced that Ruri is to you...no, to all of you, a dear comrade. And it would seem that she is currently captured by your enemy. And even now, Ruri has yet to escape from the enemy's clutches. That's why you are continuing to attack LDS like this." Reiji explained to Shun.

A small pause filled the space between both Reiji and Shun. Shun smirked, and broke the silence.

"There's no doubt that Ruri is still in captivity now. But I will save her! In order to do that I just need you!" Shun pointed at Reiji.

"Just as I had suspected. So simply put, you wish to use me as a hostage to exchange." Reiji guessed, though, it sounded like Reiji actually knew what Shun wanted.

"That's right. The reason I kept attacking LDS and the reason I sent you the cards with the souls sealed inside...it was all to draw you out! If I had his son as a bargaining chip, then even Akaba Leo will be unable to say no!" Shun explained to Reiji his plan ever since his arrival to Standard.

"I wonder about that." Reiji suddenly said.

Shun gasped. "What?"

"I have a hard time believing that he values me that much." Reiji informed Shun.

"What do you mean?" Shun demanded for an answer.

"Never mind that…" Reiji adjusted his glasses again. "If you wish to fight me, I have no obligations. But I have one condition."

"Condition?" Shun repeated.

"If you alone fulfill my conditions, then I'll gladly be your opponent. That condition is...participate in the Miami Championship." Reiji revealed.

"Miami Championship? What the hell is that?!" Shun questioned.

"I'll go into further details about that upcoming tournament later. Anyways, will you participate?" Reiji asked.

Shun stayed silent for a long time, not answering the question.

"How about this then, we will Duel, no strings attached. If you win, you can do whatever you don't have to participate in the championship. However, if I win, you have to work under me for awhile AND participate in the championship. But even if you win, I would recommend still participating, as it will get you closer to Akaba Leo." Reiji proposed.

"Fine. I will accept these conditions. For my comrades and Ruri! Duel me!" Shun yelled.

"Not so fast. We shouldn't Duel here. Let's Duel somewhere else. Get Yaiba, Hokuto, and Masumi, we'll deal with them later. Follow me." Reiji slowly walked away, Shun stood there in silence before following.

* * *

Later

Nakajima followed Reiji and Shun into the Leo Corporation tower, immediately having fears about the consequences about Kurosaki being here.

"Wait, President! With all due respect, is it really ok to have someone like him be in here?" Nakajima asked.

"Don't worry Nakajima, I had all under control." Reiji assured Nakajima. However, this still didn't make Nakajima feel any better.

Shun and Reiji walked into a Duel Arena, while Nakajima watched through a window.

"This won't be an Action Duel, seeing as you don't know what those are. Anyways, shall we begin?" Reiji asked Shun.

Shun didn't respond and just activated his Duel Disk. Reiji assumed Shun wanted to duel and activated his Duel Disk also.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll go first! I activate the Continuous Magic Dark Contract with the Gate. I use its effect. Once per turn, I can add a level 4 or lower D/D Monster from my Deck to my Hand. I add D/D Swirl Slime." Reiji added his desired Monster to his hand. "Now, I activate D/D Swirl Slime's effect, I can fuse this Monster and other D/D Monsters as Fusion Materials."

"Fusion! Grr!" Shun growled in annoyance.

"I fuse Swirl Slime and D/D Berfomet! Proud knight, be absorbed into the crucible of disaster. Be reborn into a new king! Fusion Summon! Come forth, ruler who carries the glory of God! D/D/D Oracle King - d'Arc!" Reiji chanted as his Monster appeared.

d'Arc: Level 7, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def

"A Fusion Summon. As expected of Akaba Leo's son." Shun remarked as he looked at the Fusion Monster floating above Reiji.

Reiji ignored Shun's statement and continued. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Reiji-san!" Akaba Himeka exclaimed with concern as she ran next to Nakajima watching the Duel. "What's going on?"

"Akaba Reiji has made a deal with the man behind the assaults, he is Dueling him right now." Nakajima informed Himeka, shocking her.

"What?!" Himeka looked at Shun, seeing that he hasn't started his turn yet.

"My turn, draw!" Shun drew his card.

 _Alright. This is Akaba Reiji I'm Dueling now, he should be far above those people I have been Dueling at LDS. If so, then I have to get rid of that Monster. It might prove to be an annoyance later._ Shun thought to himself.

"I Summon Raid Raptors King's Lanius!" Shun summoned his bird as it let out its wings.

King's Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 650 Def

"I use his effect in order to Special Summon Raid Raptors-Vanishing Lanius!"

Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def

"If Vanishing Lanius is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another Vanishing Lanius from my hand. Come forth, my second Vanishing Lanius! I activate Raid Raptors-Sanctuary! If I control 3 or more Raid Raptors Monsters, I can draw 2 cards!" Shun drew 2 cards from his deck. "I, using the level 4 King's Lanius and my 2 Vanishing Lanius', overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun Xyz Summoned his ace Monster and glared at d'Arc and Reiji.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

Reiji narrowed his eyes at Rise Falcon.

"I activate Rise Falcon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, Rise Falcon gains the attack of Special Summoned Monsters my Opponent controls." Shun explained as Rise Falcon's attack was raised.

Rise Falcon: 100-2900 Atk

"Battle! Go, Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon, attack d'Arc! Brave Claw Revolution!" Rise Falcon flew up to and dove towards d'Arc.

"Continuous Trap, Dark Contract with the Witch, during your turn, all Fiend-Type Monsters I control gain 1000 attack." Reiji adjusted his glasses.

d'Arc: 2800-3800 Atk

The attack continued.

"Quick-Play, activate! Raid Raptors-Perseverance! When a Raid Raptors Monster I control would be destroyed, I can negate the destruction. Then, any Raid Raptors Monsters I control can't be destroyed, also. Unfortunately for us, at the end of the turn, you get to draw 2 cards." Shun explained. Rise Falcon was struck by d'Arc's sword, however, the falcon managed to survive. Meanwhile, Shun flinched from the damage.

Shun: 4000-3100 Lp

"I set 3 cards and end my turn." Shun concluded.

"At this moment, the Fiend-Type Monsters lose their 1000 attack point boost." Reiji reminded Shun as Dark Contract with the Witch glowed.

d'Arc: 3800-2800 Atk

"Also, due to the effect of perseverance, you get to draw 2 cards." Shun told Reiji. Reiji drew 2 cards from his deck.

"Whooph, as expected of Reiji-san. He managed to counter the culprits moves." Himeka sighed in relief.

"Hmm…" Nakajima wondered as he paid attention to the Duel.

"Hmph. Not bad so far, however, I can feel that you are blinded by rage and pure aggression. While that may get you far sometimes, it won't get you all the way. I will show that to you in this Duel! My turn, draw! At the Standby Phase, each of my Contracts deals 1000 points of damage. However, with d'Arc on the Field, I can negate the damage, and then gain life points equal to the damage." Reiji explained.

Reiji: 4000-6000 Lp

"I now activate the effect of Dark Contract with the Gate, I add the tuner Monster D/D Nighthowl." Reiji added his tuner to his hand, shocking Shun.

"Tuner?" Shun asked confused, before remembering what Yuto told him. About the Synchro Duelist named Yugo, how he used a tuner in order to perform something called a Synchro Summon.

"Nighthowl's effect activates, when this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a D/D Monster from my grave, however, I can only Special Summon Fiend-Type Monsters for the rest of the turn, also, the attack and defense of the Special Summoned Monster becomes 0. Come forth, D/D Berfomet!" Reiji exclaimed as Berfomet reappeared with 0 attack and defense. "I activate Berformet's effect, I can change the level of a D/D Monster to a level from 1-8. I change the level of Nighthowl to level 8. I tune the level 4 D/D Berfomet with the level 4 D/D Nighthowl! Climb over the corpses of heroes, carrying your bloodstained blade! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 8! DDD Cursed King Siegfried!"

Siegfried: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2200 Def

"Now. I will show you my recent evolution. I, using the Scale 2 D/D Savant Schrodinger and the Scale 8 D/D Savant Nikola!" Reiji exclaimed as he slapped the 2 cards on each end of the blade of his Duel Disk.

"What is this?!" Shun exclaimed in shock.

"Grand power that shakes my very soul, arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters!" Reiji Pendulum Summoned his Monsters. "First is D/D Pandora, second is D/D Proud Chevalier!"

D/D Pandora: Level 5, 1700 Atk, 2100 Def

D/D Proud Chevalier: Level 5, 2000 Atk, 700 Def

"Pendulum Summoning?! More importantly, he has 2 level 5 Monsters! Don't tell me-" Shun widened his eyes.

"I, using both of my level 5 Monsters, overlay! Hero of legends, with your profound justice, pierce through all things! Xyz Summon! Descend! Rank 5! DDD Marksman King - Tell!" Reiji chanted.

Tell: Rank 5, 2300 Atk, 2000 Def

"No way! Not only can he use Fusion, Synchro and Xyz, but he also used a new Summoning Method that I have never even heard of before!" Shun exclaimed.

Himeka clapped in relief and joy. "Good job Reiji-san, you've got him on the ropes. Look like this Duelist wasn't so much talk after all!"

"Yes...but...Chairwoman." Nakajima said.

"Yes?" Himeka asked.

"The Xyz Duelist has 3 set cards, who knows what he has in store for the President with those." Nakajima reminded Himeka, who got a frustrated look on her face after she noticed the set cards Shun had.

"So, this your strength, Akaba Reiji. Then, I will need to have you bare witness to my full strength! I will beat you, and get closer to that scumbag Akaba Leo!" Shun pointed at Reiji. "If you think this is all I have, then you're highly mistaken!"

"I like that confidence. It will prove useful for later." Reiji complimented Shun.

"And how do you think you are going to win?" Shun asked.

"Don't worry. You will find out. After all, I have you right where I want you." Reiji told Shun as he adjusted his glasses once again.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Raid Raptors-Perseverance Quick-Play: When a Raid Raptors Monster(s) you control would be destroyed, you can negate the destruction. Then, Raid Raptors Monster(s) you control can't be destroyed for the rest of the turn. At the end of the turn, your opponent can draw 2 cards.**

* * *

 **We're all done here!**

 **So, if you guys are wondering why I didn't switch to scenes to different characters, I have reasons. Well, actually, only one. I don't think it was a good idea to switch to other characters for this chapter, I don't know why, but I felt like I should have done that.** **To kind of make up for it, I decided to include Himeka's reactions as well as Nakajima's so it doesn't seem like Shun and Reiji are Dueling with transparent ventriloquist dummies watching the Duel.** **Don't worry, you will get to see what some characters are doing. However, Yuya, Gongenzaka, and the other people in the You Show Crew except for Shark and O'Brien won't be shown, as they will be doing the same thing as in the anime, the Duel with Yuya and Gongenzaka. It's about episode 25-26, so I'm not showing them. I might show Shark and I'll most likely get O'Brien in there. Who knows, maybe you guys will get to see Yugo...maybe.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **Reiji continues to assault Shun with his Monsters. Reluctant to give up and persistent to getting closer to Akaba Leo, Shun tries to fight back. The battle of wits (I guess that's Reiji) vs rage (You can obviously tell that's Shun) soon comes to an end.**

 **Venomous Blade: Sorry, you'll have to wait for next chapter. But, I'll tell you this, as you can see on what I said above the preview, Shark and O'Brien won't be watching Yuya's Duel. Actually, I originally had planned to have the Duel between Reiji and Shun postponed to the morning after the night of when they met, aka the morning after this chapter. I wanted Shun to sneak out of the hideout and have O'Brien follow, and somehow have him involved with LDS, but I've decided against it.**

 **Totallynotobsessedperson: Well, the reason I'm not having Shark act like Shun is because Kaito is going to become like Shun later. So, we don't need a Shun 3.0. But, Shark is going to be more on guard than before now that he has suspicions about Sora. Also, he also remembers that although Rio isn't gone, she's still in another dimension. So, while he's gone, he could fear that something could happen to Rio or someone else while he's gone. You have to see what happens. As for your idea, I already planned out the Yuto part, but you helped me on what to do with O'Brien. Thanks to you, I planned out on what I'm going to do with him. Shark, on the other hand, we'll have to see how it plays out.**

 **Matrixnis: I don't really think Yuya would Duel them out of rage really. Well, he would be more likely to Duel Shun out of rage, but if I remember correctly, the only person Serena 'murdered' *cough* *cough* carded was Hokuto. And even then, thanks to Yuzu, she changed, so I don't think Yuya would Duel her out of rage. I don't have plans to have Yuya and Kurosaki Duel though. But, who knows, maybe it will happen. (Actually, in the Miami Championship, during the Battle Royale, I wanted Shun and Yuya to Duel so bad because Shun was suspicious of Yuya because he had Dark Rebellion. I mean, really, is just a talk with Yuto going to convince him to trust Yuya? I don't think so, and he showed that in the Synchro arc, until his Duel against Crow, he still didn't really trust the other Lancers.)**

 **Anyways, sorry if this chapter was disappointing. (I think this is going to be a chapter 26 2.0 lol.) This chapter was also really short. I'll be sure to make it a little longer next time. '**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	31. Room for Improvement

"Battle! Go, d'Arc! Attack Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon!" Reiji declared as d'Arc jumped into the air, ready to strike at Rise Falcon.

"Continuous Trap, Overlay Armor, activate! If a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster would be destroyed by battle, I can detach an overlay unit from that Monster instead." Shun detached an overlay unit from Rise Falcon.

"Not so fast, I activate Siegfried's effect, during either player's turn, I can target a face-up Magic or Trap, that target has its effects negated until the next Standby Phase." Reiji explained Siegfried slashed his sword at the trap, causing it to become gray. Rise Falcon was then destroyed, Shun yelled in pain and fell on his back.

Shun: 3100-400 Lp

"Go, Tell, end this Duel!" Reiji declared.

"Trap activate, Necro Raptor! When a direct attack would deal damage to me, I can make the damage 0, then, I can Special Summon a Raid Raptors Monster in my graveyard. Revive, Rise Falcon!" Shun revived Rise Falcon in defense mode.

"Then, attack Rise Falcon, Siegfried!" Reiji pointed at Rise Falcon as Siegfried struck the bird with its sword, destroying it. Shun stayed calm as Rise Falcon was destroyed.

"I set a card and end my turn." Reiji ended his turn.

"On your End Phase, I activate the Quick-Play, Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force! I can revive an Xyz Monster that was destroyed by battle this turn, then, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the revived Monster." Shun explained.

"What?!" Nakajima widened his eyes.

Himeka hd a shocked expression on her face. "Rank-Up-Magic?"

"Interesting." Reiji whispered to himself as he looked at Shun in interest.

"I revive Rise Falcon, and then rank him up! Ferocious falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Raid Raptors - Blaze Falcon!" Shun raised his fist into the air as his Monster appeared.

Blaze Falcon: Rank 5, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"You thought that this would be the end of me? You're wrong! I'm more than what I seem to be, I will beat you, Akaba Reiji! My turn!" Shun shouted as he drew his card.

* * *

Meanwhile

"Oi! Yuto!" Shark called out to Yuto.

"Something wrong, Shark?" Yuto asked.

"We're having a bit of a problem. We're running out of food and supplies." Shark told Yuto.

"Already? This is also another reason why I was hesitant to bring you and O'Brien…" Yuto whispered. "Where's O'Brien?"

"I don't know. He's tinkering with that dimensional transport thing on my Duel Disk. Because we were only limited to traveling between Xyz and Standard." Shark explained.

"Well he isn't doing it in the hideout right now." Yuto informed Shark, he hasn't seen O'Brien since Shark came back from that Duel.

In reality, Shark's Duel Disk was already finished, O'Brien was busy looking for Shun, as he hasn't come back in a while. However, he wasn't having any luck finding him.

* * *

With O'Brien

"Damn! Where could he be?!" O'Brien exclaimed as he looked in an alleyway, however he saw Yuzu standing there. He gasped and quickly went back to hiding.

"Huh?" Yuzu looked around, she swore she heard someone watching her.

Unknown to O'Brien, he and Yuzu were in the area where Shun Dueled and beat the LDS trio, this is also where Shun met Akaba Reiji. Again, O'Brien and Yuzu were both unaware of this.

 _Why is Yuzu here? I thought she was at her house._ O'Brien thought to himself.

"Maybe Shun was defeated? No, Shun's too persistent to lose to an LDS student. Well, Shun kept Dueling those students...in order to lure out the Professor's son. Maybe, he met up with him? No, I don't think so. There has to be more than what seems to be going on right now." O'Brien told himself.

* * *

Back at the Duel

"The effect of Dark Contract with the Witch makes all Fiend-Type Monsters gain 1000 attack." Reiji reminded Shun.

d'Arc: 2800-3800 Atk

Siegfried: 2800-3800 Atk

Tell: 2300-3300 Atk

"No matter. I'm going to wipe that Field off the face of this dimension. Blaze Falcon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, Blaze Falcon can destroy all Special Summoned Monsters on the Field, then, for each one destroyed, you take 500 points of damage! Go, Blaze Falcon, burn all of his Monsters in the flames of revolution!" Shun shouted as Blaze Falcon let out a bright solar flare, covering everyone in the entire room, Reiji widened his eyes.

"Reiji-san!" Himeka exclaimed in concern as she shielded her eyes.

"Don't worry, Chairwoman. I'm sure the President is fine." Nakajima said as he kept looking on, fortunately for him, he could still he because of his glasses.

The light enveloped all of Reiji's Monsters. However, after the light dissipated, Reiji's Monsters were still standing.

"What?! How?!" Shun exclaimed in shock.

"I activated the Continuous Trap, Dark Contract with the Ruler! Once, during only my opponent's turn, when a DDD Monster(s) I control would be destroyed, I can banish a DD Monster from my graveyard instead, Of course, I take 1000 points of damage on my Standby Phase, but that's not even a price to pay with d'Arc on the Field. I banished DD Berfomet to negate the destruction of all of my Monsters!" Reiji explained why his Monsters survived.

 _Incredible. He's surpassed me in every way, and had an answer to everything I throw at him. He's at a much higher caliber than the others._ Shun thought to himself.

"No! It's not done yet, Blaze Falcon can attack you directly! Go, Blaze Falcon!" Shun declared as Blaze Falcon flew over Reiji's Monsters and slammed into Reiji, causing him to flinch.

Reiji: 6000-5000 Lp

"Blaze Falcon's effect activates, when he deals battle damage to you, he can destroy 1 Monster you control! Disappear, Siegfried!" Shun yelled as Blaze Falcon slammed into Siegfried, destroying it.

Reiji narrowed his eyes. "Interesting, you decided to destroy Siegfried instead of d'Arc. Even though on my Standby Phase, d'Arc would give me 3000 life points, why?"

"Because Siegfried would be able to negate a face-up Magic or Trap Card, plus, I have a plan to get rid of d'Arc! I set a card and end my turn. At this moment, the attack of your Monsters return to normal because of Dark Contract with the Witch!" Shun reminded Reiji

Tell: 3300-2300 Atk

d'Arc: 3800-2800 Atk.

"My turn, draw! At this moment, the effect of my 3 Dark Contracts activate, dealing me 3000 points of damage, however, d'Arc will negate all damage, and give me 3000 life points." Reiji explained.

Reiji: 5000-8000 Lp

"What? Why would he do that?" Himeka questioned Reiji's actions.

"Something wrong, Chairwoman?" Nakajima asked.

"No, it's nothing." Himeka lied. _Reiji-san could have ended the Duel right there, by taking the damage from 1 of his Contracts, he could have used the effect of Tell, since he took damage, he could detach an overlay unit, decrease the attack of that guy's Monster by 1000, and then deal 1000 points of damage to him, therefore, ending the Duel. Unless, Reiji-san is testing him?_

"Battle! Go, d'Arc, destroy Blaze Falcon, and end this Duel!" Reiji exclaimed.

"Quick-Play, activate! Rank-Up Magic Escape Force! I can negate the attack declared on an Xyz Monster I control, and then, I can Xyz Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than the attacked Monster! Prideful falcon. Spread your wings, dyed in the blood of heroes, and charge through the path of revolution! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 6! Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon!" Shun yelled as his Monster appeared in Defense Mode.

Revolution Falcon: Rank 6, 2000 Atk, 3000 Def

"Revolution Falcon's effect activates, when he is Special Summoned by Ranking up a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster, I can target a Special Summoned Monster you control, and then destroy, and then you take damage equal to the destroyed Monster's attack!" Revolution Falcon flew above d'Arc and dropped some bombs on the Monster, destroying it.

"Kgh!" Reiji grunted as he shielded his eyes.

Reiji: 8000-5200 Lp

"This could be a problem." Himeka said, however, she still knows that Reiji will pull out with the win.

"I end my turn." Reiji adjusted his glasses. "Give up, there is no way you can win."

"I won't give up! Even if I get thrown down, I will get back up to fight again! That's how we of the Resistance are! My turn!" Shun drew his card. "Rank-Up Magic Skip Force! I can target an Xyz Monster I control, and then I can Xyz Summon a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 2 higher than the targeted Monster. Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Rank Up Xyz Change! Soar! Rank 8! Raid Raptors - Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun chanted as a large falcon appeared, floating above Shun.

Satellite Cannon Falcon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Satellite Cannon Falcon's effect activates, by detaching an overlay unit, I can decrease the attack of 1 Monster you control by 800 for every Raid Raptors Monster in my graveyard. There are 5 Raid Raptors Monsters in my graveyard! So, Tell will lose 4000 attack points, but I only needed 3 in order to get his attack to 0!" Shun told Reiji.

Tell: 2300-0 Atk

"Battle! Go, Satellite Cannon Falcon, attack Tell! Eternal Avenge!" Shun shouted as Satellite Cannon Falcon let out a loud roar as he shot Tell with a beam of green light, this started to cause the arena crumble and gain cracks.

"I use the effect of Dark Contract with the Ruler, I banish DD Nighthowl to negate the destruction!" Reiji exclaimed.

"But you still take the damage!" Shun reminded Reiji.

"Are you sure about that?" Reiji asked.

"What?!" Shun widened his eyes in shock.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of DD Savant Schrodinger! I can make the Battle Damage 0, and then I can Special Summon this card from the Pendulum Zone!" Reiji explained as Schrodinger was Summoned in defense.

"No way!" Shun exclaimed.

"As expected of Reiji-san." Himeka said as Nakajima smirked.

Schrodinger: Level 6, 600 Atk, 2400 Def

"I-I-end my turn." Shun ended with a displeased look on his face.

"I've kept this match going on for long enough. You didn't show me much of a challenge. But, I know that you are stronger than this. However, you played into my hand. I just want to tell you, I could have ended this Duel on my last turn, but I decided to give you a chance." Reiji revealed.

"What?! You held back?!" Shun exclaimed as his hands fell to his side.

"My turn, draw! On the Standby Phase, I take 3000 points of damage!" Reiji explained. He flinched as he took damage.

Reiji: 5200-2200 Lp

"However, the Duel ends here. I activate the effect of Tell, when I take damage from a Dark Contract's effect, I can detach an overlay unit from this card, decrease the attack of your Monster by 1000, and then inflict 1000 points of damage to you! I detach 2 overlay units, your Monster loses 2000 attack points, and now you take 2000 points of damage!" Reiji explained, this shocked Shun.

"It was over on his last turn...I had no chance to begin with…" Shun stopped talking as Tell struck him with a beam of blue light. Shun accepted the blast, and just stood there.

Shun: 400-0 Lp

All Monsters disappeared as Reiji walked towards Shun. "I won the Duel. That means, according to our deal, you have to participate in the Miami Championship."

Shun stayed silent while he was thinking about how easily Reiji had beat him. Reiji walked away.

"For what it's worth, you did good, even though I could have ended you earlier. Besides, you showed me something very interesting and new to Xyz Summoning. Rank-Up-Magic cards…" Reiji told Shun. "Well. I will see you on the day of the tournament. I recommend you get out of here before people start getting suspicious. And don't worry about Akaba Leo, doing this will get you closer to him. Come see me tomorrow, and I will tell you about some of my plan."

Shun left the LDS building still in shock, however, eventually, he managed to regain his composure. He will accept being part of this Championship, as Reiji said, it will get him closer to Akaba Leo, which, in turn, will get him closer to Ruri.

* * *

At the hideout

Shun had returned to the hideout, where he saw Yuto and Shark.

"Where were you?" Shark asked.

Shun decided to actually tell them about how he defeated the LDS trio, Akaba Reiji appeared, then, they went to the LDS building and Dueled, however, he revealed that Akaba Reiji won easily. Shun told Yuto and Shark that since Reiji won, Shun had to participate in the Miami Championship and that he was going to LDS tomorrow so Akaba Reiji can discuss a plan with him.

"You got yourself into another mess!? Seriously, Shun!" Yuto exclaimed. "Never mind. At least this will get you closer to Akaba Leo. So, Akaba Reiji is kind of against Leo then...interesting. This could actually work out in our favor."

"That's what I thought too." Shun said.

"So you're also participating in the Championship. Interesting." Shark said.

"There you are!" O'Brien exclaimed as he entered the hideout. "I was looking for you for a long time. Where were you?"

Shun sighed ad decided to tell O'Brien what he told Yuto and Shark.

* * *

Orphanage-Synchro Dimension

"Damn iiiiiit! How could I just let her be taken like that!" Yugo punched his bed in frustration for about the 1000th time. He was still mad that Rin was kidnapped and he couldn't do anything about it.

Yugo looked at an advertisement for the Friendship Cup, a tournament that was created in order to create some mutual ground between the Tops and Commons...kind of. Although the participants were treated with luxury, if they lost, they got sent to the underground facility. Where they keep working, working, and working to no end. However, if someone won, they could become king, a symbol for both the Tops and Commons, like Jack Atlas.

Yugo promised Rin that they would win the Friendship Cup together, but if Rin is gone, how would they be able to do that?

Yugo was feeling very lonely, as Rin was his best friend and really the only person about his age at the orphanage. So, since Rin is gone, Yugo only has the caretaker (the person who runs the orphanage,) and the little tykes. Yes, Yugo liked them, but not as much as Rin. This was to the point where...Yugo secretly had a crush on Rin. Well, it's not secret because Rin basically knows.

But all of that aside, Yugo had not managed to get Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to transport him to the other dimensions. So, he couldn't actually look for Rin, besides, the last time, which was actually the first time he traveled dimensions, Yugo ended up in Heartland, and accidentally confused a guy named Yuto for the bastard who took Rin.

"God damn it! What the hell should I do!" Yugo yelled as he went into the garage to fix up his d-wheel. "Man, hopefully I can get teleported again. Who knows what that guy could be doing to Rin right now! He could be torturing her!" Little did Yugo know, Rin was actually being tortured to death...by boredom. She was locked in a cell, with no way out, wondering when she could see Yugo again.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Dark Contract with the Ruler Trap, Continuous: During each of your Standby Phases, take 1000 points of damage. Once during your opponent's turn only, when a DD Monster(s) you control (this also includes DDD Monsters) would be destroyed, you can banish a DD(D) Monster from your graveyard, negate the destruction.**

* * *

 **Here it is, the final chapter of the year. Oh my god has it been a weird ride.**

 **I thought that it would be best to finish off the year with a finished Duel. Anyways, no chapter preview, just that next chapter, we're going to be heading into the Miami Championship.**

 **I just want to tell you guys that, although I'm not that good at writing stories and such, I had fun writing this story. The ability to make something different happen and see the result is just, I don't know how to describe it. Anyways, I just want to say that I had fun.**

 **That's all for now guys. This going to be the last chapter of the year. Sorry for it being short.**

 **Anyways, about the chapter. I think you guys expected Reiji to win. I wanted him to hold back to show that Shun still had a long way to go. Even thought it was one-sided, I hope you guys liked the Duel.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, as I thought it was a good way to end off the year, way better than the last chapter definitely.**

 **Take care, goodbye! Happy early New Years! See you all next year!:)**


	32. The Miami Championship

"So you lost, and now you have to participate in the Miami Championship in order to get closer to Akaba Leo? Great." O'Brien said after Shun told him what happened between him and Reiji.

"It might be our best way to get to Akaba Leo." Yuto stated the bright side.

"Hmph. I should head off to sleep. Shuzo wants me at You Show early so we can head over to the championship." Shark told the group.

"Me too. I need to head over to LDS in order to hear some of Reiji's plan." Shun also left to go to sleep.

"What about you?" Yuto asked O'Brien.

"I'll just watch from the audience. Probably with the You Show crew. And you?" O'Brien threw a question back.

"I'll just keep watch from the city. Most of the people in the city will be in the stadium watching the matches. Some people will just watch from their television. So not many people will be outside. Besides, I think that LDS kept my incident a secret from the public, so I should be fine outside." Yuto explained to O'Brien.

"I'm going with Shark, so it's probably best if I go to sleep. You should rest as well." O'Brien recommended to Yuto. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a game changer.

"I will." Yuto responded as O'Brien went to go to sleep.

* * *

 **The Next Day-Outside You Show Duel School**

"Yuya, Yuzu, Sora, Tatsuya, Ayu, Futoshi, and also Shark but you got a free pass. The day has finally come! To think that all of our students except O'Brien from You Show Duel School qualified for the Miami Championship, I...I'm...so proud of all of you!" Shuzo ran to hug the group, however, they moved out of the way, shocking Shuzo, causing him to fall to the ground. Then, someone thought it was a good idea to ride their bicycle over Shuzo, causing a mark to appear on his back. "Why did you dodge?" Everyone except Shark, Sora, and O'Brien sweatdropped.

"Dad, you're getting way too excited." Yuzu informed her father.

"We're not even at the stadium yet…" Ayu said.

"Y-yeah...that's right." Shuzo cleared his throat. "Then, allow me to explain again, the Miami Championship is separated into 3 different classes, Junior, Junior Youth, and Youth. Tatsuya, Ayu, Futoshi are in the Junior Class. Yuya, Yuzu, and Sora are all in the Junior Youth Class."

"I'm sure you know this, but the LDS-sponsored Miami Championship isn't just with all the Duel Schools from Miami City...but also qualifiers from all of Japan, no, the entire world come to attend! In order to promote our You Show Duel School's Entertainment Dueling style, you should all be aiming to win! Now, from here on out, you are not only friends who have trained together (except Shark and O'Brien) but also rivals. Fight with all of your strength! Don't hesitate or be disheartened!" Shuzo clenched his fist.

"Believe in what you've learned and burn brightly! Hot-blooded!" Shuzo started to yell as a fiery aura formed around him, as if he were powering up like the characters in Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Super. Meanwhile, everyone walked away and walked onto the bus.

* * *

 **(The rest goes on like the anime) Meanwhile-LDS**

"You're here." Reiji said as he walked towards Shun.

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Shun snapped. "I'm only doing this in order to get closer to Akaba Leo. There is no other reason!"

"Very well. I won't tell you my entire plan. But, I have some suspicion that there is an Academia spy who is participating in the Championship." Reiji informed Shun.

"Academia spy?" Shun repeated. O'Brien wasn't participating in the Championship, and even still, O'Brien looked very convincing when he said he wasn't a spy. So who is Reiji referring to? Unless...Shun thought back to when he saw that Ruri lookalike, he saw a kid. Now that he thought about it, the kid was wearing a blue jacket, however, it was a little different from the blue jackets the students from Academia wear.

"His name is Shiunin Sora." Reiji showed Shun a picture of Sora on a monitor nearby.

"I've seen him before!" Shun blurted out. It WAS the boy he was thinking about.

"Yes. Kotsu Masumi reported that he was there when she encountered you." Reiji told Shun.

"What happened to that girl and the other 2 guys?" Shun asked. He hadn't seen them ever since he had defeated the three of them.

"We erased their memories. They are going to be participating in the tournament, since you are joining. They will think you have always been a part of LDS. Anyways, about Shiunin Sora, when he first appeared, we detected a strong Fusion Summoning reading. A reading stronger than those readings of citizens of the Standard Dimension. We are led to believe that Sora is part of Academia. If you want, we can have you Duel him, as I'm sure you would want payback on him for what Academia did to your homeland." Reiji explained to Shun.

Shun narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about what happened to Heartland?"

"I have my ways." Reiji kept his answered short. "However, all I know is that one day Academia appeared, and attacked your Homeland. And your comrades were eradicated." Shun gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "However, the surviving ones fought back."

"Enough!" Shun snapped. "You've made your point. Now, get to the plan!"

"Anyways, we're going to make it so you Duel Shiunin Sora. Any objections?" Reiji asked to make sure. Although he already knew the answer.

"Fine. I need payback for what Academia did to my home." Shun accepted Reiji's directions. It would be satisfying to beat on an Academia soldier, but it still wasn't enough for Shun.

"Now, when you Duel him. You have to reveal to the audience that he isn't what he seems to be. He seems to be an innocent boy who wants to have fun in Dueling. However, in reality, he's just another one of Academia's puppets." Reiji told Shun.

"Duel him, and reveal him? Hmph, now it seems like you're underestimating me." Shun smirked in amusement for once.

"The Championship will begin soon. Head to the stadium and wait for the opening." Reiji walked away from Shun, having already told Shun all that he needed to know.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Academia-Doktor's Lab-Fusion Dimension**

The doktor was grinning madly. He was working on his latest plan for when he makes his move.

"Hohohohoho, I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl!" The doktor exclaimed. "Hmm...how are my parasites doing?" The doktor went over to a container with multiple bugs in it. "They're doing fine, that's good to see."

The doktor looked to a screen which showed the inside of 2 towers. In each tower, there was a girl. On the West Tower, Ruri was sitting there going through her deck. On the East Tower, Rin was trying to go to sleep, however, because of the bed, along with some nightmares, she was awake.

"Good. The girls haven't escaped." The doktor turned on another camera of Academia, looking for another girl. "Hmm...where are you?" The doktor switched views of the camera and found who he was looking for.

The girl had indigo hair tied into a ponytail with a large yellow ribbon, and green eyes. She had two light blue bangs that fell to both sides of her face. She was wearing a Slifer Red jacket, with a yellow stripe and a green-and-yellow star emblem on each sleeve, which is worn over a black shirt with a purple-brown collar. She also wears a red skirt held up by a brown belt with a silver buckle and ring connecting to two straps going over her torso while her thighs are covered by biker shorts and she wears all brown boots.

In addition, she had a bracelet on her wrist, just like Yuzu, Rin, and Ruri. She even had the same face as them.

"There she is. In my opinion, we should just keep her captive, just in case she has ideas of escaping from the island. Or if she wanted to go to another dimension. Oh, what will we do with you, Serena?"

* * *

 **Back in Standard-The Time of the Ceremony-In the Stadium**

"Everyone, we apologize for the long wait!" Nico Smiley apologized through his microphone, so everyone in the Stadium could hear him. "The once a year festival for Duelists! The Miami Championship has begun! I, Nico Smiley, will be running you through this opening ceremony!"

Cheers from the audience erupted in response to Nico's words.

"Now then, let the entrance procession begin!" Nico exclaimed as people started to enter the Championship. Reiji, Himeka, and a boy holding a teddy bear with a hood over his face was watching.

"Leading the march is the school that won all classes in last year's tournament, LDS!" A woman announced. "As a prestigious school that produces many Pro Duelists every year, they have the most entrants this year once again!" Yuya and the others watched the LDS participants walk to the stadium, they saw Yaiba, Hokuto, and Sawatari who had grins on their faces, and Masumi who was looking around. They saw a lot of other people as well, however, there was a person they didn't expect to see.

Yuya and Yuzu gasped, while the others had no reaction. O'Brien and Shark already knew Shun was participating (also O'Brien was in a spectators seat since he wasn't participating), Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya don't even know that Shun was the culprit of the many assaults, and Sora is just not having a reaction.

"He's…" Yuya trailed off.

Meanwhile, Yuto was outside the stadium on the streets. He looked up at a nearby television. He saw Shun walking with the other LDS students.

"So you really are going to participate." Yuto said to himself as he continued watching.

"Why is he in LDS?!" Yuzu questioned. After all, after all of the thing that Shun did to LDS, it doesn't make sense on why he is working with them. Causing her and Yuya to gasp and look at each other in shock.

"Following them, the flagship for the martial arts based school's, Ryouzanpaku! This school's ace, Kachidoki Isao, was the runner-up for last year's Junior Youth tournament! They're determined to take down LDS this year!" Kachidoki kept a serious face and continued walking while the audience kept on cheering.

Then, a metallic foot stepped into the stadium. However, it was really a foot covered in armor, a man in armor followed by two other man in armor with white cloaks walked to the stadium.

"And now, an international team from overseas, Knight of Duels!" A woman introduced the team.

Shun glanced up at Reiji, their eyes met. Shun thought back to some more things Akaba Reiji told before the tournament. About how he is fighting against Akaba Leo, and that they should work together to defeat their enemy. Also about a Duelist who is in the tournament who uses a Summoning Method he didn't know of yet. Shun took his eyes off Reiji and kept on walking.

The woman kept on introducing the other schools.

"Yuya, you know that man too?" Yuzu asked.

"Yeah, he attacked members of the LDS top team right in front of my eyes." Yuya responded as the group started to walk towards the stadium.

The woman then introduced the group. "Now, here they are, the talk with their Entertainment Dueling, You Show Duel School!"

"Yuya! Have fun!" Yoko encouraged her son.

Shuzo yelled. "You Show Duel School! Fight! Fight! Fighhhhhhhhhhhhht!" Ayu, Tatsuya, Futoshi, Yuya, and Yuzu looked back at Shuzo with embarrassed looks, Yuzu especially while Shark just glanced up, not showing any reaction at all.

The reason Ryoga was being so serious was because of the fact that he is most likely on a team with an Academia spy. So, Ryoga isn't being so laid back and happy, he's making sure to keep an eye on Sora.

"You Show Duel School's Sakaki Yuya-kun is becoming a household name with his new Summoning Method, Pendulum!" The woman added to the introduction. Yuya looked up to see Reiji looking at him in a booth.

Shun's ears perked up at the surname Sakaki. _That's Yusho Sakaki's surname. Also, the kid is the person I have to keep a look out for, he's the person who made that new Summoning Method Reiji told me about._

* * *

 **Later**

"All of you who have gathered here, are the elite, having won your way out of many other Duelists! We expect you to Duel your best while exhibiting fair play!" A man said, earning applause from the participants and members of the audience.

"Next, we will be conducting the oath of fair play! This year, the representative is...You Show Duel School's Sakaki Yuya-kun!" Nico Smiley pointed at Yuya. This greatly shocked Yuya.

"Huh?! M-me?!" Yuya stuttered out of surprise. Was someone supposed to tell him about this or let him know? He had no idea he was conducting the oath.

"Yuya is…?!" Yuzu started.

"Saying the oath?!" Yoko finished.

"How did that happen?!" Shuzo asked, however, no one would answer that question.

"Wa-wait a second!" Yuya quickly flailed his hands around in denial. "No one told me about thi-!" Yuya was interrupted by Nico Smiley.

"Sakaki Yuya-kun, to the stage please!" Nico called again as 2 guards appeared out of nowhere and lifted Yuya off the ground, surprising him. They took him to the stage as he yelled in surprise.

"Yuya, if you're a man, pull it off in one go!" Gongenzaka encouraged his friend as the guards threw Yuya onto the stage, causing the audience to laugh at him in amusement.

Nico Smiley slid over to Yuya and bent down and looked at him with a big smile. "Yuya-kun, this is another step forward as an entertainer! Now, if you will…"

"Yuya…" Yuzu whispered out of concern. Was Yuya really ready to give the oath? Yuya got up from the ground.

"W-well then…" Yuya walked to the mic as the audience gave him an applause.

Outside the stadium, Yuto had just witnessed Yuya being thrown to the stage, and managed to see that he did indeed to exactly like himself when it came to the face.

"So that's my look alike." Yuto said to no one in particular.

Yuto heard Yuya yell "O-o-o-oath of pair flay!" This caused the participants to fall to the ground, Nico Smiley lost his footing while the man on the podium slammed his head into his stand.

The 3 kids sweatdropped while Ayu had her eyes closed. "Yuya-oniichan..."

"You're way too hyped up…" Futoshi looked on at Yuya, totally not knowing that he's being a total hypocrite right now.

"Umm...umm…" Yuya scratched his head and looked on in confusion.

"Yuya, get it together!" Yuzu called out to Yuya. "Everyone is watching!"

Yuya gasped realizing that. "Everyone is…" An image of Yusho smiling appeared in Yuya's head. "Make everyone smile…"

Yuya closed his eyes and grasped his Pendulum.

"Will Yuya be alright? He doesn't seem like the type to speak out in front of a large amount of people." O'Brien expressed his disbelief to Yoko.

"He'll be fine." Yoko assured O'Brien.

Yuya took a deep breath before beginning. Yuya held out his arms and said his most recognizable catchphrase (Kind of Yusho's too but Yuya uses it way more.) "Ladies and Gentlemen! Sorry for my earlier mistake! In order to turn that around, this is the oath of fair play!" Gongenzaka smiled at his best friend while Yuzu gasped, hearing what Yuya is saying. "...is what I'd like to start off with, but I would like you to listen to what I have to say instead." Most participants and the people of the audience gave him a confused look.

Yuya put a hand on his chest and began his speech. "My father is the Duelist Sakaki Yusho. The best Entertainment Duelist in the world! But, as you all know, 3 years ago, before his Duel began, he went away somewhere…" This made Yuto widen his eyes and it surprised Shun a little bit along with Shark. Shark already knew about Sakaki Yusho living in this dimension, but he didn't know that he disappeared 3 years ago. That's around the same time he appeared in Heartland.

"Everyone called me the child of the runaway Duelist," Yuya continued his speech remembering those times he was bullied because of his father's disappearance. "And I practiced Entertainment Dueling desperately, saying 'I'll show them!' But, at some point, I think I really ran away from Dueling. But after discovering Pendulum Summoning and fighting with really strong Duelists, I began to enjoy Dueling more and more!"

"Enjoy...Dueling…" Yuto whispered from where he was watching the screen. He hadn't heard that term for a very long time. It made him think back to good old days, where Dueling was for fun and not for survival. He missed those days, but then Academia came along and ruined those times.

"I realized I want to like Dueling even more! And I want to be like Sakaki Yusho, someone who people will be proud to know, the best Pro Duelist! I want to be a Duelist who can make myself and everyone else enjoy Dueling even more!" Yuya finished his speech. A long pause occurred and Yuya looked around, no one was applauding. He sighed to himself.

 _I tried..._ Yuya thought. However, his depressing thoughts were interrupted by clapping.

"Huh?" Yuya looked up to see Akaba Reiji clapping. Soon, other people started to clap. Even Hokuto, Yaiba, Masumi, and most of all even Sawatari was clapping. Multiple cheers and whistles from the audience was heard. Shun looked at Yuya with a sharp eye. Yuya blushed a little bit at the attention from everyone.

"Excellent! That was Sakaki Yuya's oath of fair play as well as his declaration of his determination!" Nico said as he pointed to Yuya, who took a bow and walked away.

"Well said, Yuya! Yoko-san!" Shuzo called to Yoko, who looked at him. "Yuya right now is catching up to the famed Duelist Sakaki Yusho!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Yoko quickly replied, shocking Shuzo. "He's not catching up to Sakaki Yusho, he's going to surpass him!" Shuzo looked on in amazement at the amount of encouragement Yoko was giving Yuya. "If he doesn't have that much spirit, then he won't be able to win this!"

"Now then, we will now announce the first matches! All competitors, please put your registration card into your Duel Disk! The registration card receives communication from the Tournament Operator's computers, and will guide you to your opponent. Of course, it will update when you qualify for the next round of the tournament!" Nico explained the functions of the card.

"Alright! My opponent is…" Yuya inserted his card and waited for his opponent to pop up.

"Sawatari?!" Yuya croaked out of surprise.

"My opponent is...Masumi?!" Yuzu looked at her Duel Disk. She sharpened her gaze. She was not going to lose against her again. This time, she would win!

"Well, unlike last time, you have our Fusion lessons. So she is not much of an opponent anymore." Sora told Yuzu as he just kept staring at his Duel Disk.

"Mine is tomorrow." Yuya said.

"Mine is today in the afternoon." Yuzu told Yuya and Sora.

"Mine is tomorrow." Gongenzaka said as he walked towards them.

"Gongenzaka, who are you playing against?" Yuya asked.

Gongenzaka showed Yuya his Duel Disk, which had his opponent.

"Ankokuji…" Yuya read the name, remembering his encounter with him earlier. (Watch Episode 27 if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

"This must be fate…" Gongenzaka put down his Duel Disk.

"Mine's right after this!" Futoshi looked at his Duel Disk.

"Mine's after that!" Ayu added.

"Alright! Today, we'll be cheering for Futoshi, Ayu, and Yuzu!" Yuya declared.

"What about you, Shark, Sora?" Tatsuya asked.

"It's tomorrow." Both Ryoga and Sora said at the same time, they looked at each other before looking back at their Duel Disk. For once, Sora actually looked worried.

"My opponent's from Knight of Duels. His name is Shalulu." Shark told the group, showing them his Duel Disk.

"My opponent is from LDS." Sora informed the group with an almost grim look on his face.

"From LDS? Who?" Yuya asked.

Sora narrowed his eyes and turned serious. "Kurosaki...Shun…"

Yuya, Yuzu, and even Ryoga gasped.

 _He's facing Shun?! Knowing Shun, he's going to take this too far. Even if Sora is most likely Academia, he's going to terrify the audience. If both of them go serious, and Sora reveals himself to be from Academia, then things could get very hectic._ Ryoga thought to himself.

"It's him." Sora showed his Duel Disk to everyone, confirming that Sora's opponent was indeed Kurosaki Shun.

"This person is Kurosaki Shun." Yuzu said, however, before she could say anything else…

"Hiragi Yuzu, it seems you're my opponent." Masumi appeared, walking up to Yuzu with a serious expression present on her face.

"Masumi! Masumi, tell me! Why is Kurosaki Shun listed as an LDS member?" Yuzu asked.

Masumi gave Yuzu a weird look in response. "What are you talking about? He's been part of our group from the start."

"Huh?! From the start?!" Yuzu repeated. That didn't make sense. Kurosaki Carded Professor Marco. Masumi was out for Kurosaki because of the Marco incident.

From somewhere else in the stadium, was Shun. He looked at his Duel Disk, ready to see who is opponent.

"Shiunin...Sora…" Shun read the name of his opponent. As expected, Reiji made it so he was put up against Sora.

It was time. Soon it was time for Shun to get revenge on Sora for being part of the same society that ruined his life and the lives of other people. Shun clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

"Just you wait, Shiunin Sora, I will make you repent!"

* * *

 **Here it is! The start of the Miami Championship! Also, the first chapter of the year.**

 **Sorry for new Duel, I was planning to get some Duels in, but then I realized that this should be good. Besides, sometimes it's good to not have a Duel in a chapter sometimes.**

 **If you don't know who Shalulu is by the way, I don't blame you. In the anime, he was beaten by Shun in the second round of the Miami Championship. So now, I'm just having him Duel Shark. I will give him a Deck to work with. I might give him a Noble Knights Deck, I don't know yet. So that chapter, when it comes, when Shark and Shalulu Duel, will be a while. However, that chapter isn't next.**

 **Here's the preview**

 **The Miami Championship has finally begun! Futoshi manages to get a win for You Show, but Ayu loses her Duel against Reira. Yuzu manages to be victorious over Masumi. The next day, Gongenzaka clashes with Gen Ankokuji, and manages to pull off the win. Yuya has an a Duel of epic proportions with Sawatari and manages to pull out in the end. However, now Shark clashes with Shalulu, the match seems to be at a standstill, with no result going in any favor of either player. However…**

 **Big Duels: Shun is not going to be getting Pendulum Cards. Sorry. But Shun is the type of person, especially at this part of the anime, who would refuse Pendulum Cards and stick to his usual Xyz Summoning.**

 **That's all for now guys. Sorry for the late update, I had a brainfart for a couple of days.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	33. High Tide of the Shark

"Now then, in the third court, our first match of the Junior Championships, You Show Duel School's Harada Futoshi-kun versus Smiling Duel School's Shimizu Takeshi is going on now!" The announcer commentated.

Futoshi: 900 Lp

Takeshi: 2200 Lp

Futoshi had a set card and a Monster, while Takeshi had Red Mask on his Field.

"Futoshi! Stick with it!" Futoshi's Dad cheered for his son.

"Futoshi!" Futoshi's Mom joined in on the cheering.

"Takeshi-san! Fight!" A woman exclaimed. (I don't know if this is his Mom.

"Get Em!" A man next to the woman added. (I don't know if this is his Dad either.

"Let's go! Battle! I attack Sketch Beast-Stego with Red Mask!" Takeshi declared as Red Mask flew towards Futoshi's Monster.

Red Mask: Level 4, 1600 Atk

Stego: Level 5, 1200 Atk

"Trap, activate! Sketchbook-Blocking the Way! It negates an attack directed at a Sketch Monster!" Futoshi explained as 2 hands came out of his trap and made a stop signal, causing Red Mask to stop in his tracks.

"Nice one, Futoshi!" Futoshi's parents complimented in unison.

Takeshi grunted in frustration. "I end my turn here."

"I'll make you shiver! My turn! Got it!" Futoshi eyed his drawn (Hah, get it, drawn, cause he uses Sketch Monsters, so you know, you draw sketches...no? Ok, I'll shut up now :( ) card. "I can release 1 Sketch Monster to Advance Summon the level 8 Tyranno! I release Sketch Beast-Stego!" Stego disappeared, since he was gone, Futoshi fell to the ground, however, he was bounced back up into the air as he did a flip.

"The Solid Vision in the Junior Class is the softest and most sponge-like of the 3 classes." The woman explained.

"Come! Sketch Beast-Tyranno!" Futoshi called out for his Monster as he landed on its head. A Sketch of a Tyranno breathing fire appeared to the Field.

Tyranno: Level 8, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"Futoshi!" Both parents exclaimed in unison, proud of how well they're son is doing.

"I activate Tyranno's effect! When this card is successfully Advanced Summoned, I can destroy one Monster my opponent controls, and then this Monster gains half of the destroyed Monster's attack until the end of the turn." Futoshi explained his Monster's effect as Tyranno whacked Red Mask with its tail, destroying it.

Tyranno: 2400-3200 Atk

"Battle! I attack directly with Tyranno!" Futoshi declared as Tyranno rammed its head into Takeshi as he was thrown into the air screaming in pain, as he fell to the ground, he managed to say "I got...the shivers…" However, it was hard to speak as he kept getting bounced up into the air by the Action Field, he finally hit the ground, thankfully, he wasn't hurt or injured in anyway.

Takeshi: 2200-0 Lp

"And the match is decided! The winner is Harada Futoshi-kun!" The announcer announced the match as Futoshi's victory.

"I did it!" Futoshi jumped into the air in celebration.

"Well done, Futoshi! This will be a victory to remember at You Show!" Shuzo told Futoshi.

"You gave me the shivers, Futoshi!" Yuya added.

"Hehe, no problem." Futoshi said.

"Don't let your guard down, Futoshi! There's a proverb that says, 'Don't let your guard down even after a victory.' That is, a warning to victors from the deceased." Gongenzaka warned Futoshi.

Sora made a joyful face as he insulted Gongenzaka. "Gon-chan, you're like an old man!"

"Don't call me old!" Gongenzaka retaliated.

"Ayu-chan is up next." Yuzu reminded the group.

"Yep. Umm...I think my opponent is from LDS…" Ayu looked at her Duel Disk to double check who her opponent was.

"LDS?" Shuzo questioned as he took a look to his right at a little kid with a teddy bear in a light blue hoodie. The boy wasn't looking at anyone in particular, he was just looking at the ground.

* * *

Later

"Here we go…" Ayu finished shuffling her Deck. "All right, charge complete!"

"Ayu's really getting into it!" Yuya noted.

"Well that's because of my shiver-inducing victory! Of course she'd get into it!" Futoshi bragged about his performance. Yuzu closed her eyes and giggled in response.

"Sensei!" A red haired woman called out to Shuzo. "Thank you for taking care of our daughter!" The woman took a bow.

"Ayu-chan's mother and father!" Shuzo recognized the 2 adults.

"Ayu's cute today as well!" Ayu's father focused on his daughter through the camera.

"Hey! You need to at least say hello to Sensei as well!" Ayu's Mom scolded her husband for how rude he was being by ignoring Shuzo.

"No, it's quite fine. Film all you can, sir! This is Ayu-chan's big moment! With the Action Duel training she's received from our You Show Duel School, Ayu-chan will be a star one day for sure!" Shuzo told the parents as he pictured an older Ayu smiling. Shuzo lifted up his hands in excitement. "When that happens, footage from this match will be a national treasure!"

Ayu's father laughed in response. "Ayu is already our star. Ayu! Look this way! Th...this way...Aah! So cute!" Ayu turned around and waved at the camera as she smiled.

Everyone except Shark, Sora and O'Brien started cheering Ayu's name at the top of their lungs.

"Geez…" Ayu whispered at the attention.

"What the heck is this?" Both Shark and Sora asked themselves at the same time. Shark turned his back on the match while Sora just continued to lick on his ice cream.

"Now, onto our next match for the Miami Championship in the Junior Class! The next layers making their first appearances in the Junior Championship, Ayu-chan and Reira-kun! I look forward to finding out what kind of Duel they will show us! Especially as Reira-kun is LDS' treasured child! Our expectations can only go up!" The woman commentated.

"LDS?" Shuzo questioned.

"Treasured child?" O'Brien also questioned.

"Ayu! Don't you lose to those jerks from LDS! Win! No matter what! Hot-blooded!" Shuzo cried out his famous catchphrase of encouragement.

"Yeah! All right!" Ayu turned serious in order to win her Duel.

"She's even cute when she gets serious!" Ayu's father praised his daughter.

"As Ayu-chan heads to the Field full of energy, Reira-kun is…! Huh?" The announcer turned her head to see that Reira wasn't walking to the Field. The announcer walked towards Reira. "Could it be that you're nervous?"

"I wonder what's wrong with her opponent…" Yuzu said.

"Her opponent isn't being nervous." O'Brien suddenly said, surprising Yuzu.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yuzu asked.

"I'm saying that her opponent isn't nervous. I've seen quite a few nervous people in my life, so I would know a nervous person when I see one. I don't know what it is...but it's like...Ayu's opponent is trying to prove something to someone. Or, maybe she is nervous about something that will happen if she doesn't win the Duel, which could prove why that boy Reira is so hesitant." O'Brien deduced.

"Reira-kun, are you ready to start?" The announcer asked.

Reira looked up and gasped. Through a window of the building behind Ayu, Reira could see Himeka standing there, watching the Duel through the window. Himeka was giving Reira the...um...let's call it "the look." Through the class, Himeka was saying something, which made Reira widen his eyes.

"Umm...huh?" The announcer gasped as Reira gave her his teddy bear and walked onto the Field. "First let's get this show on the road! This one is the Field Magic, 's Canyon!" The Field was changed into a canyon, the people watching the Duel was covered by the Action Field. "I hope that Ayu-chan and Reira-kun will Duel here filled with energy!"

* * *

Later

Himeka was watching the Duel how Reira was playing. She heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around, she saw Akaba Reiji, who was going to watch the Duel.

"My turn, draw." Reira softly drew her card. After seeing the card, Reira gasped and widened her eyes. Reira looked up at the building and saw that Reiji was now watching alongside Himeka. After seeing Reiji look at her with eyes of expectation, it was like a switch was flicked. Tatsuya noticed this and gasped. "I summon CC One-Eyed Past Eye from my hand!"

Past Eye: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def

"What's with that Monster?" Tatsuya wondered.

"It's so spooky it's giving me the shivers…" Futoshi got worried.

"I activate Montage Fusion from my hand! I take a picture of the Arowana on my opponent's Field with this card's effect! Then, I fuse the photographed Arowana and my Past Eye!"

"Fusion?!" Shark widened his eyes and clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

"Supreme ruler of the river of shining scales! Dwell in this eye and give me your power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! The sword of water which slices through everything! C/C/C Water Sword the Embodiment of Valiant Fused Arms!" Reira chanted as his Monster appeared.

Water Sword of Battle: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 0 Def

"Battle! Go, Water Sword, attack Aqua Actress-Arowana!"

"Ayu's Arowana is going to get taken out!" Futoshi exclaimed.

"But Ayu has 2900 life points left. She'll be able to withstand 400 points of dama-"

"No." O'Brien cut off Tatsuya, who looked at him in shock. "It's over, I can feel it."

"When Water Sword attacks, it gains attack equal to the combined attack of all other Water Monsters on the Field!" Reira revealed her Monster's effect.

"The only other Water Monster on the Field is Ayu's Arowana." Gongenzaka stated.

"With that additional 2000 attack, Water Sword's attack becomes 4400!" Yuya noted.

Water Sword: 2400-4400 Atk

Water Sword proceeded to cut Arowana into many pieces, destroying it. Ayu screamed as she fell to the floor, bouncing with each impact.

Ayu: 0 Lp

The Action Field disappeared. Reira sighed. Ayu's parents, Shuzo, and everyone else except Shark and O'Brien were shocked (Sora was out checking who was a threat to their school.)

"Don't worry! The Junior Class' Solid Vision is much softer than the other classes'!" Shuzo assured the parents.

"Ayu, are you okay?" Yuya asked.

"Sorry, everyone…" Ayu apologized for losing. "I...I tried my hardest, but I lost." Tears started to form in Ayu's eyes.

"Ayu, if you lose today, then you just have to win tomorrow. Believe in tomorrow's victory and take another step forward!" Yuya told Ayu.

"That's right!"

"Huh?" Yuya looked at Gongenzaka, who had his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"How many times do you think Yuya has lost to me, the man Gongenzaka in the past?" Gongenzaka asked, angering Yuya.

"HEY! Don't go saying stuff like that! And after I said such a cool line too!" Yuya yelled at Gongenzaka, triggering everyone to laugh, even Shark and O'Brien were half-smiling. Seeing her friends laugh, Ayu decided to join in too.

* * *

Later-Yuzu and Masumi's Duel-Last turn

"My turn!" Yuzu placed her hand on the top card of her deck.

 _With this, you're trying to change yourself into a different Yuzu from up until now._

 _The you who is trying to become stronger for your friends...The you who is trying to change yourself isn't wrong._

The words of both Yuya and Yuto played back in her head. Now, she had the determination to win.

 _I will become stronger for my friends. This is the resolve I have come up with._ Yuzu thought to herself.

"Draw!" Yuzu drew her card and held it up as a stream of musical notes surrounded her. "I'll show you my radiance right now! I Summon Melodious Maiden Soprano!"

Soprano: Level, 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def

"I can perform a Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster that lists Soprano as a Fusion Material without using a Fusion Card." Yuzu explained.

Masumi gasped in shock. "Don't tell me she's planning to use my Crystal Rose?!" Sora smiled at this, looks like his teaching did pay off after all.

"Crystal Rose can be treated as a necessary Fusion Material for a Fusion Summon! I use Crysta Rose as Prodigy Mozart!" A silhouette of Mozart overlapped Crystal Rose.

"It's pretty…" A girl from the audience said.

"It's like a fairy is being born from the Crystal Rose!" Another girl from the audience added.

"I fuse Soprano and Crystal Rose! Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!" Yuzu Fusion Summoned Bloom Diva.

Bloom Diva: Level 6, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"That's Yuzu's new ace!" Yuya exclaimed.

"I attack Zirconia with Bloom Diva!" Bloom Diva sang as Zirconia punched her. "Bloom Diva is not destroyed when battling Special Summoned Monsters, and the opponent receives any Battle Damage that I would take! Also, the Monster is destroyed!"

"No way!" Masumi exclaimed in shock.

"Reflect Shout!" Bloom Diva sang out a green wave which destroyed Zirconia and blew back Masumi, causing her to fall face down.

Masumi: 2900-1000 Lp

"She did it!" Ayu exclaimed with joy.

"That's some big damage!" Tatsuya said cheerfully.

"Shivers!" Futoshi finished.

"Now you've done it...but that will be your downfall! Trap Card, Brilliant Spark! When a Gem-Knight Monster on my Field is destroyed, I can deal damage equal to its attack to my opponent!"

"Zirconia had 2900 attack! If Yuzu takes this, she'll…" Gongenzaka stopped talking as he continued to watch what happens next.

"Trap Activate! Melodious Illusion! It negates a opponent's Trap Card, and it lets one of my Melodious Monsters attack again!"

"Alright! Wait, what is she…" Yuya saw Masumi sliding down a pole.

"Brilliant Spark's other effect, by sending one Magic Card to the grave, I can negate any effects that negate this Trap!" In response, Yuzu jumped off the railing and aimed for the Action Card that Masumi jumped for.

"This isn't good! Yuzu will lose if Masumi gets that Action Card!" Shark said.

Yuzu managed to grab the Action Card right when Masumi reached out for it. Yuzu was caught by Bloom Diva, she was then transported to a bridge.

"You Show can't lose when it comes to Action!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Unbelievable! Why would you jump from that height?!"

"Being one with your Monsters is how You Show Duel School Duels!" Yuzu answered Masumi's question. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, now Bloom Diva can attack again! This is the end! Attack Brilliant Diamond, Bloom Diva! Reflect Shout!" Yuzu declared as Bloom Diva let out a green wave, destroying Brilliant Diamond. Masumi screamed in pain as she fell off the bridge and towards the ground.

"Masumi!" Yuzu called out in concern. This wasn't good, if she hit the ground, Masumi would…

Just then, Bloo Diva caught Masumi, saving her from death or an injury

"You...saved me?" Masumi asked.

Yuzu nodded in response. Yaiba and Hokuto sighed in relief.

Masumi: 1000-0 Lp

* * *

Later-Back at the hideout

Shun, who was followed by Shark and O'Brien entered the hideout, where Yuto was waiting for them.

"How'd it go?" Yuto asked.

"Fine." Shun responded.

"My match is tomorrow. So is Shun's." Shark said.

"Against Shiunin Sora. A person we believe is from Academia." O'Brien told Yuto.

"Sora's that kid who likes candy, right?" Yuto asked, remembering the kid he saw that one time when he stopped Shun from being too rash.

"That's not all, Akaba Reiji told me to keep an eye on your look alike. His name is Sakaki Yuya."

"I already know his name, Shun." Yuto replied. "I don't know about you guys, but tomorrow, I have a feeling something is going to happen. Something that's going to change the war."

"Maybe you need to go rest." Shark jokingly said.

"Not funny."

"Sorry."

"Anyways, are you going to expose Sora?" O'Brien asked Shun with curiosity.

"I'll find a way. It depends on what Akaba Reiji wants me to do. So far, it seems like he wants me to expose the kid." Shun answered.

"Well. We should get ready. Want to have a practice Duel, Shun?" Shark asked.

"No. Something tells me that we will be Dueling each other anyway pretty soon."

* * *

The next day-At the end of Gongenzaka's Duel

 _The sash that my father gave me for this battle..._ Gongenzaka thought while Yuya ran to the stadium, where Gongenzaka was Dueling Gen.

"But that is not what I need right now!"

 _What I need now is…_

"Gongenzaka!" Yuya called out for his best friend. Gongenzaka gasped and turned towards Yuya's voice, there at the top of some stairs, stood Yuya, triumphantly holding up Gongenzaka's sash.

"Yuya!" Shuzo, Yoko, and Yuzu exclaimed.

"Yuya-oniichan!" The 3 kids exclaimed.

"You're here!" Gongenzaka smiled at his best friend.

"Sorry for the wait! Catch this!" Yuya threw the sash towards Gongenzaka, which he caught.

"Yuya! I've gotten the sash from you!" Gongenzaka said as he started to put the sash on. "I believed. And you came. This is now my sash for victory! My turn!" Gongenzaka drew his card with so much force a gust of wind pushed Gen slightly back.

"I Summon the level 2 Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Tama-C!" Gongenzaka Summoned his Monster.

Tama-C: Level 2, 100 Atk, 800 Def

"A tuner Monster? Without any other Monsters, it's just fodder!" Gen mocked Gongenzaka.

"Tama-C can perform a Synchro Summon using a Machine-Type Monster on my opponent's Field!" Gongenzaka revealed.

"What?!" Gen widened his eyes.

"I tune the level 8 Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K on your Field with my level 2 Tama-C! Raging deity, in unison with the roar of a thousand blades, come forth in a spiraling sandstorm! Synchro Summon! Now come before us, Level 10! Superheavy Kojin Susano-O!" Gongenzaka chanted as his Synchro Monster appeared in defense.

Susano-O: Level 10, 2400 Atk, 3800 Def

"He did it! A Synchro Summon!" Yaiba yelled.

"Next, I equip Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet from my hand! This card increases the equipped Monster's defense by 400!"

Susano-O: 3800-4200 Def

"D-don't tell me just like Big Ben-K, it can…"

"That's right!" Gongenzaka confirmed Gen's fear. "I can attack using its Defense. Let's go! Battle! Susano-O, attack Barbarian Mad Shaman!"

"Right now, Mad Shaman has 0 attack thanks to Glo-V's effect!" Tatsuya said.

"Susano-O has 4200 Defense so…" Ayu started.

"He'll end it with one attack." Sora finished.

Susano-O's sword starting glowing. "Kusanagi Sword Slash!" Susano-O swung its sword and struck Gen's Monster, destroying. Gen was blown back as he yelled in pain, his life points dropped from 4000-0.

"The first Junior Youth Championship match victory of the day goes to Gongenzaka!" Nico Smiley announced to the crowd, which was cheering very loudly.

Gongenzaka walked away and faced Yuya. His best friend. The one he has defended for years.

"I believed that you would come, Yuya." Gongenzaka held out his hand.

"And I believed that you would win, Gongenzaka." Yuya sent back as he accepted Gongenzaka's hand firmly.

"Now, we have our second match of the day!" Nico Smiley yelled as the audience stopped cheering to hear what the match was. "You Show Duel School's Sakaki Yuya vs Leo Duel School's Sawatari Shingo!"

Yuya smiled at his friends and Mother, before walking off to go to Duel Sawatari.

"I'm off!" Yuya shouted.

* * *

Later-Last turn of the Duel

"Both player's ace Monsters are duking it out!" Nico Smiley exclaimed as Odd Eyes and Daibakaze faced off.

"It's time to end this!" Sawatari told Yuya.

"Yeah! Battle! Go, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Daibakaze!" Yuya declared battle as Odd Eyes ran towards Daibakaze.

"You don't have enough attack!" Sawatari reminded.

"I activate Drumming Kong's effect! It can increase one Monster's attack by 600 until the end of the Battle Phase!"

Odd Eyes: 2500-3100 Atk

"Odd Eyes' effect! When it battles a level 5 or higher Monster, the battle damage is doubled!" Odd Eyes proceeded to headbutt Daibakaze.

"Sarenshinchu's effect! When a Yosenju Monster would be destroyed, I can destroy this card instead!" Sawatari flinched as he took damage. Sarenshinchu disappeared from Sawatari's Pendulum Zone.

Sawatari: 1400-1200 Atk

"Woah! Sawatari has managed to prevent the destruction of his ace Monster!" Nico Smiley exclaimed.

"Man, this is getting me really excited!" A boy said.

"Me too, I don't care who wins now!" The boy next to him added.

"I wish both of them could win!" A girl frowned in disappointment. The 2 Duelists have showed such a great Duel, that she wants both of them to move on so they can show more of their skill and Entertainment.

"This is fun, isn't it?" Sawatari asked Yuya.

"Yeah! But the fun has just begun!" Yuya replied.

"This means Yuya's got something up his sleeve. I wonder what it is." Shark said. He was actually sort of interested in what Yuya had in store...sort of.

"I activate Entermate Trump Witch's Pendulum effect! Once per turn, during the Battle Phase, I can use Monsters on my Field as materials to perform a Fusion Summon!" Yuya revealed.

"What?!" Shun, who watching the Duel, Sawatari, and Shark all shouted in shock. However, Shark and Shun felt their anger rise up as they clutched their fists and gritted their teeth. Their heart started to beat quicker with anger, however, it was much more severe on Shun, who was fuming.

"During the Battle Phase…" Henchman 2 started.

"A Fusion Summon?!" Henchman 1 finished.

"Is that even possible?" Henchman 3 asked.

"Chest-beating sage of the forest. Become one with the mysterious dragon to create a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The ferocious dragon with luminous feral eyes! Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya chanted as Beast Eyes roared in glory.

Beast Eyes: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

* * *

At the observatory

"A Pendulum Monster to a Fusion Monster?!" Nakajima gasped.

"Oh? You've already evolved this far, Sakaki Yuya…" Reiji gave one of his rare smiles.

* * *

Back at the Duel

"It's a clash if high-level Monsters, both of which have 3000 attack!" Nico Smiley commentated.

Yuya and Sawatari eyed each other before glancing at the rock wall right next to them, before glancing back at each other, they could tell just by the look on the other's face what the other was going to do.

"Battle! Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Daibakaze!" Beast Eyes started running towards Daibakaze while Sawatari ran towards the wall, Yuya jumped off Beast Eyes and towards the wall. The wall was opening up to reveal 2 Action Cards. Both Monster's of the Duelists let out their attacks, Beast Eyes was a stream of fire while Daibakaze's was a stream of green energy.

Sawatari managed to grab an Action Card before Yuya, however, Yuya managed to grab an Action Card right after Sawatari.

Both attacks from both player's Monsters struck one another, an explosion occurred forming a large dust cloud.

"What happened?!" Futoshi asked.

"Action Magic, Huge Fireworks! This card deals damage equal to half of the Attack of an opponent's Monster destroyed in battle to my opponent!" Sawatari explained as a fireball came flying towards Yuya.

"Yuya!" Yuzu screamed in concern.

Suddenly, the fireball was deflected like a trampoline and exploded in the sky like fireworks.

"What?!" Sawatari gazed at the sky, confused at what just happened.

"Action Magic, Miracle negated Beast Eyes' destruction, which, therefore, negated your card's effect!" Yuya told Sawatari.

"You...that was too flashy!" Sawatari yelled. Sawatari looked to his right to see Beast Eyes still standing.

"Now, Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates! When it destroys an opponent's Monster in battle, it can inflict damage equal to the Attack of its Beast-Type Fusion Material! Drumming Kong's attack is 1600!" Yuya explained as Sawatari was blown back by a red beam from Beast Eyes. Sawatari fell to the ground as his life hit 0.

"And that's it! The winner of the second match is Sakaki Yuya!" Nico Smiley announced.

As Sawatari was getting to his feet, Yuya held out a hand, surprising Sawatari. Sawatari neglected the hand, however, he gasped when heard the claps from the audience.

"They're really excited!" Yuya said as he held his hands up and waved while Sawatari smiled and took a bow.

"I'll face you anytime." Sawatari told Yuya.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it!" Yuya responded.

 _That's right, this may be the kind of Dueling I am aiming for. Dad, have I gotten a bit closer to you?_ Yuya wondered.

* * *

Later-Sora and Shun's Duel-Last stretch

Blaze Falcon has just been destroyed by Mad Chimera, and due to Chimera's effect, Blaze Falcon was Special Summoned to Sora's Field, and it now has 3100 Attack.

"Now your Monster has become mine!" Sora gloated sadistically as he grinned. Sora closed his eyes and sneered. "Do you understand? You can never hunt me! The ones being hunted, will always be you! Now and forever more!" Shun kept a blank expression on his face, however, on the inside, he was fuming with anger. Shark, on the sidelines, was cracking his knuckles in anger, wanting to go out there and show Sora a piece of his mind. His suspicion was right all along, Sora was from Academia. O'Brien, showed no emotion at all, however, he was pissed off, not as much as the other 2. Everyone else, however, were shocked.

"What has he been talking about this whole time?!" Yuya questioned Sora's words. All this time, Sora has been talking about hunted and domination and winning. Just what could it mean?

"I'll at least give you the honor of dying by your own Monster's hand. With a direct attack from Blaze Falcon's 1000 attack, you and your last 400 life points will…"

"Ridiculous!" Shun cut Sora off as Sora lost his grin and gasped. Shun closed his eyes and clenched his fist. "We of the Resistance always fight prepared for the worst-case scenario! All while considering the possibility that our comrades might be suffering in the hands of the enemy…" Yuzu gasped when she heard that, remembering Yuto saying something about comrades being captured. "But even if they may be taken away…"

Meanwhile, Yuto was walking on the streets of Miami City, walking to the screen where he heard Shun's voice and looked up.

"We will never abandon them! We will always find a way to take back our comrades!" Shun shut open his eyes, showing the eyes of a bird on the prowl.

"Those eyes." Shark whispered. Shun was getting serious.

Meanwhile, in the observatory, Reiji put a hand on Reira's shoulder, shocking the boy.

"Quick-Play! Rank-Up-Magic! Revolution Force! I can take control of an Xyz Monster on my opponent's Field." Blaze Falcon disappeared from Sora's Field and reappeared on Shun's, causing Mad Chimera's attack to drop back to 2800, shocking Sora. "Now I can Rank that Monster up to a Raid Raptors Monster that is 1 Rank higher!"

Blaze Falcon was covered in a sea of flames. "No!" Sora shouted.

"Prideful falcon. Spread your wings, dyed in the blood of heroes, and charge through the path of revolution! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 6! Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon!" Shun chanted as his Monster appeared.

Revolution Falcon: Rank 6, 2000 Atk, 3000 Def

"What's this?! Kurosaki's Xyz Monster has Ranked Up even further!" Nico faked a smile, in reality, however, he was terrified.

Sora's shocked face soon switched back into his cocky, sadistic attitude. "What? You start talking about revolutions and nonsense, but it's just 2000 Attack?! You can't destroy my 2800 Attack Mad Chimera with that!"

"Oh, is that so?" Shun asked calmly.

Sora took a step back, but regained his composure. "That's just a bluff, isn't it?! Because you don't have any Set Cards on your Field at all!" Sora glanced Field just to be sure.

Yuya ran to the railings with a concerned look on his face. "Stop! Don't provoke him! He's very dangerous! He really will-!"

"Revolution Falcon's Monster effect activates!" Shun interrupted Yuya. "When this Card is Xyz Summoned by Ranking up a Raid Raptors Monster, I can destroy a Special Summoned Monster my opponent controls, and deal damage equal to half its Attack to my opponent! Go! REVOLUTION FALCON! BURN AND SCATTER IN THE FLAMES OF REVOLUTION!" Shun shouted as Revolution Falcon flew up into the air and bombed Heartland City, causing fires and destruction everywhere, causing it to be like the real Heartland City currently is, Hell.

"Stop it!" Yuya bellowed. "The Dueling that I believe in is supposed to make everyone happy!"

Sora was running trying to look for an Action Card. Unknown to him, a structure was cracking, it was going to collapse soon. Sora saw an Action Card and dove for it, he rolled across the ground and smirked, ready to activate it, at that moment, the building collapsed and slowly fell towards Sora. Sora could only just watch in fear and shock as the building fell on top of him, dropping his life to 0.

"Sora!" The You Show (except O'Brien and Shark) all yelled in concern.

"Th-the winner of the Duel is...Kurosaki Shun…" Smiley quietly announced, to shocked by what he has just seen.

Shun walked to Sora, who on the ground, he lifted up his Duel Disk, ready to finish the job by doing what Academia did to his homeland. Suddenly, his Duel Disk beeped, and Reiji's voice came through.

"That's enough. I forbid you from taking further action in the eyes of the general public." Reiji commanded Shun to stop what he was doing. "He will be a useful experiment material for us. Experiments to understand Academia!" Shun put down his Duel Disk and walked away, however…

"Wait...this match isn't over!" Shun looked back at Sora. "There's no way I can lose! To you Xyz scum, I could never…!" Shun looked away and kept walking. "Wait! Don't run away! Again...Duel me...again…" At that moment, Sora lost consciousness and dropped to the ground.

"Sora!" Yuya tried to run to the stadium, however, he was restrained by the guards. "Sora!"

* * *

Later

Sora had already been taking for Medical Care, so Nico Smiley proceeded with the next match. It was Shark VS Shalulu (hey a new Duel!)

"Yuya. I'm sure Sora will be fine. Let's cheer on Shark now, after his match we'll go check on him." Yoko told Yuya.

Yuya didn't reply, but he sat back in his seat, which meant that he was going to watch Shark's Duel and cheer him on.

Meanwhile, Shark was now on full guard. Sora was an Academia Spy, so anyone else in this Stadium could be a Spy. So, he decided that he should act more serious and cold, even to the You Show crew.

Shark and Shalulu met in the Stadium, where Shalulu just started laughing.

"Something funny?" Shark asked in annoyance.

"Nothing, it's just the fact that YOU are my opponent. This is a joke! This will be over very quickly!" Shalulu told Shark.

"Yeah, it will end quickly. Quickly before I pummel your face into the ground." Shark harshly countered.

"A smack talker, huh? Alright, let's get this show on the road." Shalulu replied.

"Action Field On! Field Magic, Kingdom of the Knights!" Nico Smiley activated the Action Field as the stadium was replaced by a castle. The castle separated Shalulu and Shark. Shalulu was placed on top of the castle while Shark wasn't even in the castle, he was at the bottom on the outside.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Shalulu started the Action Duel chant.

"Kicking across the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" Shark continued in anger.

"They storm through this Field!" Shalulu exclaimed.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" Shark finished.

"Actioooooooon-!"

"DUEL!" Both Duelists finished Nico's exclamation as they begun their Duel.

"I'll go first! If I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon this Monster, come, Shark Caller!" Shark Special Summoned his Shark.

Shark Caller: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 700 Def

"His effect activates, when he is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Water-Attribute Monster from my Deck. Show yourself, Friller Rabca!" Shark exclaimed.

Friller Rabca: Level 3, 700 Atk, 1500 Def

"Now, using these 2 Monsters, I overlay! Xyz Summon! Rank 3, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!" Shark Xyz Summoned with an angry expression on his face.

Aero Shark: Rank 3, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def

"Aero Shark's Monster effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can deal 400 points of damage to you for every card in my hand! I have 4 cards, take 1600 points of damage!" Shark shouted.

Aero Shark rammed into Shalulu, making him flinch.

Shalulu: 4000-2400 Lp

"Shark's acting more violent than usual." Yuya noted.

 _Are you getting serious, Shark?_ O'Brien thought.

"I end my turn." Shark concluded.

"A ruthless assault from Kamishiro Shark! 1600 points on the first turn! Amazing!" Nico gushed at Shark's opening move.

"My turn, draw! I Summon Noble Knight Bedwyr!" Shalulu placed his Monster on his Duel Disk.

Bedwyr: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1500 Def

"Look at that, a knight!" Ayu exclaimed.

"Well, they are the Knight of Duels." Gongenzaka said in a 'as a matter of fact' tone.

"When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send a Noble Arms equip Magic Card to the grave. I send Noble Arms-Gallatin. Then, I activate the second effect of Bedwyr, I equip Gallatin to Bedwyr, because of Gallatin, Bedwyr's attack is raised by 1000." Shalulu explained as his Knight's attack points rose.

Bedwyr: 1600-2600 Atk

"It's more than Shark's Monster!" Yuzu realized.

"I'm not done, I activate the Quick-Play Glory of the Noble Knights! Using this card, I can equip a Magic Equip Card that is appropriate for a Noble Knight Monster. I equip Noble Arms-Excaliburn! With this, Bedwyr can't be targeted by your effects! Now, from my hand, I activate the effect of Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms, I equip this card to Bedwyr! Bedwyr gains 300 attack." Shalulu equipped his Monster.

Bedwyr: 2600-2900 Atk

"Battle! Go, Bedwyr, destroy Aero Shark!" Shalulu declared.

"Not so fast! I activate Friller Rabca's grave effect, I can banish this card, negate the attack, and now your Monster loses 500 Attack!" Shark countered. Bedwyr was stopped in his tracks.

Bedwyr: 2900-2400 Atk

"The match seems to be at a standstill! Can Shark pull out something to make this Duel go in his favor?" Nico asked.

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Shalulu ended his turn. He smirked. "You can't win. Admit it. This Duel is at a standstill now, but I will come out at top. Do your turn and die!"

"Die? I will never die! Just like my comrades! I fight on! Even if my body breaks, another body will take over to eradicate all of our enemies! My turn, draw!" Shark eyed his drawn Card. "I activate the effect of Aero Shark, I detach an its final overlay unit, I have 5 Cards in my hand, so now you take 2000 points of damage, normally, however I now activate the effect of School of Sharks from my hand!"

"He just drew that!" Shuzo commented.

"When I inflict damage to my opponent, I can double the damage! The original damage is 2000! TAKE 4000 DAMAGE AND GO TO HELL!" Shark shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Go to hell?!" Yuzu repeated. The audience, and the You Show crew got worried, however, O'Brien kept a neutral look on his face.

"Not so fast! I activate my Trap! Damage Reactor! When I would receive effect damage, I can make the damage 0, and then Bedwyr will gain 800 Attack!" Shalulu countered.

Bedwyr: 2400-3200 Atk

"From my hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic High Tide Force! Using this card and Aero Shark, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Aero Shark using this card and Aero Shark as materials! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, unappeased soul of the past that dwells aboard the ARK! Rise from the abyss where there is only darkness, and no light can reach it! Rank 4, Silent Honor ARK!" (No, not Number 101, this is a recreation of Number 101. It will have some differences, however the stats are the same.)

ARK: Rank 4, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def

"Rank-Up?!" Shalulu widened his eyes.

"Just like that guy Kurosaki." Yuya recalled to when Shun performed a Rank-Up.

"I activate Silent Honor's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can absorb a Card on the Field, and attach it to this card as an overlay unit! I attach Excaliburn! Now your Monster loses its protection effect! Now, I activate the Magic Card Overlay Replay! I can now activate the effect of a 'once per turn' Xyz Monster again! I activate Silent Honor's effect again, detaching an overlay unit to absorb your Bedwyr, then, since the absorbed Card is a Monster, ARK gains the attack the Monster had when it was absorbed!" Bedwyr turned into an overlay unit and was attached to ARK.

"Not so fast! Trap activate, Noble Shield! I negate the effect of your ARK! Disappear!" Shalulu shouted.

"From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Sea Sealer! I send Skull Kraken to the grave in order to negate your Trap, and then its destroyed!" Shark explained.

ARK: 2100-5300 Atk

"This is the end! Go, Silent Honor ARK! Finish this!" Shark attacked Shalulu directly.

"Action Magic, Evasion! The attack is negated!" Shalulu activated an Action Card.

"No you don't!" Shark dove for an Action Card and grabbed it. "Action Magic, No Action! The activation is negated!"

ARK shot Shalulu, making him fly back, falling off the castle and onto the ground on the inside, yelling in pain as he dropped to the ground.

Shalulu: 2400-0 Lp

ARK destroyed parts of the castle, each dropping to the ground, one almost crushed Shalulu. The Action Card disappeared as everyone looked on in shock and silence.

"Th-the winner is Kamishiro Shark...or Kamishiro Ryoga…" Nico managed to say. However, he was shocked that something like this happened for a second time in a row.

Shark left the Field as Yuya, Yuzu, and the You Show crew ran to him.

"What was that?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah, you were like that Kurosaki guy!" Yuzu told Shark.

"And the way he Dueled is unforgivable! Also, I can sense that you are very furious. What's going on? I, the man Gongenzaka can handle what you have to say!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Don't worry about. Stay out of my way." Shark replied harshly as he walked away.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Shark Caller Fish/Water: If you control no Monsters, you can Special Summon this Card from your hand. If this Card is Special Summoned, you can Special Summon a Water-Attribute Monster from your Deck. You can only use this effect of Shark Caller once per turn.**

 **Rank-Up-Magic High Tide Force Quick-Play: Using this Card and a Water-Attribute Monster as overlay units, Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the Water-Attribute Monster used for this Summon.**

 **Silent Honor Ark Xyz/Water/Aqua: Once per turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this card, attach 1 Card on the Field to this card, then, if the chosen Card is a Monster, this card gains the attack of the absorbed Monster. If this Monster would be destroyed, you can detach an overlay unit instead. On your turn, once per turn, if this Card has no overlay units, you can attach 1 Water-Attribute in your hand or graveyard to this card.**

 **Sea Sealer Quick-Play: If your opponent activates a Monster, Magic, or Trap effect, you can discard a Water-Attribute Monster, negate the activation, destroy the card.**

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **For the first time since like Chapter 22 we have a kind of long chapter. I mean, compared to what I normally d9 it is long. The longest chapter in this fanfic was a chapter 19 I think. Sorry if the Duel was disappointing. I just wanted to show Shark's change of character, and Shalulu was the perfect subject.**

 **Anyways, here is the next chapter preview.**

 **The matches are done for the day, so, Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka wait outside the hospital, concerned for Sora. Meanwhile, Yuto sneaks into the hospital and questions Sora, they are caught by security. They later meet in the park, where they initiate a Duel.**

 **Mekyaku: Yusei won't appear. However, now I am considering including Aki. And pwotagonists? Was that an intended Little Kuriboh reference? Also, if I included those lines, I wouldn't have a good way to end the chapter.**

 **Sorry for the wait, I was having trouble uploading this chapter for some reason. So, next chapter will be like the anime in most ways. MOST WAYS I say.**

 **Now, I've got a tiny challenge for you guys. There was a point in Shark and Shalulu's Duel where I had Shark try to end the Duel in the same way he tried to in his final Duel in Zexal. If you guys know what 8 mean, the burn damage for 4000 attempt is what I'm talking about. My challenge is, I want you to find out what point in Shark's final Duel in Zexal he tries to end the Duel with a ton of burn damage. You don't have to d9 this challenge if you don't want to, it's your choice of course.**

 **Now, about the Silent Honkr ARK thing. That's a recreation. It is not the actual number and it 8s not related to it except in stats and name...and effect sort of. I already said there will be no CXyz or Number Monster...or Chaos Numbers for that matter. However, there might be more recreations. For example, I might recreate Ragna Zero for Rio so it is more like Ragnafinity, but we shall see how it plays out.**

 **Also, about Shark's change. I will say that the war is now starting to shape him into a battle-hardened soldier. He is also having the fear of losing Rio and others, so he is now getting much more serious, and maybe even a little ruthless. However, I'm putting a limit on hw far this goes because I don't want a Shun 3.0. Of you're wondering who 2.0 is it's Kaito.**

 **To be honest with you guys. There was something I needed to say, but I actually completely forgot what it was. So I don't have much to say here. See you guys in the next chapter, hope you guys enjoyed this one.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	34. Xyz VS Fusion

"Sora…" Yuzu held her hands to her chest as she looked at the door with worry. Sora was currently healing from his Duel with Kurosaki after getting crushed by a Solid Vision building.

"He'll be fine. I'm told that LDS has a very skilled medical team." Shuzo assured Yuzu.

"But if the building hit his head before the Field Spell turned off…" Ayu stated the bad scenario.

Yuya clenched his fist. _Kurosaki...Shun…_

* * *

At LDS

"Shiunin Sora is currently receiving treatment in the Center Court's care ward. There are superficial injuries on his legs and head, but his life is not in danger." Nakajima informed Reiji.

"I see. Then call for our emergency care team and have him brought to Leo Corporation's facilities immediately. I have many things I wish to ask him." Reiji turned his chair towards Nakajima.

"Yes sir." Nakajima said.

"Get me the Duel Disk he used as well." Reiji added.

"Understood." Nakajima took a bow before leaving Reiji.

* * *

Meanwhile-At the hideout

Shark was at the outside of the hideout only to see Yuto about to leave.

"Where are you going?" Shark asked.

"I'm going to the LDS' hospital. Well, more like I'm sneaking in. I have some questions for Shun's opponent. Where's O'Brien?" Yuto asked back.

"On his way back. Shun told me that Reiji is forcing him to stay at LDS since he is working with them. Akaba Reiji doesn't want him getting out of hand." Shark explained Shun's absence.

"Ok. I'll be off then." Yuto ran away and to the LDS hospital.

* * *

Outside the LDS tower

"What do you think?" Yuya asked, causing her to look at him in confusion. "Kurosaki is the culprit for the serial attacks on LDS. I saw him take out members from their top team in front of my very eyes. And you, Yuzu?"

"I saw Masumi get into a dangerous situation while she was chasing the culprit, too...but Masumi…" Yuzu paused as she remembered what Masumi told her and told Yuya and Gongenzaka, shocking them.

"The one she had been chasing was one of them?!" Gongenzaka reacted in shock.

"I don't know why Masumi would say something like that. But Yuto said that they were attacking LDS to save one of their comrades." Yuzu explained.

"Yuto…" Yuya whispered his look alike's name.

Meanwhile, said look alike was walking down the corridor of the hospital, going towards Sora's room.

"Then that man named Yuto is the one who attacked Sawatari?!" Gongenzaka questioned. "Why didn't you say anything about it!? If you had told the truth, then Yuya would have been cleared of suspicion. Don't tell me you doubted Yuya!?"

"That's not it!" Yuzu quickly denied. "Yuya doesn't even…" Yuzu gasped, she was about to say Yuya doesn't Xyz Summon, but he did in his Duel against Akaba Reiji. "Umm…"

"Yuto… A man who looks just like me. That's the same guy who would disappear whenever your bracelet would shine, right?" Yuya asked.

"Disappear?!" Gongenzaka repeated.

"I don't know why Yuto would vanish whenever this bracelet shone...I thought you were just changing out of a costume, but you didn't have a reason to do that!"

"He doesn't have a reason to attack LDS either!" Gongenzaka added to Yuzu's statement.

"He's also the one who Dueled Masumi and Sora by himself, and almost beat them before the bracelet made him vanish…" Yuzu remembered.

"What?! Seriously?!" Yuya exclaimed. So that one day where Yuzu ran off, and he found both her and Sora in a wrecked warehouse, where Sora had some scratches and dirt on him...he was in a Duel?

* * *

Meanwhile

Yuto slid open the door to Sora's room and walked inside. He walked over to Sora's bed, who was resting. Sora slowly opened his eyes, regaining consciousness.

"Yu-ya?"

"I have some questions for you." Yuto told Sora.

Sora gasped. "You're-!" Sora remembered Yuto from that one time where they had a 2 on 1 Duel.

"I want to know where Ruri is."

"Ruri?" Sora had never heard of that name before, so he was confused when he heard it. "I don't know any Ruri! There's no way I would, anyways!"

"Then do you at least know where the hostages are?" Yuto interrogated Sora.

"I don't! All I know is that your so-called prisoners of war don't exist!" Sora held up his hands and smiled.

"Don't exist?" Yuto repeated in confusion.

"Because people who are hunted are sealed into cards. So I'm sure she is…" Sora trailed off as Yuto gasped as he widened his eyes.

His heart slowed a few beats as he thought about Ruri. Her being carded. It made him sad to think about it, one of his closest friends, and his girlfriend was taken away from him, just like his life. However, along with the sadness, there was also another emotion mixed in. Anger.

"More importantly, where is he?"

"He?" Yuto asked.

"Kurosaki Shun!" Sora exclaimed. "I have to settle the score with him!" Sora got out of bed and grabbed his Duel Disk.

"That's already been settled. You lost." Yuto told Sora.

"I didn't lose!" Sora yelled in denial. "There's no way I would lose to Xyz Scum! Take me to him now! I'll beat him to a pulp this time! If I go all out, someone like him would be easily…"

"Where is that shouting coming from?!" A voice was heard. Yuto and Sora stopped talking and turned towards the door.

"This way!" A second person told the first as they ran into the room. "Who are you?"

Yuto just stared at them. Then, with great speed, he ran towards the guards, making them move out of the way, Yuto took this chance to run out of the door

"Wait!" Sora started to chase Yuto.

"You shouldn't be moving yet!" The first guard scolded Sora.

"Move it!" Sora shouted as he knocked over both guards and ran out of the door. He turned to his left and saw a glimpse of Yuto's cape. "You're not getting away!" Sora ran towards Yuto.

* * *

With Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka

"Did you seem him?" A guard asked another guard.

"No! Where could he be?" The second guard ran out of the building, confusing the trio.

"What's all the fuss about?" Gongenzaka asked himself.

"He might already have gotten outside!" The first guard guessed.

"Contact headquarters immediately! Tell them that Shiunin Sora has escaped!" The second guard ordered a third guard, who nodded and went to go do that.

Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka gasped. Sora had escaped?

* * *

At the Central Park

Sora kept wheezing as he was still tired and out of breath. Unknown to him, he was being watched by a camera, which people in the observatory was watching him.

"Hurry up and get him! Kurosaki Shun!" Sora demanded desperately. He was soon going top be at his breaking point before going insane. Yuto turned around to face Sora.

* * *

Observatory

"Th-this is-Sakaki...Yuya!" Nakajima gasped.

"No. That is Yuto." Shun corrected Nakajima.

"Yuto?" Reiji repeated the name. Even he was slightly shocked by this.

"He's my comrade."

"I see...I had suspected that there were 2 Xyz users attacking LDS, but...it was you and that Yuto man, wasn't it?" Reiji asked.

"But that face...he looks exactly like Sakaki Yuya." Nakajima said.

* * *

With Yuto and Sora

"Hurry up and get Kurosaki!" Sora demanded.

"You want to fight Shun again with those injuries?"

"Yes! This time, I definitely won't lose! To someone like him...Xyz Scum are all destined to be hunted by me! You, Kurosaki...and even that Ruri girl you talked about!" Yuto narrowed his eyes. "There's no way I would lose to Xyz users! I'll prove to you that if I fight seriously, I'm the stronger one! If you're going to hide him, then I won't show you any mercy! I don't know where that girl is, but...I bet she was turned into a card! Or maybe there might actually be a way to save her…"

"What?"

Sora smirked. "By destroying all of us! However, that is impossible for the likes of you of course. If you won't show me Kurosaki, then I'll Duel you for him! Besides, I've been wanting a rematch since we last fought!" Sora activated his Duel Disk. Yuto got in a ready stance and activated his Duel Disk.

"DUEL!"

"I'm going first. I Summon Edge Imp Tomahawk!"

Tomahawk: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 800 Def

"With Edge Imp Tomahawk, once per turn, I can send one Edge Imp Monster to my grave and to deal 800 damage to my opponent!" Sora sent a Monster to the grave, a bright light shone, and when it dissipated Yuto was thrown back into the wall behind him, he gasped in pain as he fell to the floor of the stage he was on. "Think of that as a little greeting from me. I end my turn."

* * *

Observatory

"800 damage right away." Nakajima gaped at the screen.

"Don't worry. Yuto would never falter against this amount of damage." Shun assured Nakajima.

Reira was scared, shivering in her place. Reiji placed a hand on his shoulder, shocking the girl.

"Watch closely." Reiji told Reira.

* * *

Yuto and Sora

"Are you okay?" Sora asked in a mock tone as Yuto got up to his feet. "Feel free to call Kurosaki out and trade spots with him.]

Yuto ignored Sora and continued to fight. "My turn! I Summon Phantom Knights Dusty Robe!"

Dusty Robe: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Hah! First off is an 800 Attack Monster." Sora grinned in amusement. "Now, how will you advance your plays, Mr. Xyz Loser?"

"When I control a Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots!" Silent Boots rose from the ground with a laugh as it appeared next to Yuto.

"I see. Since you've got 2 level 3 Monsters…"

"I overlay Dusty Robe and Silent Boots! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Yuto chanted as one of his most signature Monsters appeared.

Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def

"Here it is! An Xyz Monster!" Sora exclaimed in excitement.

"Battle! Break Sword, attack Edge Imp Tomahawk!" Break Sword stabbed Tomahawk with its sword, destroying it. Sora was knocked back as he took damage.

Sora: 4000-3800 Lp

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn!" Yuto concluded.

"It wouldn't be fun if you couldn't at least do this. Now that you've shown off your Xyz, it's time for me to go all out! I activate Fusion from my hand!" Yuto narrowed his eyes, prepared for what was to come. "I'm going to fuse Edge Imp Sabres and Furnimal Bear in my hand! Claws of the demon! Fangs of the beast! Become one and reveal a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Appear, horrifying beast that shreds everything! Deathtoy Scissors Bear!" Sora thrusted his hands together as he widened his eyes. At that moment, Scissors Bear appeared.

Scissors Bear: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1800 Def

Yuya had just ran into park. Yuto and Sora didn't notice him. "Sora…" Yuya glanced at Yuto and gasped. "That's-! He looks just like me! Is that the Yuto guy that Yuzu was talking about?"

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Synchro Dimension

Yugo was in the garage, on his d-wheel with his helmet on.

"Damn it! God damn it! I've had enough! Come on Clear Wing! Do whatever you did in order to help me find Rin! Please! I'm begging you!" Yugo pleaded to the Card of his Dragon. No, Yugo couldn't communicate with spirits, so he was just yelling at a Card.

"If I could do it all again...if I could have just went with her! Then she might still be here! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yugo punched his fist in anger. His temper quickly rising. "I swear, once I find that grinning, sadistic, psychotic bastard, I'm going to knock his lights out and make sure he pays for what he has done!" Yugo's eyes flashed green for a second.

* * *

Back in Standard

"Time to battle! Go, Scissors Bear, attack Break Sword!" Sora declared as Scissors Bear punched Break Sword, destroying it. Yuto once again flew to the wall, however, this time he managed to stay on his feet.

Yuto: 3200-3000 Lp

"At this moment, I activate the effect of Break Sword! When Break Sword leaves the Field, I can Special Summon its Xyz Materials as level 4 Monsters!" Yuto explained as his Phantom Knights were revived. "The Phantom Knights will never fall! No matter how many times you take them down, they will always revive! This is how we of the Resistance fight!"

"Resistance? Auh...Fusion...enemy…!" Yuya pondered at Yuto's words.

"Bear's effect activates! When he destroys a Monster in battle, he can equip that Monster to himself." A portal opened and Break Sword rose from it, only to be devoured by Scissors Bear, the Monster finally burping at the end. "Now, the attack of the destroyed Monster gets added to Bear's!" Scissors Bear let out a laugh as it grew bigger.

Scissors Bear: 2200-4200 Atk

"This means that your Xyz Monsters are only going to be nutrients for Bear! Now, go ahead and Xyz again with those Monsters you Summoned! I'll devour those as well. I set a card and end my turn." Sora ended, clearly forgetting that he just set himself up for a loss.

"My turn, draw! I overlay the level 4 Phantom Knights Dusty Robe and Silent Boots!" Yuto exclaimed. This made Sora excited. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Yuto's ace Monster rose to the Field, showing off it's fangs. Yuya gasped at the sight of the Monster.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Dark Rebellion...Xyz Dragon?!" Yuya whispered the name of the dragon.

Sora widened his eyes. "Wait! Oh no! Not that one!"

* * *

In the Synchro Dimension

Yugo was just about to give up. He had no way of finding Rin, no leads, no nothing. He had lost his only friend, lost to some bastard in a cloak.

"Sorry...Rin…" Yugo whispered. Suddenly, he heard a roar. "What was that?!" Clear Wing's Card in Yugo's Duel Disk, which was on his Duel Runner began to shine again. Yugo was engulfed in the light, yelling in shock. When the light dissipated, Yugo and his d-wheel were gone.

* * *

Back in Standard

"Dark Rebellion's Monster effect! By detaching an overlay unit, it can halve the Attack of an opponent's level 5 or higher Monster until the end of the turn, then Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount!" Dark Rebellion shocked Scissors Bear with electricity, then it roared out loud due to the power boost. "Treason Discharge!"

Scissors Bear: 4200-2100 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-4600 Atk

"No! If you use the last overlay unit, my Monster's Attack will be lowered to 1050…and your Dark Rebellion will have 5650! More than enough to finish me off!" Sora exclaimed in shock while Yuya just looked on. They both thought it was over, however…

"Battle!"

"What?!" Both Yuya and Sora gasped at Yuto's declaration.

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Deathtoy Scissors Bear!" Dark Rebellion let out its wings as its fangs began surging with electricity. Finally, Dark Rebellion flew towards Scissors Bear. "Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Dark Rebellion stabbed Sora's Monster, destroying it, causing a big dust cloud to form. Sora was sent back screaming in pain.

Yuya covered his eyes from the dust. "This isn't even a Solid Vision Field, but these shockwaves!"

Sora: 3800-1300 Lp

"I end my turn with this. At this moment, Dark Rebellion's Attack returns to normal." Yuto concluded.

Dark Rebellion: 4600-2500 Atk

"Sora!" Yuya called out to his friend as he ran to him. "Are you okay, Sora?"

"Go away!" Sora forced Yuya's hand off. "This isn't any of your business!"

"What are you talking about?! Why did you sneak out here to Duel when you should be getting rest in the hospital?!" Yuya argued.

At that moment, nearby, but not too close to blind them, a bright green light appeared. Catching the attention of the 3 Duelists. They were too far away to see if something came out though. The 3 Duelists then went back to what they were doing. However...

* * *

In the Observatory

All of the cameras were cut out, this meant that no one could see the Duel.

"What happened?" Nakajima asked.

"We lost connection." Someone answered.

"Fix it fast then!" Nakajima commanded.

"Yes sir!"

Shun gritted his teeth, he was worried now. He was worried about Yuto, he hoped that nothing bad would happen to him. So that's why he isn't going to sit here. Shun started to walk away, however...

"Where do you think you're going? Reiji asked.

"I need to go there now! My best friend is in danger!" Shun responded.

"I forbid you to go. If you go now, and things get hectic during the tournament, then my entire plan will be ruined. And you don't want that, do you? After all, this plan could get you closer to Akaba Leo, and closer to saving your captured comrades." Reiji explained to a Shun why he shouldn't go. "For now, we wait."

Shun stayed in place and clenched his fist. "Fine." Shun walked back over to Reiji.

* * *

Back in the park

"Sora! Stop Dueling! Things are getting dangerous!" Yuya told Sora.

"No! This guy is mocking me! He's holding back! He could have beat me this turn!" Sora shouted.

"Then let me help at least!" Yuya pleaded with Sora.

"Shut up!" Sora shoved Yuya back. "If you want to help, then get the hell out of here and go check whatever that stupid light was for all I care!"

"But Sora!"

"Shut up!" Sora shouted. "I don't care what you do! Go away!"

"Sora...I'm only trying to help you!"

"I don't need help! As far as I'm concerned I'm perfectly fine! It's YOU who needs help Mr. Make Everyone Smile! For all I care, go check out the light!" Sora pushed Yuya in the direction of where the light came from, outside of the park. Yuya just looked at a Sora in shock. This clearly wasn't the boy he met before. The boy he met was much nicer, like a little annoying adorable 5 year old. But this, this Sora is a monster. Yuya was clearly hurt by what Sora had said to him, but he tried to stay calm, despite the aching feeling in his heart that won't stop bothering him.

"Alright...just don't push yourself!" Yuya told Sora as he left to go check out what the light was.

* * *

Later

Yuya got to where the source of the light was, where he found someone on a white motorcycle wearing a white helmet.

"Man...what is this thing doing here?" Yugo asked himself as he looked at a fallen lamp post, caused by his sudden appearance. Yugo took of his helmet and unintentionally looked at Yuya with a frown clear in his face. "Geez."

Yuya gasped in shock. _Another person with the same face as me?_

"You..." Yuya said.

Yugo looked at Yuya with a surprised face, but that face soon became one of anger. "You..I finally found you! Don't even think about running you bastard! For what you did, I'll make you pay!" Yugo pointed his finger at Yuya. He was 100% sure that this was the wrong guy. This wasn't Yuto. This guy still had the same face though. So, Yugo thought that he was the person who too, Rin.

However, what Yugo didn't know, was that we was very wrong.

* * *

 **And we're finished. Sorry, this is the same as in the anime basically. But, there are a couple of differences here. Mostly, is that Yuya won't interfere with Yuto and Sora's Duel. Sorry if you are bothered by this.**

 **Next chapter preview.**

 **Thinking Yuya is Yuri, Yugo immediately initiates a Duel with Yuya. The 2 battle it out. Meanwhile, Sora and Yuto continue to Duel, with Sora pissed off at the fact that Yuto is holding back. Yuya and Yugo Summon their Dragons, and all 3 boys with the same face feel a weird pain, followed by an unusual change of personality, and a desire to destroy everything.**

 **Here it is! Yuya vs Yugo. This time, Sora and Yuto will be able to finish their Duel. Hope you guys are excited for Yuya and Yugo's Duel.**

 **Mekyaku: You will have to see how it turns out next chapter. As for your guess...you are...drumroll please...you are correct! Great job. What do you win, you may ask? Umm...you win a pwotagonst cookie. In Zexal, Shark tried to end the Due, by using Barian the King of Dreams or whatever, he used the effect to have the effect be Ragnafinity, in order to try to end the Duel by burning Yuma for 4200 damage. However, Yuma countered this with the exact same card Shalulu used, Damage Reactor, and used Beyomd the Hope to destroy Barian. Great job man.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. See you guys in the next one.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	35. The Resonating Dragons

"Make me pay, for what? I didn't do anything. I just met you! Who are you anyway?" Yuya asked Yugo.

"Don't play dumb with me! You look exactly like that guy, no, you are him! You even sound exactly like him!" Yugo replied in anger as he cracked his knuckles. Side note: If you didn't know, in the Japanese version, Yuya and Yuri have the same voice actor. "That's it! If you're not going to give me answers, or what you took, then I'll just beat it out of you!" Yugo activated his Duel Disk which was on his d-wheel. A voice then played, "Duel Mode, Autopilot, Standby.

"Kuh…" Yuya grunted as he activated his own Duel Disk.

"Here we go!" Yugo bent over and drove off on his d-wheel, towards Yuya, who gasped and jumped out of the way, Yugo turned to his left while Yuya kept an eye on him.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted in unison.

"First to strike wins! I Summon the tuner Monster, Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" Yugo Summoned a triangular shaped die with 1 eye on each side.

"Tuner Monster?!" Yuya widened his eyes.

Tri-Eyed Dice: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1500 Def

"When I control a Wind-Type Monster I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg!" Yugo Summoned another Machine to his Field.

Taketomborg: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1200 Def

"I tune my level 3 Taketomborg with my level 3 Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" Yugo declared.  
"Magical sword with the form of a cross. Use your power to rend all enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 6! High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama!"

Magical Sword Dama: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1600 Def

* * *

At the observatory

They couldn't see anything that was happening in the park anymore, however, they could see something.

"Sir, a very strong Synchro Summon reading has just been picked up." A woman told Akaba Reiji.

"Synchro Summon?" Reiji whispered in question.

"It must be him!" Shun suddenly said, causing Nakajima and Reiji to look at him in interest. "It's that Pawn of Fusion from the Synchro Dimension. Yuto encountered him once before, but their Duel ended in a no result. The Pawn claims to have made a mistake about attacking Yuto, but I still don't believe him! This just proves it!"

"Interesting."

"I need to go now!" Shun told Reiji.

"You are not to interfere." Reiji stopped Shun.

"But-"

"But nothing. If you go now and cause a scene while the tournament is going on, it will ruin my plans. Besides, we don't even know if your friend is even Dueling the Pawn. I have my own guess...that Sakaki Yuya is Dueling right now." Reiji told Shun his guess.

"Hmm…" Shun grumbled as he stayed.

* * *

Back with Yuya and Yugo

"I activate Sword Dama's effect, once per turn, I can banish a Speedroid in my grave in order to deal 500 points of damage to you!" Yugo banished Taketomborg as Sword Dama tried to hit Yuya with a green beam. Yuya started to run away, he jumped down to the ground and the beam formed a small hole in the ground.

"That did real damage!" Yuya exclaimed in shock. "Without an Action Field! Just like Yuto and Kurosaki."

Yuya: 4000-3500 Lp

"I end my turn." Yugo concluded.

"My turn, draw! I, using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya slammed both cards on the ends of his Duel Disk. The word Pendulum was spelled out across his Duel Disk.

"What the hell is this?!" Yugo looked at the Scales in shock. He had never seen th8s before. Is this another method he didn't know, like Xyz?

"With this I can Summon Monsters whose level to 7 simultaneously."

"Simultaneously?!" Yugo exclaimed as he almost lost his grip on the handle, causing his d-wheel to swerve a bit.

"Swing, Pendulum of my soul. Carve an arc of light across the aether. Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monsters!" Yuya declared as 2 beams of light came out of the portal. "Show yourself, Entermate Turn Toad, Entermate Drumming Kong!"

Turn Toad: Level 2, 0 Atk, 800 Def

Drumming Kong: Level 5, 1600 Atk, 900 Def

Both Monsters were Summoned in Defense.

* * *

Observatory

"A Pendulum Summon was just detected!" A woman informed.

"Pendulum Summon? Other than you, you said the only one who could Pendulum a Summon was the pioneer himself, Sakaki Yuya. After all, you took back Sawatari's Pendulum Cards, so he can't Pendulum anymore." Shun noted.

"Which leads me to believe that this mysterious Duelist from the Synchro Dimension is Dueling Sakaki Yuya." Reiji replied to Shun.

"But what about Shiunin Sora and that man named Yuto?" Nakajima asked the question that almost everyone in the room had on their minds.

"Don't worry. If I know Yuto, he is fine. He doesn't quit easily, even when all the odds are stacked up against him, he always tries to pull through." Shun told Nakajima. "He has a iron-steeled will...and a powerful fist to boot." Shun added as he felt his stomach, remembering the time Yuto punched him in the stomach. Damn Shun had to get him back for that sooner or later.

* * *

Back at the Duel

"I activate Turn Toad's Monster effect! I can switch a face-up Defense position Monster to Attack Mode, then, that Monster gains Attack equal to half its current Defense. I switch Drumming Kong into Attack mode. Now, he gains 450 Attack!" Yuya explained as Drumming Kong took a battle stance.

Drumming Kong: 1600-2050 Atk

"So, it's still weaker than my Monster." Yugo reminded Yuya.

"Are you sure about that?" Yuya asked in a way that made it clear that he wasn't done yet.

"Huh…"

"Battle! Go, Drumming Kong, attack Sword Dama!" Drumming Kong jumped towards Yugo's Monster. "Drumming Kong's effect, his attack is now increased by 600." Drumming Kong kept smacking his drum, he yelled as he powered.

Drumming Kong: 2050-2650 Atk

Drumming Kong hit Sword Dama, destroying it, Yugo winced as he took damage.

Yugo: 4000-3550 Lp

"I end my turn." Yuya concluded. "At this moment, the effect of Drumming Kong and Turn Toad ends, and the Attack of Drumming Kong returns to 1600."

* * *

Meanwhile

"You...you...were holding back on me...you could have finished me by detaching that last overlay unit! Don't lie to me! I remember that effect from the last time we dueled. You could have finished me then, and you could have finished me here! Just how many times are you going to make fun of me!?" Sora punched his palm.

"We may be at a war. And you may be part of the group that ruined my life. However, even though you are my enemy, I cannot bring myself to hurt you badly. Just surrender right now and I can end this painlessly." Yuto told a Sora, which angered him.

"No! You're holding back! I can't afford to lose! Not to Xyz Scum like you! My turn, draw!" Sora eyes his drawn Card and grinned. "You're going to regret that you spared me last turn. Trap Card, Death-Toy Custom! Using this card, I can Special Summon Edge Imp Tomahawk from my grave and have it be treated as a Death-Toy Monster!"

Tomahawk: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 800 Def

"Now, I activate Death-Toy Fusion from my hand! I fuse the Tomahawk on my Field, the Bear in my grave, along with the Edge Imp DT Modoki who is treated as a Death-Toy Monster! I'll make you realize how strong I am!" A yellow light emitted from his Duel Disk as Sora gained a malicious grin. "The real power I developed at Academia! I'll bring out the strongest Monster with real Fusion Summoning! Unusual plaything possessed by demons! Root out and destroy the plebeians who dare rebel against you! Fusion Summon! Come forth and appear, chimeric fusion of all toys! Death-Toy Mad Chimera!"

Mad Chimera: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def

* * *

Observatory

"A Fusion Summon!" Someone told Reiji, Nakajima, and Shun.

"It must be that Fusion Scum Shiunin Sora!" Shun exclaimed in anger.

"So he and that Yuto man are still Dueling?" Nakajima asked.

Reira looked at the screen with a look of fear on her face. Reiji once again put his hand on her shoulder, shocking the girl. "Brother…"

"Don't worry, Reira." Reiji assured Reira not to worry about what was currently happening.

* * *

At the Park, with Yuto and Sora

"Battle! Go, Mad Chimera! Attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Sora declared as Mad Chimera shot a missile at Dark Rebellion. "Don't even think about using one of those cards! When Mad Chimera attacks or is attacked, you can't use any Magic or Traps until the end of the Battle Phase!"

"What?!" Yuto quickly jumped off the stage he was on as the missile destroyed Dark Rebellion and the stage, causing a ginormous dust cloud, Yuto looked away and kept running away while Sora backed up in order to make sure he wouldn't get hit.

Yuto: 3000-2700 Lp

"Mad Chimera's effect activates! When he destroys a Monster in Battle, I can Special Summon that Monster to my Field! This Monster also gains 300 Attack!" Sora explained as Dark Rebellion reappeared to Sora's side of the Field.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Mad Chimera: 2800-3100 Atk

Sora grinned. "I'm not done yet! Dark Rebellion can attack you! Go!" Dark Rebellion flew towards Yuto and headbutted him. Yuto yelled in pain as he was thrown off his feet and onto the ground.

Yuto: 2700-200 Lp

"I end my turn." Sora ended his turn. "What's wrong? Gonna give up, Mr. Xyz Loser?"

Yuto got back on his feet. "I'm done giving up!"

"Let me guess, you're going to go on about 'this is how we of the Resistance fight,' or, 'we will always get back our comrades,' or something along those lines! I wonder what that Ruri girl felt?" Sora asked no one, although he was talking to Yuto.

Yuto looked at Sora in anger, before calming his expression. "You said that I would have to defeat Academia in order to get Ruri back, right?" Yuto asked Sora, who gave no response. Yuto closed his eyes and continued, "A large building can be brought down by a single anthill. I'll have you become the first crack that we drill into the wall of Fusion! My turn, draw!"

* * *

With Yuya and Yugo

"Not bad. But I'm not letting up that easily! My turn, draw!" Yugo looked at the card he drew and then back to his hand. He knew what to do. "I Summon Speedroid Bamboo Horse!"

Bamboo Horse: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1100 Def

"His effect activates! When he is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Speedroid Monster from my hand! Show yourself, the tuner Monster, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"

Red-Eyed Dice: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"Tuner Monster?!" Yuya exclaimed in shock.

"I tune my level 4 Bamboo Horse with the level 1 Red-Eyed Dice! Lively soul of swordplay. Come, Level 5! High-Speedroid Chanbarider!" Yugo chanted as his Monster appeared.

Chanbarider: Level 5, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def

"Chanbarider can Attack twice per Battle Phase! Now, from my hand, I activate High-Speed-Re-Level! I can banish a Speedroid Monster in my grave, then I can target a Synchro Monster on my Field, that Monster's level becomes the level of the banished Monster. Then it gains 500 Attack for every level! I banish Sword Dama, Chanbarider's level becomes 6, now he gains 3000 Attack!" Yugo exclaimed as Chanbarider yelled out in excitement.

Chanbarider: 2000-5000 Atk

"Battle! Go, Chanbarider! Attack Turn Toad! The effect of Chanbarider activates, when he battles, he gains 100 Attack!" Chanbarider charges at Turn Toad.

Chanbarider: 5000-5100 Atk

Turn Toad was destroyed. "Chanbarider can attack a second time! Go! Chanbarider gains 100 more Attack!"

Chanbarider: 5100-5200 Atk

"Quick-Play, activate! Entermate Call Back! I move Drumming Kong to the Extra Deck, then, I can Special Summon a Monster who has a level that is equal to or lower than the returned Monster from my hand, Deck, Extra Deck, or Grave. I Special Summon the level 4 Entermate Camelump from my Deck!" Yuya Special Summoned his Monster in Defense.

Camelump: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1800 Def

"Continue your attack, Chanbarider!" Yugo continued his attack as Chanbarider destroyed Camelump by stabbing it.

"I use the effect of Camelump! When Camelump is destroyed, I can decrease the Attack of the Monster that destroyed him by 800!"

Chanbarider: 5200-4400 Atk

"I set a Card and end my turn. At this moment, Chanbarider's Attack drops down to 1400." Yugo concluded. He smirked in amusement. "You're not that bad. This would be fun if you weren't an ass!"

"What did I do to you?!" Yuya asked.

"Don't play dumb! I'm getting even more pissed off! First you take away what was most important to me, and now you go denying it! I saw you! You had the same face as me! I'm not leaving until you tell me where you took her!" Yugo shouted at Yuya, shocking him.

"Her?" Yuya repeated in confusion.

"Hurry up!" Yugo rushed Yuya.

"My turn, draw!" Yuya gasped as he heard the roar of Odd Eyes. He could almost tell what he was saying, Odd Eyes was...wanting to be Summoned. "Using the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monsters!" 4 beams of light came out of the portal.

"From the Extra Deck, revive! Entermate Camelump, Emtermate Drumming Kong, and Entermate Turn Toad! Finally, from my hand! The beautiful dragon with dichromatic eyes, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya Summoned his ace Monster in Defense.

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Yuya stopped as he clutched his chest in pain and groaned. _What's this pain?_

"Augh!" Yugo helped as he also held his hand over his chest, also feeling the pain.

In the park, Yuto felt the pain and suddenly grew cold. He held his arms around himself. "Brrrrr…"

A drop of sweat formed on Yuya's temple. "I use the effect of Turn Toad again. Like last time, it switches Odd Eyes into Attack Mode, and then he gains Attack equal to half of his Defense. Odd Eyes now gains 1000 Attack!"

Odd Eyes: 2500-3500 Atk

"I'll finish this in one shot! Battle, Odd Eyes, Attack Chanbarider! At this moment, Drumming Kong's effect makes Odd Eyes' Attack rise to 4100!" Odd Eyes jumped up into the air.

"From the grave, I banish Tri-Eyed Dice to negate the attack!" Yugo explained as Tri-Eyed Dice took a hit from Odd Eyes.

"I end my turn. At this moment, Odd Eyes' Attack returns to 2500." Yuya concluded.

* * *

With Yuto and Sora

"Draw! First I activate my facedown, Booby Trap E! With this, I can copy the effects of a set Continuous Trap I control. I copy my set Card Phantom Fog Blade. Now, using the copied effect, I negate Mad Chimera's effect, which means he loses his 300 Attack point boost! Also, now he can't attack or be attacked. I now activate the real Fog Blade, and use it on Dark Rebellion. Now, I set 3 Cards and end my turn." Yuto ended his turn as 3 set cards materialized in front of him.

"Hah! That's it? I was expecting more. I guess you were nothing more than a loser and that it was just luck you almost beat me! You're just like your fallen comrades." Sora taunted Yuto, angering him.

"Shut up! We aren't out of the fight! We will keep fighting no matter what happens! Make your move." Yuto grit his teeth.

"My turn, draw! This is the end! I Summon Furnimal Lio!" Sora Summoned his stuff animal.

Lio: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def

"Battle! End this, Lio! Attack him directly!" Lio pounced at Yuto.

"Quick-Play, Emergency Provisions! I can send any amount of Magic or Trap Cards from my Field to the grave and then I gain 1000 life points for each one. I send Fog Blade targeting Dark Rebellion, and my 2 set cards to the grave." Yuto sent his 3 Cards to the grave.

Yuto: 200-3200 Lp

The attack continued, and Yuto fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

Yuto: 3200-1600 Lp

"You fool! Now, Dark Rebellion can finish you! Fitting, your finished by your own Summoning Method AND your ace." Sora laughed as Dark Rebellion charged. Dark Rebellion dropped to the ground on Yuto, causing a dust cloud.

"Hahahahahaha! That's what you get for holding...what?!" Sora took a step back as he saw the silhouette of Yuto standing there, still standing. "How did you survive?"

"Before the attack connected, I used the effect of the Magic Card in my grave. Phantom Knights Shadow Veil, he was Special Summoned as a Monster since a direct attack was declared. However, Shadow Veil is now banished because of being destroyed." Yuto explained the reason why he survived.

"Grrr...I end my turn." Unknown to Sora, Yuto's chest was throbbing even more.

* * *

With Yuya and Yugo

"My turn!" Yugo drew his Card and gasped. The roar of his dragon played in his ears. Yuya and Yugo's chest was throbbing even more. "I get it! You want to fight this dragon! Alright then! First off, I activate my set Card, Speed Rebirth! Using this Card, I revive Chanbarider! Now, I activate Speedroid Scratch! I send Speedroid Den Den Daiko! Now, I can add a Speedroid Monster from my Deck to my Hand, I add Speedroid Double Yoyo. Which, I will now Summon!"

Double Yoyo: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def

"Using his effect, I can revive a level 3 or lower Speedroid Monster in my grave! Revive, Den Den Daiko!" Yugo revived his Monster.

Den Den Daiko: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 600 Def

"I tune the level 4 Speedroid Double Yoyo with the level 3 Speedroid Den Den Daiko. Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo Synchro Summoned his ace Monster, it flew high into the air and roared.

Clear Wing: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Yugo and Yuya started sweating even more, they both closed their eyes. They shot their eyes open, however, they weren't the same. A dark aura was surrounding both of them, both Odd Eyes and Clear Wing roared to each other, as if calling out to each other. Yuya's eyes turned red and his hair stood up. Yugo's eyes turned completely blue, his pupils couldn't be seen unlike Yuya.

* * *

Meanwhile

Dark Rebellion roared out with Clear Wing and Odd Eyes. Yuto closed his eyes, he could feel a familiar darkness creeping up on him. The same darkness that took over him when his Dad was carded. Yuto grunted as he held his head in pain. He shot open his eyes, and his eyes were completely blue, and his pupils couldn't be seen, a dark aura surrounded him, however, unlike Yuya and Yugo's aura, this one was flaring up even more, it was more pronounced. The built up sadness and rage inside him all shot out.

Sora took a step back in fear. "Wh-what the hell…?"

"Now THIS is the end. Now is the time, for us...to destroy everything! My turn, draw! From my grave, I activate the Magic Card that was sent to the grave by Emergency Provisions, Phantom Knights Possession!"

"From the grave…" Sora whispered.

"With this, I can take control a Monster on your Field. Come back to me, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Dark Rebellion flew to Yuto's side, who petted him when he did. "Good. Now, Shiunin Sora...GO TO HELL! From my hand, activate Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights Launch! Using this Card and Dark Rebellion, I can Xyz Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than Dark Rebellion." Yuto explained. "From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!" The familiar dragon flew onto the Field, roaring in rage.

Dark Requiem: Rank 5, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

"No! A 3000 Attack Monster!" Sora exclaimed.

"Unlike my weakling self, I'm not sparing you. I will destroy everything! I activate Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's Monster effect. Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can make the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster 0. Then, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon gains the lost amount!" Dark Requiem shot electricity at Mad Chimera, weakening him.

Mad Chimera: 2800-0 Atk

Dark Requiem: 3000-5800 Atk

"Battle! Go, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, attack Furnimal Lio!" Yuto shouted as Dark Requiem flew up into the air and opened up his wings. His wings started to become the color of stained glass, Dark Requiem's fangs started sparking with electricity as it dove towards Lio. Sora gasped as Lio was stabbed and destroyed. Sora yelled in pain as he flew back.

Sora: 1300-0 Lp

Sora was on the ground unconscious. Yuto was still not himself, he walked towards Sora. Suddenly, Sora's Duel Disk starting shining with a red light. The red light engulfed Sora, when the light was gone, Sora wasn't where he was lying.

"Hmph, coward. Academia probably forced him back." Yuto said coldly as the dark aura dissipated and Yuto's eyes were no longer blue, his pupils could now be seen. Yuto gasped in shock. He looked around, what the heck just happened? He noticed that his chest was still throbbing.

"Weird...where did he go?" Yuto asked himself. He then realized that Sora could have been forced back to Academia via the Force Return Program.

* * *

With Yugo and Yuya

"Battle! Go, Chanbarider! Attack Drumming Kong!" Yugo declared as Chanbarider raced towards the monkey.

"Drumming Kong's effect, Drumming Kong gains 600 Attack!" Yuya told Yugo, still not himself.

"Not so fast! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect activates, when a level 5 or higher Monster activates their effect, the effect is negated, and then the activated Monster is destroyed! Dichroic Mirror!" Yugo shouted as Clear Wing let out green shards of light at Drumming Kong.

"From the grave, I banish Entermate Call Back in order to negate Drumming Kong's destruction!" Yuya explained as an invisible barrier formed around Drumming Kong, protecting him from the shards.

"The effect is still negated, and now Chanbarider's attack continues! Now, Chanbarider gains 100 Attack." Yugo told Yuya.

Chanbarider: 2000-2100 Atk

Chanbarider stabbed Drumming Kong, destroying him. Yuya shielded his eyes and grunted as he took the damage.

Yuya: 3500-3000 Lp

"Now, Chanbarider, attack Turn Toad! Now, normally Chanbarider's effect would give him 100 Attack. But, whenever a level 5 or higher Monster activates his effect, Clear Wing can negate the effect, and destroy the Monster!" Yugo shouted as Clear Wing let out more green shards, which destroyed Chanbarider as he yelled in pain. "Also, Clear Wing gains the Attack of the destroyed Monster!"

Clear Wing: 2500-4600 Atk

"Kgh…"

"Battle! Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yugo yelled as Clear Wing flew up high into the air. Clear Wing turned to face Odd Eyes. Clear Wing's wings started to glow with green light, soon, it came tumbling down towards Odd Eyes. "Whirlwind Helldiving Slasher!"

Meanwhile, Yuto looked up at the sky and was shocked to see Clear Wing. "Yugo!" Yuto ran in the direction where he saw Clear Wing tumbling down.

Odd Eyes jumped into the air and bumped heads with Clear Wing, however, the dragon was destroyed, Clear Wing flew up, causing a large gust of wind which blew Yuya away.

"AAAAAAH!" Yuya smashed right into a lampost and dropped to the ground.

Yuya: 3000-900 LP

"I end my turn. Give up." Yugo told Yuya.

"No. Not until...we destroy everything!" Yuya chanted as he got back up on his feet and narrowed his eyes at Yugo. "My turn, draw! Once again, I will Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, my Monster servants! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Entermate Drumming Kong, and finally Entermate Turn Toad! Even with these Monsters, it is still over. Battle!" Yuya held out his hand. "Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Cle-"

"Wait!" Yuto called out to Yuya as he came in running towards Yuya, who froze when Yuto came in front of him. "I can already tell from how you protected your friend even after you found he was one of the bad guys that you don't want to hurt anyone. Plus, I know this isn't you! Your father Sakaki Yusho brought smiles to my home, and I've already heard from other people that you want to be like him. This won't make you like him! Stop! Yugo never did anything wrong, it's just a misunderstanding! You don't want to hurt anyone, do you?"

Yuya stood there silently. He showed no reaction to attack or to hold back. However…

"Mom...Dad...Yuzu...everyone…" Yuya whispered, slowly coming back after thinking about his friends from You Show, his family, and friends. The dark aura around him started to disappear, and his eyes were fading back to normal, his hair also fell back to normal, instead of standing up. "I-I-I don't want to hurt anyone…" The dark arua and glow on Yuya was gone. He crouched down from exhaustion and pain. "I...end my turn…"

Yuto smiled slightly. Good, he was back to normal. He turned around and faced Yugo. "Yugo! Stop this! Don't tell me you forgot about why you are here! You're here for your best friend, your childhood friend, that Rin girl!"

"Rin…" Yugo whispered.

"Good, beat the darkness, Yugo!" Yuto exclaimed.

Unknown to anyone, something or someone was getting mad. **Grr! NO! I'M SO CLOSE FOR HAVING THEM BECOME ONE! THAT'S IT! IF THESE 3 WON'T JOIN TOGETHER, THEN AT LEAST 2 OF THEM WILL! ONE OF THE 3 OF THEM ARE NOT MAKING OUT OF THIS!** The voice shouted in rage, no one was able to hear it though.

The next moment, Yugo started writhing in pain as his dark aura shot up even more. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" It was like the darkness was tearing apart at him piece by piece, and each piece being torn away was the good Yugo.

"My turn, draw! I Summon Speedroid Shave Boomerang!" Yugo slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. A boomerang was swung into play.

"Shave Boomerang's effect! Once per turn, by changing this card to Defense Position, I can target a Monster on the Field. That Monster loses 300 Attack. I choose Clear Wing!"

"What?!" Yuto gasped in shock. Why would he weaken his own Monster. There was nothing good coming out from that, unless…

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect activates, when a level 5 or higher Monster(s) on the Field is targeted by a Monster effect, I can negate the effect, and destroy the Monster that targeted them! Dichroic Mirror!" Clear Wing let out green shards and destroyed Shave Boomerang.

"No! Then, Clear Wing…" Yuto trailed off.

"Gains the Attack of the destroyed Monster!" Yugo finished for Yuto.

Clear Wing: 2500-4500 Atk

"Batte! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Whirlwind Helldiving Slasher!" Yugo pointed at Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon as Clear Wing flew high into the air, his wings started glowing as he dove down tumbling towards Odd Eyes. Clear Wing flew right past Odd Eyes with great speed, destroying him.

A green shard came tumbling towards Yuya who moved out of the way, however, when the shard collided with the ground, it caused a small explosion that blew him away. "Augh…" Yuya was blown to the ground. His Duel Disk slipped off his hand, all cards were in it scattered. His Odd Eyes was in his hand somehow.

"Yuya!" Yuto called out Yuya's name in concern. He didn't know Yuya, but he could tell that he was a good person. He still felt concerned, the boy didn't need to get involved. He didn't need to get hurt.

"Yuya! Are you alright?!" Yuto asked Yuya as he crouched down and held Yuya's body. Yuya slowly opened his eyes and looked at Yuto. He smiled softly.

"Smiles…" Yuya said.

"What?" Yuto asked Yuya to repeat.

"Smiles...give everyone smiles...and...protect everyone...from Academia…" Yuya told Yuto weakly as he took off the pendant from his neck and showed Yuto a card.

Yuto gasped and grasped the Card and the pendant. It was Yuya's Pendulum and his Odd Eyes. Yuya smiled as a bright blue light shone, shocking both boys, Yuto mostly. The light engulfed them both.

Yugo's closed his eyes and opened them again, his eyes were back to normal and the aura was gone."What just happened? Woah!" Yugo shielded his eyes from the blue light. "What the heck is going on?!"

Then, Yuzu ran near Yugo, ignoring him. When she came, she gasped when her bracelet shone with a pink light, Yugo disappeared.

"What?!" Yuzu gasped. At that moment, the blue light dissipated, Yuzu looked over to see Yuto looking up at the sky, no emotion in his eyes. Yuzu saw him, and this time, she recognized him as Yuto, not Yuya. "Yuto!" Yuzu called out to him. Then, Yuto collapsed to the ground unconscious. Yuzu looked at Yuto's hand and saw Yuya's pendant and Odd Eyes, along with the scattered Deck. Yuzu got on her knees and shook Yuto's body. "Yuto! Hang on! Yuto...Yuto!" Yuzu shaking Yuto's body caused him to drop the pendant. Then, unknown to Yuzu, his pendant shone a dim blue light, the pendant was touching Yuto's Deck, which was also shining with a dim light.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Entermate Call Back Quick-Play (Credit goes to Fanime1 for creating this Card.): You can move one Entermate or Odd Eyes Monster to your Extra Deck, then, Special Summon 1 Entermate or Odd Eyes from your hand, Deck, Extra Deck, or grave whose level is equal to or lower than the returned Monster. When an Entermate or Odd Eyes Monster would be destroyed, you can banish this Card from your grave, negate the destruction.**

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Sorry for the late update, I was a little lazy for the first couple of days.**

 **Now, a couple of things before the preview. One, about Phantom Knights Possession and Clear Wing. Possession will have the same effect when activated from the hand or Field. However, I added a graveyard effect, which you saw earlier in this chapter if you were paying attention. About Clear Wing, I'm using his anime effect, the negating effect is not once per turn, but you can choose whether to negate an effect or not.**

 **Two, Yuya getting absorbed. Don't worry, he won't get the fricking Yuto treatment in the anime. Yuya will Duel a couple of more times, not just 2 more times. I'm sorry if you didn't want this to happen, but I wanted to make it happen. Also, a guy named Romadrox8975 helped me with the idea. You might know who he is from HereICome's An Alternative Universe fanfic. Anyways, credit to him for helping me out.**

 **Here is the preview.**

 **Yuto gets a nightmare during his rest which he got thanks to the help from Yuzu and Yoko (the rest I mean, he got the rest from them.) Yuto starts looking back on his past memories, some good, some bad. However, he starts to see glimpses of Yuya's memories also, why is this? He doesn't know.**

 **That isn't actually all of the chapter, there will be some more than that.**

 **Unknowndez: Yuya and Yugo were Dueling outside of the park, so Yugo didn't even know that Yuto was there. Yuto didn't even know Yugo was there until he saw Clear Wing flying in the air. Sorry for having Yuya get absorbed, but don't worry, he won't be thrown into the dirt like Yuto in the anime.**

 **Matrixnis: Hope you liked the Duel. You will see what happens to Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon. Don't worry, I shouldn't write ever again if I didn't include a badass dragon like Odd Eyes Rebellion in this story.**

 **Mekyaku: Yeah, the final Yuma vs Nash/Shark Duel was one of my favorite Duels as well. Probably my favorite in Zexal, or maybe 2nd favorite. I'm just going to say this, out of all the Yu-boys, although I could tell the difference between them all, the 2 boys that look alike the most is Yuya and Yuri. But its stupid how much confusion there is. It's like there is some illusion where if someone doesn't know a specific counterpart that they see, they see the counterparts that they know instead of a different person. Then, when they know that person is different, they finally see that person as their own self. Also, Yuya and Yuri sound alike in both the English Dub and Japanese versions of Arc-V. Really only because they have the same Voice Actor. Sorry for the late update.**

 **Venomous Blade: Yeah lol. But he thinks that Clear Wing is responding to his desire to find Yuri. Well...he isn't.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	36. The Dream

Yuzu struggled to ring the doorbell. She had just struggled to carry Yuto's body all the way to Yoko's house. She didn't know why she went to Yoko/Yuya's house, but she did. She was worried about what happened to Yuto, and Yuya. She didn't find Yuya anywhere, and that worried her. Yuya told her that they would meet up later. She already told Gongenzaka not to worry about anything else and to go home and rest. However, he didn't know that Yuya wasn't with her, or that she had Yuto with her unconscious. He thought that Yuya WAS with her and that he was unconscious. After waiting for a bit, Yoko opened the door.

"Yuzu? What are you doing here? Who's that behind you?" Yoko asked as he noticed Yuto's body and hair, but not his face, as Yuzu was standing in front of it. Yoko was confused why Yuzu was there, after all, Yuzu never visits at night, unless she has a sleepover with Yuya, but Yuya wasn't home. Yoko also took note of the fact that Yuzu was holding Yuya's Duel Disk and pendant.

"It's a long story. But I need help right now! This guy needs help!" Yuzu moved out of the way to reveal Yuto's face. Yoko gasped. The boy had the same face as his son! But the hair and clothes were different, and so was the Duel Disk. What she noticed was that there was no Deck in the Duel Disk. However, she noticed that Yuzu was holding a Deck in her hand. What she didn't noticed was that the pendant and the Deck were dimly shining.

"Who is that?! Why does he look like Yuya?!" Yoko asked in shock.

"His name is Yuto. I don't know why he looks like Yuya." Yuzu answered. "But he needs help, now! Can you set him in Yuya's bed?"

"Sure." Yoko chose not to question the clothes Yuto was wearing and why they were so torn up.

* * *

Later

Yuto was lying in Yuya's bed unconscious. Near him, on a table, was his and Yuya's Duel Disk. Yuya's Duel Disk had his Deck inserted. Yuto's Duel Disk didn't have his Deck inserted, the Deck was near the pendant, and it was still shining. Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon was facedown in between both Duel Disks. Both Yuzu and Yoko were on their knees on the side of Yuya's bed.

"Tell me what you know." Yoko told Yuzu.

Yuzu went on to tell Yoko about how she first met Yuto and their future encounters. She left out the part where Yuto disappears because of the bracelet part and just said that he ran away. She told Yoko how he found him unconscious near the park and that Yuya was nowhere to be found. She also said that he had Yuya's pendant and Odd Eyes in his hand, and Yuya's Duel Disk was on the ground, and how Yuya's Deck was scattered on the ground. All of this shocked Yoko as she started to worry for Yuya and get into a depressed state. First, Yusho disappears 3 years ago and now her own son is gone. She's now all alone…However, despite this, she tried to remain strong and not show any sign of crying.

Soon, Yuzu put her face in her hands and started sobbing. "It's all my fault! I should have gone with Yuya! If I did, then he might still be with us!"

"Don't you give up hope yet!" Yoko suddenly bellowed, shocking Yuzu. "It wasn't your fault. And Yuya isn't weak. Wherever he is, I know he's alive and doing well. He'll make it through, I know. Up until now, ever since his father disappeared, he has been making fun of himself so it would seem like people are laughing with him rather than at him. But ever since he woke up, that day he discovered Pendulum Summoning, I know he will wake up again, wherever he is. And I'm sure this boy will wake up as well." Yuzu looked at Yoko in amazement. How could she stay so strong? She's all alone now, yet she still remains strong.

"Ok!" Yuzu replied with determination. She would also be strong, for Yuya, and Yuto.

"Now go home and get some rest. Or, if you like, you could stay here if you like, I could phone your father."

"I'll stay. But...don't tell anyone that Yuya is missing." Yuzu told Yoko.

"I won't." Yoko assured Yuzu with a soft smile. "Go get some sleep, I'll let your father know you're staying for a bit."

* * *

Later

Yuzu was lying in a guest bed in the Sakaki in her pajamas. Her father brought them when he heard that she was staying. Yoko showed Yuto to Shuzo, but Shuzo thought it was Yuya. However, Yoko never said anything to correct him.

To say that Yuzu was worried was an understatement. She was TERRIFIED. Her childhood friend Yuya, one of her best friends, that kind, joyful, idiot boy named Yuya was gone. Yuzu tried to go to sleep, but the thoughts about Yuya kept her up at night. And she stayed in bed crying about it almost all night. Even when she did go to sleep, she would have a nightmare and wake up and find that her face was covered in tears and that she wet the pillow with her tears.

Yuzu sighed as she put her head against the pillow and pressed her hands together. "Yuya...please...be alright…"

* * *

Yuto-Dream-Heartland

Yuto opened his eyes and gasped in shock. He looked around and saw that he was back in Heartland. Everything was back to normal, as if Academia never attacked at all.

"Heartland...everything is back to normal...Ruri!" Yuto suddenly realized as a sudden white flash of light covered him, next thing he knew, Yuto was back in Heartland Stadium. Shun was sitting next to him in the spectator's seat. He looked on to see Ruri Dueling someone. He remembered this day, it was the day he met Ruri.

"Ruri!" Yuto wanted to jump out of the spectator's seat, run out to the Field and hug her, but he couldn't. "No, wait! Stop! Let me go!" Another flash of light occured. Yuto found himself from when he was younger.

"Hey son, take it." Yuto heard a familiar voice. He turned to see Ryon, smiling at him with a Deck in his hands.

"Dad!" Yuto exclaimed in joy. He ran to Ryon with great speed and hugged him tightly, shocking his Dad.

"Woah! Haha, I've never had a hug like this since you were a toddler." Ryon remarked.

"Dad! You're here!"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? Here take it, it's that Deck you always wanted. Works well with that Dark Rebellion you're so attached to." Ryon told Yuto.

"Th-th-that doesn't matter right now! You're here!" Yuto denied the Deck.

"Come on, just take it. You've been talking about getting this Phantom Knights Deck for a while now." Ryon took Yuto's hand and placed the Deck in his hand. "Now go out there kiddo, and show them what you got!"

"No, wait!" Yuto shouted as he felt his own body moving away from the room. "DAD!" Another white flash occured, Yuto woke up in his bed to see his brothers running around his room like animals.

"Big Bro!" One brother named Shougo jumped onto Yuto's bed with a wide smile on his face.

Yuto smiled in response.

"Hey Big Bro! Don't you have to go to that thing?" The second brother named Kiri asked.

"What thing?" Yuto questioned.

"That thing you do with your friends." Shougo told Yuto.

"Shit! You're right! Oh-" Yuto gasped, realizing he just swore in front of little brothers.

"Yuto, come on!" Ryon yelled from downstairs.

"Dad!" Yuto jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, he once again hugged Ryon.

"Is he still here, Ryon?" Yuto's Mother named Lane asked.

"Yeah, he should be on his way. Come on now, son, get dressed." Ryon commanded.

"Mom! Dad! Wait, what are you saying!? Can't you see?! We can be a family again!" Yuto told his parents as they both gave him a weird look.

"He must be tired." Lane chuckled.

"Go on, kiddo. Get dressed." Ryon laughed. Suddenly, once again, Yuto's body moved on it's own, and he sent away from his family. Another flash of light came and Yuto found that he was in a destroyed Heartland. Multiple Ancient Gear Chaos Giants everywhere, people screaming in fear as they were turned into cards. People were also Dueling against Academia soldiers.

"No…"

"AHHHHH!" Yuto ears perked up as he heard multiple familiar voices yell in fear. He turned to his left to see a horrible sight.

His Mom and brothers were on the ground unconscious, and they were bleeding. He saw, Kaito, Rio, Allen, Shark, Sayaka, and Shun along with other people on the ground lying in defeat, bruises and scratches all over them. He saw multiple Obelisk Force members standing over their bodies, about to Card them, this made Yuto worry.

"NO! STOP!" Yuto ran towards the members and tried to punch them. Key word 'tried' as his fist when right threw all of the soldiers, and so did his body, it was like he wasn't there at all and he was a ghost.

"No...stop!" Yuto shouted as the buttons were clicked, all of his friends and family were covered in a purple light, being turned into a card.

"No...no...damn you...Academia...RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Yuto roared in anger.

"AHHHH!" A girl screamed, which made Yuto look at the direction of the scream in fear. He saw the purple silohuete of a dragon blasting Ruri into a wall. There was a boy standing there, grinning maliciously, before disappearing into thin air.

"RURI!" Yuto ran to Ruri's side as fast as he could. Ruri's clothes were ripped and tattered, there was pebbles and dirt on her along with some bruises. "Ruri! Wake up! Ruri! Ruri! Wake up...please!" Yuto shook Ruri's body. Yuto checked for a pulse and gasped in fear.

No pulse…

"No...Ruri...I couldn't protect you...I couldn't…" Yuto whispered in anger as a dark aura surrounded him. Suddenly…

"Yu-to…" Ruri managed to whisper.

"Ruri!"

Ruri looked up at Yuto with a sad look on her face."This is all your fault. You said you would protect us and others and return Heartland to normal. But look what's happening. You've failed...you've failed...I...hate you...Yuto…" Ruri got a sadistic grin on her face as Yuto widened his eyes and yelled in anger.

"WHY AM I SO WEAK!?" Yuto punched the ground. "I CAN'T PROTECT ANYONE THE WAY I AM RIGHT NOW!"

"Why blame yourself?" Ruri asked, however, it wasn't female, the voice was male. Ruri's body dissolved into darkness as it circled Yuto.

"We didn't do anything wrong." A Magician with a spear and cape covered in indigo and black said. "The world took Ruri away from us...the world takes everything we love!" The Magician clenched his free fist.

"Rgh...ruh...kgh…" Yuto panted as the dark aura around him started to grow, and his eyes started turning blue.

"Yessssss...let the darkness take hold. Become one with us, Yuto. That way, everything you've ever wanted, will be yours…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yuto yelled in pain as he grasped his head and flailed around. The dark aura enclosed on Yuto, covering him up completely. The same nightmare kept happening for a while. It kept on happening till the day after Yuto felt unconscious, each time getting more dreadful and painful. Yuto thought he couldn't take any more of this mental torture, until…

"Coward!" He heard a voice. Yuto stopped yelling and turned to see a boy with red and green tomato-like hair crying. He was about 11 years old.

"Come, let's see who's stronger, Sakaki Yusho, or Strong? I'll be Strong, and you'll be the coward! HAHAHAHAHA!" A man named Gen laughed.

"No...not again." Yuto turned to see Yuya looking at the same memory. The same Yuya he saw that got beat by Yugo. "Not again!"

 _Are these Yuya's memories?_ Yuto thought to himself. He never recalled having these memories.

"Hey, Yuya! Yuya!" Yuto called out the boy's name. However, the boy ignored him, and a white flash of light shone again.

"I'll see you soon, Yuto." Yuto heard Yuya's voice, but it was in his head.

* * *

Outside of Dream

Yuzu was waiting silently for Yuto to wake up. She heard a groan coming from the boy, hope surged inside Yuzu as she looked at Yuto, who was slowly opening his eyes.

"Ugh...where am I?" Yuto asked himself as he looked around at the unfamiliar room.

"Yuto! You're awake!" Yuzu exclaimed in joy.

"You...Yuzu…" Yuto looked at the pink haired girl, thinking she was Ruri for a second once again, but then remembering that this isn't Ruri.

"Are you alright?" Yuzu asked Yuto in concern.

"Yeah... I'm fine...what happened? How long have I been out?"

"You've been out for a day. I found you near the park looking up at the sky, I came running towards you when my bracelet shone again, except you were still there. Then, you just collapsed, I brought you here and here we are." Yuzu explained.

Yuto touched his head, he couldn't remember much.

"And Yuya was nowhere to be found." Yuzu added, which sparked Yuto's memory.

"Yuya!" Yuto suddenly called out the boy's name, although he already knew there would be no response. "I remember now. I dueled Shiunin Sora, and I beat him, but I blacked out before I did."

"Beat Sora? Blacked out?" Yuzu repeated in confusion.

"When I came to, Sora was gone, but I saw a dragon in the air attacking something, I ran over to where the dragon was to see Yuya and a guy named Yugo Dueling. And get this, the guy named Yugo, he looks exactly like Yuya and I." Yuto revealed.

Yuzu gasped in shock in response to this. Now another person is out there who looks like Yuya.

"Yuya and Yugo were not themselves. It was as if they were being possessed. Actually, that's how I felt before I got there." Yuto thought back to when he went berserk against Sora. "I managed to snap Yuya out of it, but I failed with Yugo. Yuya was beaten, and then…" Yuto blanked out, not remembering the rest.

"Then what?" Yuzu asked with worry.

"I don't remember. Everything after that is very foggy." Yuto responded.

"Please! Try to remember Yuto! I won't ever forgive myself if Yuya gets hurt!" Yuzu begged Yuto

"Don't worry I'll try." Yuto gave a soft smile and raised an eyebrow. "You really like Yuya, do you?"

Yuzu blushed at the question. "Like Yuya? O-of c-course. I like him...h-he likes me back, w-we like."

Yuto chuckled at the girl's constant stammers, before getting serious again. He saw a card on the table near 2 Duel Disk and Decks. He recognized one as his own Duel Disk, and the other one as Yuya's. Yuto picked up the card and widened his eyes. It was Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"Why did you have that card?" Yuzu questioned Yuto.

"Yuya entrusted this to me...he said to...bring smiles to everyone with Dueling. I don't remember much else, like what happened to him."

"This is all weird." Yuzu said.

"You tell me, I have 3 people who look like me." Yuto unintentionally revealed.

"Wait, 3?!" Yuzu exclaimed in shock. There was another person who looked like Yuya?!

"I haven't met the 3rd in person. Only heard about him from Yugo. Yugo said the guy kidnapped his best friend. That's actually what caused Yugo and I to have a Duel, because he thought that guy was me."

"And I have a look alike. That Ruri girl." Yuzu noted.

"Yes." Yuto confirmed. "However, I wouldn't be surprised if you had 2 more look-alikes. Ruri was kidnapped by someone room Academia. Then, Yugo appears saying that I took his friend Rin, when it was really someone else. Something tells me that the person who took Rin and Ruri are connected. Maybe they are the same person. Either way, I feel like that both kidnappings were done by an Academia soldier, who looks like me. But Shiunin Sora said that Ruri was probably carded. But I feel like she isn't. It doesn't matter, whatever it is, I will save Ruri!"

"Oh no!" Yuzu suddenly exclaimed in worry.

"What?"

"Since Yuya is gone, he can't continue in the Miami Championship. If he doesn't show up to his next match, whenever it is, then he might be accused for running away just like his father." Yuzu explained.

It was at this time Yuto noticed the poster of Sakaki Yusho pasted on Yuya's wall.

"Sakaki Yusho, you mean?" Yuto asked to make sure they were talking about the same person.

"You know Yuya's Dad?"

"Not physically. But 3 years ago, he mysteriously appeared in Heartland and started putting on Entertainment Duels. Then, about the time the invasion started, Yusho disappeared again." Yuto told Yuzu.

"3 years ago... that's when he didn't show up to his Duel against Strong Ishijima! He mysteriously disappeared and hasn't been seen since. Since then, Yuya has been constantly been harrassed and called the son of a coward." Yuzu realized.

"Is that so? Anyways, about the Championship, I can take over for Yuya." Yuto told Yuzu.

"What?! You mean it! You don't have to do it!" Yuzu quickly denied Yuto helping, he doesn't need to waste his time with problems that weren't his.

"Yes I have to. Because of me, Yuya is gone, so the least I could do is keep his reputation safe and take his place for the rest of the tournament. Just give me some of Yuya clothes and a wig of his hair and we'll be set."

"...but you don't know how to use his Deck." Yuzu added.

"Then teach me. I've already seen some of it, I can tell the Deck revolves around Odd Eyes. Plus, if I have to, I can add Dark Rebellion to the Extra Deck, maybe a few of my Phantom Knights Cards to as backup." Yuto said as he placed his Deck in his holster, not even bothering to look inside it. The blue light coming from Yuto's Deck and Yuya's pendant had stopped a couple of minutes ago.

"But if you Summon Dark Rebellion, Sawatari and Masumi already knows that you have the Card. They will know that you're the Dark Duelist from the incident. Also, there is your friend Kurosaki. He will know right away. Or, he will think you are Yuya and that the Card was stolen from you." Yuzu countered.

"I never said I will Summon Dark Rebellion. I said I would add. Just as a last resort to finish the game."

"Umm…" Yuzu pondered as she looked into Yuto's eyes. He looked like he really wanted to help. "How about this, we Duel. If you win, you get to participate, and I can help you get used to Yuya's Deck. However, if I win, you don't participate. You don't need to waste your time on this, we can just make something up to explain Yuya's absence."

Yuto raised an eyebrow and gave Yuzu "the look." "Do you think they are going to buy whatever story you have? People like Akaba Reiji aren't idiots."

"We'll find a way."

Yuto smiled in response. "Fine. Then I will find a way too." He picked up his Duel Disk and faced Yuzu. "I accept your challenge, Yuzu!"

* * *

 **No Duel this chapter, sorry!  
**

 **Anyways, I hope you didn't find this chapter too disappointing.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **With their bet in place, Yuto and Yuzu initiate a Duel. Yuzu starts off. But as Yuto draws on his very first turn of the Duel, he finds something very unexpected in his Deck.**

 **Short preview, I know. But I think you know what Yuto is going to find next chapter.**

 **Mekyaku: If you were reading closely last chapter, you would see that i said Yuto's Deck and Yuya's Pendant were shining, hint hint. Probably he will use Fusion and Synchro. But because of you know what going on, I'm probably going to have him continuously reject Fusion. I thought that people made Clear Wing a female just because they wanted to. I still think I'm going to keep Clear Wing male though, don't know why.**

 **ThePsychoPath96: When Yugo and Yuzu meet, that will most likely happen, except the Yuzu hating him part. I think Yuzu would just keep a small distance away from Yugo and stay cautious while around him.**

 **Venomous Blade: I already planned on having Yuya communicate with him later down the road. Don't worry, they will be in Standard still by the time Yuya can communicate with Yuto. I'll take some of your advice into account. Sometimes, you just got to play risks in life though.**

 **Matrixnis: With Yoko, I wanted to make it so she is VERY sad on the inside, however, she tries to pretend nothing is wrong on the outside. The others you will see their reactions. I don't know why, but I feel like doing a little something with Gongenzaka when he finds out, he is Yuya's best friend after all. Just remember about Possession, the control a Monster thing is by banishing it from the grave, the from the hand effect is the same as in the anime.**

 **Totallynotobsessedperson: Yeah, poor Yoko. :(**

 **Knightdragon: If by legend Duelists you mean protagonists, no. If you mean any character, yes, I've already had O'Brien (Axel from Gx in the Dub) Shark and Rio (From Zexal) added. No Duel Monsters legacy characters probably.**

 **Anyways, as stated before, Yoko is hurting on the inside. But Yoko seems like the person who would hide her sad emotions inside and seem fine on the outside.**

 **Anyways, you guys might notice a slower pace in updates, mostly because I want to make sure that what I do in the chapter is the right thing to do. So, at the least, an update will come in 3 days or longer.**

 **One more thing, I might focus on other characters and what they are doing next chapter.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	37. Power of the Pendulum

"Let's go." Yuzu said as she and Yuto went to Yuya's pole.

"What's this?" Yuto asked, wondering why there is a pole here.

"Yuya likes sliding down it whenever he comes downstairs. Like this." Yuzu jumped onto the pole and slid down. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Hmm…" Yuto did the same and slid down. However, unlike Yuzu, Yuto did not yell out in joy. He just remained the same, however, he did have to admit, he knew a little bit why Yuya likes sliding down the pole.

Yoko was washing the dishes downstairs and heard Yuto and Yuzu come by.

"We're going out, Yoko-san. Hope you don't mind!" Yuzu told Yoko.

"Go ahead." Yoko turned around. She noticed that Yuto was staying behind Yuzu and trying to keep a moderate distance from her. Probably because he looks like her son.

Yuto and Yuzu left. Yoko sighed to herself.

Outside of Yuya's House

"Remember our bet." Yuzu reminded Yuto.

"I know." Yuto replied as he activated his Duel Disk and inserted his Deck.

Yuzu also activated her Duel Disk and inserted her Deck.

" **DUEL!** "Both Duelists declared in unison, beginning the Duel.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Shun was pissed. He wanted to go out on a rampage because of how pissed he was. But he had to keep his composure for a little bit longer. He already lost his sister, and now something could have happened to his best friend, and Reiji wouldn't let him do anything about it. The man even forced him to stay at LDS so he wouldn't run out and make a scene.

But, if he wanted to get closer to Akaba Leo, he had to keep obeying Reiji's orders. But even still, he wanted to find out what happened yesterday. What happened to Shiunin Sora? What happened to Sakaki Yuya? Why was the Pawn of Fusion there? And more importantly, what happened to Yuto?

Shun walked out of the temporary room Reiji gave him. He needed answers...now.

Shun was about to leave the building, until…

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shun looked behind him to see Reiji standing there, with one of his signature stoic faces.

"To find my comrade." Shun answered Reij's question.

"I don't think so. You will cause a scene." Reiji rejected Shun's wishes with an expression that was 100% alluring and so sure that Shun was going to listen.

And the Raid Raptors user hated they look.

"God damn it! My comrade could be in danger, or worse, maybe even captured by the enemy, and you're saying that I shouldn't go help him!?" Shun questioned Reiji.

"Just because you can do something, doesn't always mean you should, for it an Action always has consequences. You should choose your decisions more wisely in the future, Kurosaki." Reiji told Shun as he walked away. Shun just stood in place, he was about to start to walk out the door, but something told him not to do it, and to listen to Reiji.

* * *

 **With Yuto and Yuzu**

"I'll start first! I Summon Melodious Songstress Soprano!" Yuzu Summoned her Monster.

 **Soprano: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def**

"Now, without a Fusion Card, I can Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck including this Card as material. I fuse this Card with Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart! Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!" Yuzu Fusion Summoned her Monster.

 **Bloom Diva: Level 6, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Yuzu concluded.

"My turn, draw!" Yuto drew his Card. He widened his eyes, the Card he just drew. He doesn't have a Card like this. He has never seen a Card like this before. What is this? Yuto read the Card and saw that it was a Phantom Knights Card. But the thing that caught his eye the most was the number on the sides and a word. Pendulum. That was that Summoning method he has heard about. In fact, when he came to the Duel between Yuto and Yugo, he saw 2 Monsters on Yuya's side in the air. There were numbers under them also.

What do I do? Hmm...this approach should do for now! Yuto thought to himself.

"I Summon Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!" Yuto exclaimed.

 **Ragged Gloves: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

"Now, if I control a Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots!"

 **Silent Boots: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I, using the level 3 Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots to overlay! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Yuto chanted as a knight riding a horse appeared.

 **Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Ragged Gloves' effect activates! When an Xyz Monster using this Card as material is Xyz Summoned! It gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn." Yuto explained.

 **Break Sword: 2000-3000 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Break Sword! Attack Bloom Diva!" Yuto declared as Break Sword raised his sword and rode towards Bloom Diva.

"Not so fast! When Bloom Diva battles a Special Summoned Monster, her effect activates, first of all, it can't be destroyed by battle, your Monster is destroyed, then you take the damage that I would have taken instead! Reflect Shout!" Bloom Diva opened her mouth and out came a green shockwave that came towards Break Sword.

"What?!" Yuto flinched as he took damage from Break Sword's destruction.

 **Yuto: 4000-2000 LP**

"Break Sword's effect activates! When he is destroyed, I can Special Summon it's overlay units from the grave, but their levels become 4." Break Sword's spirit divided into 2 flames, Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots reappeared in Defense. "I end my turn."

Yuzu looked confused as she put a hand on the top of her Deck. He didn't set any Cards? That's...odd. And he didn't Xyz Summon!

"Draw! Battle, go Bloom Diva, attack Silent Boots! Now, Diva's effect activates, Silent Boots is destroyed, and you take 200 damage!" Yuzu explained as Silent Boots was destroyed.

 **Yuto: 2000-1800 LP**

"I activate one of my set Cards! De-Fusion! I return Bloom Diva to the Extra Deck, then, if the Fusion Materials are in the Grave, I can Special Summon them! Show yourselves, Prodigy Maestra and Soprano!" Yuzu's Monsters rose from the grave. "Go, Soprano, destroy Ragged Gloves!" Soprano started singing out loud, which destroyed Ragged Gloves. "I win this bet, Yuto! Attack him directly, Maestra!" Maestra charged at Yuto.

"When a direct attack is declared, I can activate this Card from my hand, Phantom Knights' Guard! The attack is negated, and Guard is then Special Summoned!" Yuto dodged the attack as his Monster was Special Summoned, guarding Yuto.

 **Phantom Knights' Guard: Level 4, 900 Atk, 2300 Def**

Yuzu clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I use the effect of Soprano, I fuse Soprano and Mozart. in order to Fusion Summon Bloom Diva back to the Field!" Yuzu's Monster fused back into 1 as Bloom Diva reappeared in their place.

"My turn, draw!" Yuto eyed the Card he drew, it was another Pendulum Card. He didn't know how to Pendulum Summon! What was he going to do?

Yuto felt a weird beat in his chest. He gasped as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was in a pitch black void. He heard the roar of a dragon, but he could feel that it was not one that he knew.

He turned around to see a dragon that closely resembled Dark Rebellion. However, the eyes were green, the wings had a red outline, and everything else on Dark Rebellion that was Red was now green. Also, the fangs and tail were a tad bit longer, along with the tail being covered with armor. Finally, the neck of the dragon wasn't as long as Dark Rebellon's. However, that wasn't what shocked him the most. What shocked him the most were the 2 Dragons beside it. It was Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion.

Also, sitting on top of Odd Eyes...was Yuya with a translucent body...and he was smiling at him. Yuya nodded at him, suddenly, a memory that belonged to Yuya played in Yuto's head. He knew what to do.

Yuto shot open his eyes, for a second, an image of Yuya overlapped him.

Yuzu gave Yuto a confused look. She swore she saw Yuya for a second. However, her shock only grew when Yuto held up the last 2 cards she would think that he would have.

"I, using the Scale 1 Phantom Knights Cavalier and Scale 8 Phantom Knights Paladin, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto slapped the 2 cards on each side of his Duel Disk. The word Pendulum appeared on the Disk.

"No way!" Yuzu exclaimed as she saw the Monsters time up in blue tubes, with numbers appearing below them.

"With this I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters whose levels are 2-7!" Yuto declared as a large pendulum appeared behind Yuto swinging between the two scales. "Swing, Pendulum of my soul, carve an arc of hope across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Show yourselves, my Monsters!" 3 beams of light came out of the portal below the pendulum.

"First off is Phantom Knights Cloven Helm! Next is Phantom Knights Fragile Armor! And last but but not least, is Phantom Knights Healer!"

 **Cloven Helm: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 500 Def**

 **Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

 **Healer: Level 4, 400 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Phantom Knights Cavalier! When 2 or more Monsters are Pendulum Summoned while this Card is set in one of my Pendulum Scales, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Deck whose level is lower than or equal to the total of those Monsters levels. I Special Summon the dragon with beautiful dual-colored eyes, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuto Special Summoned Yuya's ace as it roared out in glory.

 **Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Yuya's dragon…" Yuzu mused, suddenly getting a little emotional.

"I'm not done yet. I overlay the level 4 Phantom Knights Healer and Phantom Knights Guard! With these 2 Monsters I build the overlay network!" Yuto's Monsters traveled into the portal. Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as he Xyz Summoned his own ace Monster, who flew up into the air and let out its wings as a lightning bolt flashed behind the dragon.

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I'm not finished! With my level 4 Fragile Armor and Cloven Helm I overlay! Dragon with fangs of the pitch black darkness of the night, redeem the fall of your comrades and slash the pall of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Redemption Dragon!" Yuto chanted as the new dragon in his vision appeared.

 **Dark Redemption: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"A Pendulum Summon into 2 Xyz Summons! And you already know how to Pendulum Summon?!" Yuzu widened her eyes. Unknown to both her and Yuto, Yuzu's bracelet was slightly shining because of the presence of Dark Rebellion and Odd Eyes.

"Dark Redemption Dragon's Monster effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the attack of a Monster on the Field, then, this Card gains the lost attack until the end of the turn! Redemption Recharge!" Yuto started as Dark Redemption did what Dark Rebellion does when using its effect.

 **Bloom Diva: 1000-500 Atk**

 **Dark Redemption: 2500-3000 Atk**

"It's almost exactly like Dark Rebellion." Yuzu noted at the resemblance in effect and appearance.

"Now, until the end of the turn, I can have a Monster on my Field become invulnerable to being destroyed by either battle or card effect. I choose card effect! I choose Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon to become invulnerable!" Odd Eyes roared in fury, ready for battle! "Battle! Go, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Bloom Diva! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd Eyes let out an orange steam of fire at Bloom Diva.

"Trap activate, Mirror Force! When an attack is declared, I can destroy all Attack Position Monsters on your Field!" Yuzu activated her Trap.

"I activate the Pendulum Effect of Phantom Knights Paladin! Once per turn, when a Magic, Trap, or Monster effect is activated while I have a Phantom Knights Pendulum Card in my other Pendulum Zone, I can negate the activation of the card, and destroy it!" Yuto pointed at Mirror Force, Paladin slashed it's sword at it, which turned gray before shattering.

"Bloom Diva's effect, she can't be destroyed by battle and your Monster is destroyed, and you take the damage I would have taken!" Yuzu countered, sweat rolling down her face.

"Remember, Odd Eyes can't be destroyed by card! One more thing, once during the turn I use Dark Redemption's effect, the damage I would take will be negated, and then you take the damage instead! Also, when Odd Eyes battles a level 5 or higher Monster, the damage is doubled! Since the original damage is 2000, doubled is 4000! Which is more than enough to finish the Duel! Reaction Force!" Yuto shouted as Odd Eyes put more force into the blast, striking Bloom Diva, destroying her.

"Kyaaaaaaa!" Yuzu screamed as she flew back.

 **Yuzu: 4000-0 LP**

Yuto's Cards disappeared from the Duel as he ran over to Yuzu and held out a helping hand, which Yuzu took.

Yuto gave her a reminding look to make her know that he hadn't forgotten about the bet, "How am I going to pose as Yuya?"

"Well, you're going to need to learn his Deck. Also, you'll need to dress up like him. He has spare clothes, but what about the hair...hmm...I guess I could try to make a wig for you. I mean, I've known Yuya for my entire life, he rarely changes his hair. " Yuzu replied. She should be able to make a wig that replicates Yuya's hair. The wig might be a little bit ruined because of Yuto's spiky hair but it should work.

"I need to go find Shun." Yuto said as he started to walk away.

"No! Don't! Finding him might make things more difficult!" Yuzu ran in front of Yuto, stopping him.

"You do have a point. Fine, I'll stay. Better get ready for the Championship. Then, show me the way, Yuzu!"

Meanwhile-With the You Show Crew

"Guess what kids, Yuya's awake!" Shuzo told the 3 kids in excitement.

"Alright!" Tatsuya exclaimed in joy.

"Thank goodness." Ayu said.

"I thought he was going to be out for a long time! He really gave me the shivers!" Futoshi chanted out his annoying catchphrase.

But why did Yuya fall unconscious? What happened to Sora? Shuzo thought to himself, sweat falling down his face.

* * *

 **You Show Duel School-Fusion Dimension**

"Yusho-sensei! We got word that there are 2 prisoners at Academia! And they aren't sealed into cards!" Someone told Yusho.

Ryo, who was nearby, heard what the boy said and joined the conversation. "Yeah. He's right. If I remember correctly, at my time at Academia, there were 2 girls with the same face at Academia. I don't know the names."

2 girls with the same face! Just like how Ruri had the same face as Yuzu. Yusho thought.

"Don't do anything about it now." Yusho commanded.

"Yes sir."

"Are we going to start an attack on Academia soon?" Ryo asked.

"Not yet. But, at some point, there will come a time where we will have to push Academia and overthrow them, in order to create a better future. Academia already invaded Heartland, we need to make sure the other 2 dimensions are safe. As for anything else about Academia like the 2 girls, leave it be for now. However, maybe we could stage a rescue at some point. I don't know yet though...I don't know…"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Cavalier: Level 4, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def Dark, Warrior, Scale 1: Pendulum Effect: When you Pendulum Summon 2 or more Monsters, you Special Summon a Monster from your Deck whose level is equal to or lower than the combined level of those Monsters. Monster Effect: When this Card is Normal Summoned, Special Summon 1 level 4 or lower Phantom Knights Monster from your Hand. When this Card is in your Graveyard, you can banish, Special Summon 1 Phantom Knights Monster from your Graveyard or Hand. When this Card is in your Extra Deck, you can send a Phantom Knights Monster from your Deck to your Grave, send this Card to the Grave.**

 **Phantom Knights Paladin: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def Dark, Warrior, Scale 8: Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Magic, Trap, or Monster effect, you can negate while you have a Phantom Knights Pendulum Card in your other Pendulum Zone, you can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy the Card. Monster Effect: When this Card is Summoned, you can destroy a Monster on the Field, this Card gains the Attack of the destroyed Monster. If this Card is destroyed, you can add a Phantom Knights Card to your Hand.**

 **Dark Redemption Dragon: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def Dark, Dragon, Scale 2: Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, you can add a banished Card, a Card in your Grave, or a Card in your Extra Deck to your Hand. When you have 2 level Monsters on the Field, you can overlay those 2 Monsters, Special Summon this Card from the Pendulum Zone. Monster Effect: If you can Pendulum Summon level 4, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card from the Extra Deck. Once during either player's turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, half the attack of a Monster on the Field, this Card gains the lost attack until the end of the turn. Also, until the end of the turn, you can have a Monster you control invulnerable to being destroyed by either battle or card effect. Then this Card is destroyed, you destroy all Cards in your Pendulum Zones (If there are any,) place this Card in your Pendulum Zone.**

* * *

 **Finally finished!**

 **Been a quite a while. Sorry about that. The Duel was also only 4 turns, I'm sorry about how fast Yuzu got finished off. But some Duels you do good and some you don't.**

 **Here's the preview!**

 **Yuto, disguised as Yuya and Yuzu return to the Miami Championship. Mieru was finished off by contestant Tsukikage in a one-turn-kill. Meanwhile, Yaiba was brutally beaten by contestant Kachidoki. On his next Duel, Yuto Duels Kachidoki. After struggling against Kachidoki and trying not to use Dark Rebellion and rejecting Fusion Summoning, Yuto gets pushed into a corner. However, when all seems lost, something happens…**

 **Matrixnis: Lol Yuto's just going to have to endure it all. I think I did make Yugo more stupid than in the anime. Reading your 2nd thing actually made me think of a custom archetype, I don't know if it will ever see the light of day though. It's fine that you separated it into 2 reviews. It actually made it easier to read and easier to follow.**

 **Venomous Blade: That's the thing that makes this a little fun, this is not like Yuto. But for Yuto to do what Yuya does makes him feel a little of what Yuya does and gives him a little understanding of why he has the view on the world he has.**

 **Mekayku: I decided to make Dark Redemption as a toned down version of Dark Anthelion. I didn't like how the manga dragon had 3000 Attack and was Rank 7. So I made Dark Anthelion an advanced form for Dark Redemption. Odd Eyes Raging Dragon won't appear for a while, but he will come eventually.**

 **I was going to say some stuff but I forgot what I was going to say so that's all for now.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Take care goodbye!**


	38. Unexpected Wrathful Awakening

It was time.

"Are you ready?" Yuzu asked the person who slowly walked out of the bathroom.

The time that they returned to what they needed to do.

"Yes. I'm ready." The person replied as he revealed himself. It was Yuya, however, the only difference was that the eyes were gray, not crimson.

This was actually Yuto in a costume with a Yuya wig. He had Yuya's clothes on, his pendant around his neck, and he was trying to imitate Yuya's voice.

"Let's go. Remember, you have to act like Yuya, and do whatever he would do. And in a Duel, that means taking risks." Yuzu reminded Yuto.

"I know."

The 2 went downstairs, where Yoko was waiting. When she looked at Yuto, she gasped.

"Wow! I already thought you looked like Yuya without the costume, now its like you are him!" Yoko exclaimed in amazement.

Yuto slightly twitched in response to Yoko's statement.

"Well, you should get on going." Yoko said. Yuzu nodded in response as she and Yuto walked

out of the door.

Yoko sighed to herself. "The clothes that boy was wearing before, he must have been through a lot. He reminds me of you so much. But now you're gone too, just like your father. I wonder what you would have said if you didn't leave 3 years ago." Yoko turned to face a picture of a younger Yuya and Yusho smiling and holding a thumbs up.

* * *

Meanwhile

Kurosaki was just getting ready to head to the stadium. He heard footsteps. Shun turned to the footsteps to see Reiji walking towards him.

"Remember, no rash decisions." Reiji told Shun.

Shun just stayed silent and walked towards the exit of the building. He took one last look at Reiji, before walking out.

"Hmph." Reiji walked away.

* * *

Later

"YUYYYYYYYYA!" A joyful Gongenzaka who had tears streaming down his face yelled. He grabbed Yuto and hugged VERY VERY hard, surprising the boy. The boy was struggling to breath as he felt the angels coming to get him. "I, the man, Gongenzaka, have never been this happy! Do you know how worried I've been these past two days?!"

"Haha...uhh...it-wasn't that big of a deal." Yuto said, trying to think of things that he would say in a real situation like this.

"No, we all were really worried!" Shuzo told Yuto. "Like "what would we do if Yuya doesn't wake up?" Hmm…"

"Something wrong?" Yuzu asked her father.

"Huh, oh, no! Nothing is wrong." Shuzo lied to her daughter. Something isn't adding up here, Yuya isn't acting like he usually is.

"Yuya-oniichan!" Yuto, Yuzu Gongenzaka, and Shuzo all looked towards the direction of where they heard the voice. They saw Futoshi, Tatsuya, and Futoshi running towards them. When they reached, Gongenzaka let go of Yuto, who put his hands on his wig to make sure it wasn't going to fall off.

"I'm so happy I got shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed. Yuto looked at him confusion, before glancing at Yuzu. She never told her about "the shivers" or anything about these 3 kids! "Now if Sora comes back-"

"You Show Duel School will be back to normal!" Ayu finished Futoshi's sentence.

Yuto gasped after hearing Sora's name. A sudden memory came to him. He could see that he wasn't himself, he walking towards an unconscious Sora, who had just been beaten in a Duel by him. However, his Duel Disk forced him to teleport away from the area, most likely back to Academia.

"That's right! We can't celebrate yet!" Gongenzaka remembered.

"Sorry, Yuya. We kept on searching after that, but…we still don't know where he is." Shuzo apologized.

Yuto just stood there for a second, pondering on what to say. Unintentionally, Futoshi saved.

"Sorry!"

"Huh?" Yuto looked at Futoshi, wondering why he was saying sorry.

"I shouldn't be celebrating right now either...I...actually lost yesterday…" Futoshi explained.

"I heard." Yuto replied, remembering what Yuzu told him the day before. "Synchro Summoning this time, right?"

"Yes…" Futoshi confirmed as he looked at the ground in disappointment. "I never thought he would use Synchro along with Fusion...I was so shocked I got shivers."

 _The boy used Fusion?! Yuzu never told me this…_ Yuto thought to himself, but he decided not to ponder on the thought for long.

"Don't worry about it. When push comes to shove, you just have to get up stronger...and never give up!" Yuto encouraged Futoshi.

"Yuya-oniich-"

"Darling!" A voice cut off Futoshi. Everyone looked to see Mieru smiling with joy. Yaiba, Hokuto, and Masumi were standing behind her. "You've finally awoken, Darling!"

 _Shoot! Mieru! I forgot to tell Yuto about her!_ Yuzu realized.

"I thought you would never wake up! I was so worried for you! Come here, Darling! Mieru jumped for Yuto, trying to hug him, thinking he was Yuya. However, 'Yuya' (Yuto) moved out of the way. Mieru got a confused look on her face as she floated in the air for a second...before falling to the ground.

 _Shun is working with LDS. Calling him might be weird since he is there, so I should just ask them for him._ Yuto thought up a plan.

Yuto walked to the LDS trio. Despite not knowing them, Yuzu remembered to tell him about them when she was talking about the You Show VS LDS incident.

"Sakaki Yuya? You came to watch my match?" Hokuto asked as he got a cocky expression on his face. "What were your thoughts after witnessing my full power? I am much stronger than when we fought at-"

"I don't know what you're talking about. More importantly, I want to see Shun. Kurosaki Shun." Yuto interrupted, causing Hokuto to sweatdrop. "I need to talk to him."

"Not gonna happen." Yaiba suddenly said, surprising Yuto. According to Yuzu, this guy is supposed to be energetic and cocky, but he was being serious. "Kurosaki-san won't even give you guys the time of day. He hardly even talks to us." Yaiba smiled. "Well, since you're here, why not watch the next match? It's my match against Kachidoki Isao!" The trio walked away from the You Show group.

"Oh yeah, where is O'Brien?" Yuzu asked.

"He said he was busy." Shuzo answered simply.

"What? What could be so important that he would have to miss this?!" Tatsuya asked.

"I don't know. But I'm more worried about Shark. He was really mad last time I saw him." This statement of Shuzo got interest in Yuto. He wanted to press for more details, but couldn't since it could blow his cover. "Well! Let's take a break from all of this stress and just watch the Duel!"

* * *

Later

"Everyone, it's finally time for the last match of Round One! The winner of this Round will proceed to be the 32nd qualifier for Round 2! Will it be Toudou Yaiba from Leo Duel School? Or, will it be last year's runner-up, Ryozanpaku's Kachidoki Isao?! Both players are known for their great skill! I can guarantee this will be a match that will make your hands sweat!" Nico Smiley exclaimed.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted. Everyone in the audience looked on in excitement, ready to see what would happen. Yuto was faking a smile though, as he really wasn't happy or excited at the moment. However, what changed his expression was horrifying.

"What is this?!" He asked out loud as he widened his eyes.

Kachidoki was ruthlessly assaulting Yaiba, stopping him from getting any Action Cards. This kept on going until Yaiba's life points hit 0. The audiences smiles soon turned into expressions of absolute fear, some weren't even looking.

"This is…" Yuto whispered as his hand started shaking in anger. He was squeezing Yuya's Odd Eyes in his hands.

"Wi-with this, a-all of the Round One Junior Youth matches a-are finished! Uhh...we will be announcing the matchups for Round Two momentarily! All Duelists who have advanced, please put your registration cards into your D-Duel Disk!" Nico stuttered as Yaiba was carried off the Field by a stretcher.

All of the Duelists inserted their cards, finding out who their next opponent was.

"I'm in the first match tomorrow. I'm against Tanegashima Yuzou from Surprise School." Gongenzaka read off his Duel Disk.

"I'll be playing Naname Mikio of the Duel Girls Club in the second match two days from now." Yuzu followed.

"Yuya-oniichan, what about you?" Tatsuya asked. When Yuto didn't respond, the 3 kids stood up and walked closer. On Yuto's Duel Disk (It's actually Yuya's Duel Disk) was a picture of…

"Kachidoki Isao!" Ayu exclaimed in shock.

 _Yuya...you told me to bring smiles to everyone with Dueling...just like how your father did in Heartland. Can I do it? Especially against Kachidoki...and also there is that terrible darkness that keeps controlling me...can I control it?_ Yuto pondered.

Kachidoki, who was about to leave, stopped walking. He turned around and looked straight into the audience, straight at Yuto.

 _I don't want to hurt anyone. And I also hate other people hurting other people! Kachidoki Isao...I will defeat you!_ Yuto thought to himself as he glared at Kachidoki.

Meanwhile, Shark, who watching the Duel from the entrance to the audience, was looking at his Duel Disk, which had his opponent. Shark looked across to the other side of the stadium, and saw Kurosaki standing there, who looked up from his Duel Disk and looked back at Shark. The 2 looked at each other, giving each other a look. Tension grew between the 2. They have Dueled many times before, but this time would be unlike the other times.

 _See you in the ring_ is the look they were giving each other.

* * *

At the time of Yuto VS Kachidoki

Both Yuto and Kachidoki walked onto the Dueling Field, ready to battle each other.

"Now, it is time for the second match of the Championship! It is Sakaki Yuya and Kachidoki Isaooooooooo!" Nico Smiley announced. He seemed excited on the outside, but in reality, he was scared for who he thought was Yuya. After witnessing Kachidoki assault Yaiba, he got reminded of Shun vs Sora and thought that they should have been disqualified in order to avoid people getting hurt. However, he didn't question anything.

At the sight of Yuto, the audience went crazy, giving him applause. Yuto listened to the applause and looked around in the audience. She looked at Yuzu, who looked worried. He gave her an assured look that he would be fine, but he doesn't think she saw it.

Shuzo looked at Yuzu and the kids to see that they were worried. "Oi oi! Why are you getting so nervous just watching?"

"Because his opponent today is Kachidoki Isao!" Yuzu answered in a rhetorical manner.

"The match yesterday was so fearsome it gave me a lot of shivers!" Futoshi shivered in his seat.

"To think that the ace of the LDS Synchro Course would get beaten that badly and easily at the same time...is just so frightening!" Tatsuya thought back to the Duel between Yaiba and Kachidoki.

"And if that wasn't enough, Nico Smiley said that he was the runner-up for the tournament last year!" Ayu added.

"The winner already moved up to the Youth Class, though." Gongenzaka suddenly said as he sat in an empty seat next to Yuzu. "It isn't all that crazy to consider Kachidoki the number one candidate to win the tournament this year!"

"Smiling and Dueling don't go together. This is how the Martial Arts School Ryouzanpaku trains their students." Shuzo mentioned.

"Martial Arts…" Tatsuya whispered, getting more nervous and scared for "Yuya."

"To them, winning is everything." Shuzo continued with a serious face. "Just like you guys saw, their forceful Dueling is justified by their belief that anything goes if it leads to victory. Ryouzanpaku's School Principal, Goudagawa Ryouzan, has always been criticized for his forceful and rough Dueling style. However, they've won loads of pro titles as if they were just brushing off their shoulders."

"A strict person I assume." Gongenzaka guessed.

"You're right. On top of that, it's a boarding school where students aren't allowed to go outside unless it's to attend class."

"Wait so that means…" Yuzu started.

"Yes, they're not even allowed to see their parents until they become pros!" Shuzo confirmed Yuzu's fear, causing her to gasp in shock. "But even with such a strict training regimen, they always have countless people who are willing to join. When it comes to creating pros, they are only second to LDS."

"And the strongest Duelist from their school is...well, I guess you can tell who." Gongenzaka said as he gazed at Kachidoki.

"No way! He's the best?!" Tatsuya exclaimed. No wonder he was so precise and ruthless with his moves.

"Now that our competitors are here, let's select the Field Magic!" A Card formed above Yuto and Kachidoki, it kept spinning in the air, eventually coming to a halt. "Action Field on! Field Magic, Bamboo Forest of the Immortals, activate!" The stadium was covered by multiple trees. There were multiple floating islands. Yuto was surrounded by bamboo trees, facing Kachidoki, who was standing on a rock across from him. A cold tension grew between the two, until finally…

"I saw your Duel yesterday." Yuto broke the silence. Kachidoki punched the air twice and sent a side kick in Yuto's direction, and just stayed in that stance, not fazed by Yuto's words. "I don't accept the fact that you hurt that guy! I don't accept the way you Duel, how you want to hurt people! I won't accept that!"

Kachidoki didn't respond. "Duelists locked in battle!"

Yuto gritted his teeth. Looks like he wasn't going to listen with words. Then, with Dueling, luckily Yuzu taught him the Action Duel chant. "Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters! They storm through this Field!"

"Behold!" Kachidoki threw 2 more punches and a roundhouse kick. "This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" Nico continued.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists finished the chant, staring at each other dead in the eyes. Nico smiley snapped his fingers as Action Cards were spread out across the Field. Kachidoki held out a hand and urged Yuto to come at him.

"Now then, it's my turn!" Yuto looked at his current hand.

 _This feeling? What is this feeling? Is this what Yuya feels when he Duels?_ Yuto thought to himself. The feeling he had was...pleasant.

"From my hand, I Summon Entermate Thunderhino!" Yuto Summoned his Monster.

Thunderhino: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1800 Def

"When I Normal Summon an Entermate Monster, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand. Come, Entermate Secondonkey!" Yuto called out to his Monster as a brown Donkey appeared in Defense Mode.

Secondonkey: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

 _Let's see, now judging on Yuya's personality from what Yuya said...he would probably do this!_ Yuto jumped onto Thunderhino's back.

"Let's go, Thunderhino!" At his command, Thunderhino started running around the Field.

"So cool!" Someone from the audience exclaimed.

Kachidoki remained unimpressed.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuto concluded.

* * *

At the observatory

Shun, who was back from the match between Yaiba and Kachidoki, was watching the Duel with Reiji and Nakajima. Shun narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"Something wrong?" Reiji asked calmly.

"A lot of things actually. For starters, that guy is looking very suspicious. His voice is off. It sounds a little bit like Yuto's. And even if the guy would have SOME EXCUSE like a sore throat, he still was that night. He knows something about Yuto's disappearance. Ever since that night, I haven't seen or heard from Yuto!" Shun answered.

"It could just be a sore throat, sir." Nakajima told Reiji.

"Something's off here. He's not acting like he usually does." Reiji said.

"What? Like an idiot?" Shun asked.

"No. He's not as outgoing as usual." Reiji corrected Shun.

* * *

Back at the Duel

"Draw! If my opponent controls a Monster and I don't, I can Summon Hayate the Earth Soaring Star!" Kachidoki calmly placed his Monster on his Duel Disk.

Hayate: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 0 Def

"There it is! Kachidoki has already Summoned a high-level Monster!" Nico announced.

"Battle! I attack Thunderhino with Hayate!" Kachidoki declared.

Thunderhino guided Yuto over to an Action Card!

"Alright!" Unfortunately, before Yuto could grab the Action Card, a piece of a bamboo tree was thrown at Thunderhino's foot. Another one was thrown on Thunderhino's other side, causing the Monster to move out of the Action Card's direction.

"Whew…" Yuto sighed in relief. His ears perked up to hear a chuckling near him. He looked top see Kachidoki SMILING, albeit in a menacing way. He was right next to the Action Card.

"You're too slow." Kachidoki insulted Yuto as he took the Action Card for himself. "The battle is still underway!" Yuto gasped as Hayate thrusted it's spear at Thunderhino. Yuto was thrown off the Monster's back as it was destroyed, Yuto yelled in pain as he tumbled across the ground.

Yuto: 4000-2100 Lp

"Kachidoki is starting out strong with 1900 damage right out of the gates!" Nico commentated.

"I end my turn." Kachidoki concluded as Yuto got to his feet. He put his hands on the wig to make sure it didn't come close to slipping off.

"That's cheap!" Ayu exclaimed.

"He would've gotten the Action Card if Kachidoki didn't get in his way!" Tatsuya added.

"That's so underhanded it gives me the shivers!" Futoshi closed his eyes in sadness. He didn't even shake his butt like he usually does. (That sounds wrong for some reason lol.)

Kachidoki smirked and held out his hand, waiting in expectation. He was taunting Yuto wordlessly.

"So, you're going to keep Dueling ruthlessly like that? Then, I have no reason to hold back! My turn, draw!" Yuto yelled as he drew his Card. When he glanced at the Card, he gasped in shock. It was Entermate Trump Witch. The Card that could grant him the power of Fusion. Memories of the destroyed Heartland filled his mind. The Ancient Gear Chaos Giants, the screaming, the laughter. "No...I can't use this. I refuse to! I activate the Quick-Play Entermate Call Back!" Yuto activated his facedown Card. "Normally, I would have to move an Entermate or Odd Eyes Monster on my Field to my Extra Deck, but in this case, since Secondonkey isn't a Pendulum Monster, I can move him to the Hand! Now, I can Special Summon an Entermate or Odd Eyes Monster from my Deck, Extra Deck, Hand or Grave! From my Deck, I Special Summon Entermate Hip Hippo!" A pink hippo with a top hat appeared.

Hip Hippo: Level 3, 800 Atk, 800 Def

"Now, when used for an Advance Summon, Entermate Hip Hipp is treated as 2 tributes! So, I release Hip Hippo, in order to Advance Summon Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuto Summoned Yuya's ace Monster.

"Here it is! Sakaki Yuya's iconic ace Monster! However, it wasn't by Pendulum Summon?!" Nico questioned, some of the audience cheered while some looked on in confusion. Ever since Pendulum Summoning came into play, Yuya stopped Advanced Summoning, so why is he doing it now?

"Battle! Go, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Attack Hayate!" Odd Eyes ran towards Hayate.

"Hayate's effect activates! When it is the only Monster I control, it can negate an attack." Kachidoki explained. Odd Eyes stopped running. The goggles Yuto wore shined a tiny bit.

Kachidoki gasped as he remembered that he has the boy when he was a kid.

"It must have been fate you know, for me to Duel you now. However, something feels different about you. You aren't the same boy I saw back then. In fact, it's like you aren't even that boy in body at all!" Kachidoki told Yuto.

"What are you talking about?" Yuto asked in interest.

"Face me!" Kachidoki yelled.

"Hmph." Yuto saw an Action Card on his right on a tree. He dove for it and grabbed it before Kachidoki could take it. Yuto took his chance to activate the Card. "Action Magic! Wonder Chance! Now, Odd Eyes can attack twice! Since I already used an attack, Odd Eyes can attack one more time. But that will be enough! Go, Odd Eyes!" Odd Eyes started running towards Hayate again.

"Action Magic, Evade! The attack is negated." Kachidoki countered.

"Damn…" Yuto cursed.

"If you're done, hurry up and end your turn!" Kachidoki rushed. He was getting impatient.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuto concluded.

"Now, it's my turn! Draw! I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! I fuse the Hayate on my Field with the Tenma the Sky Rising Star in my Hand." Kachidoki said.

"Fusion…!" Yuto growled. At the same time, in the observatory, Shun growled in anger as well.

"O stars racing through the heavens, soaring above the earth, now become one, and shine as the star of the eternal conqueror! Fusion Summon! Come! Idaten, the Star of Supreme Victory!" Kachidoki took a pose as his Monster appeared.

Idaten: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2200 Def

"What's this?! A Fusion Summon from Kachidoki Isao?! After falling short of the Championship last year, he's evolved even further!" Nico exclaimed.

"I need an Action Card!" Yuto told himself as he started running around the Field.

"Let me tell you Idaten's Monster effect. When it battles a Monster with a lower level, the opposing Monster's attack becomes 0!" Kachidoki revealed.

"If Odd Eyes' attack becomes 0, he'll be taking 3000 points of damage!" Yuzu realized.

 _I can't get a Monster with a higher level! The only way to win is with an Xyz Monster. Odd Eyes Absolute can't do anything, and I can't even Summon him. The only other Xyz Monster in my Extra Deck is...Dark Rebellion! But, I can't use him! But I might have to!_

Kachidoki cut up a piece of bamboo and threw it at Yuto's feet, causing him to fall to the ground. Yuto winced in pain as he hit the ground.

"I equip the Magic Card, Magical Star Sword to Idaten! When I add a Magic Card to my hand, I can send it to the Grave, and then Idaten's attack is increased by 100!" Kachidoki jumped off a rock and over Yuto. He jumped into a batch of bamboo trees. He saw one tree had an opening, which had an Action Card stuck inside. Kachidoki grabbed the Card, he walked back to Yuto, who was getting back on his feet. "I send one Action Card to my Graveyard. Idaten's attack goes up by 100!" Idaten's eyes glowed orange as his attack rose to 3100.

Yuto saw another Action Card stuck on a tree. He tried to run towards it, but Kachidoki shoved him forcefully out of the way. Kachidoki showed Yuto, who was on the ground, the Action Card.

"I send a second Action Card to my Graveyard, Idaten's attack rises up to 3200!" Kachidoki once again repeated the process.

This kept going on 4 more times, Kachidoki hit Yuto away from an Action Card, took the Action Card, sent it to the grave, and powered up Idaten, who now had 3600 Attack.

"What's he doing? He could just attack me." Yuto said to himself.

"You know why I am doing this right? To show you that you can only go so far with Dueling for Smiles! If I wasn't showing you this, the match would already be over! If you weren't this naive, then you might be in a good position! But now, there is no point! Battle!" Kachidoki declared as the 2 Duelists ran toward one last Action Card. "Idaten attacks Odd Eyes! His effect activates, Odd Eyes' Attack is now 0!" Idaten jumped into the air and dove towards Odd Eyes. "The wind of victory only blows for those who have seen the true side of darkness! Go, walk the path of darkness, and leave everything behind."

 _I can't lose now! If I do, then Yuya's reputation might be ruined! And he said leave everything behind?! To hell with that! I'm fighting for a lot of people, I just can't leave them behind! That's it! I've had enough!_ Yuto's eyes slightly glowed a tiny tint of blue as he proceeded to punch Kachidoki in the cheek, shocking the audience and Kachidoki. Kachidoki fell to the ground as Yuto picked up the Action Card.

"From the grave, I banish Entermate Call Back in order to negate the destruction of Odd Eyes. And then, I activate my Trap, Phantom Knights Stalemate! For the rest of the turn, neither of us can take damage lower than or equal to the Monster on the Field with the highest Attack! Idaten's Attack is 3600, so, we can't take 3600 damage or lower!" Yuto shouted the effect of his Card.

"What?!" Shun shouted in shock in the observatory. That was one of Yuto's Cards. Could this Yuya person have stole his Cards away from him?

"What is this?! Sakaki has just revealed a Trap to save himself. And, he punched Kachidoki Isao." The audience looked on in awe as the attack connected, Odd Eyes flinched, but roared in perseverance. Yuto took no damage.

"I've never seen Yuya-oniichan use a Card like that before!" Tatsuya gaped.

"And he punched Kachidoki!" Ayu looked at Yuto like she didn't even know him. Well, she doesn't know Yuto, but she thinks it's Yuya, if you know what I mean.

"That's...not how a man Duels! That's unforgivable, Yuya!" Gongenzaka shouted at his best friend, or who he thought to be his best friend.

"Yuto…" Yuzu whispered the boy's name. Fortunately, no one heard her same that name.

Shark, who was watching the Duel, narrowed his eyes and made his hand into a fist. "What's going on here? How does Yuya have one of Yuto's Cards?!"

Kachidoki rose to his feet as he wiped his face. "I end my turn. Hmph, so you decided that your way of Dueling is pitiful, and you managed to save yourself. However, this is only the start of the path of darkness that will rise upon you. Fall into the pitch-black darkness."

The arena grew darker. Yuto closed his eyes. Suddenly, he hunched over in pain as he felt a strong pulse. He grit his teeth, trying to fight the pain. However, he kept feeling the pulses, he shot his eyes open, and found himself in a purple void. He wasn't in Yuya's clothes anymore, he didn't have the pendant either. He was back in his clothes from when the war began and when he arrived in Standard. He looked to his left, however, he could feel a presence on his right, it felt familiar.

Yuto gasped and turned to his left to see a ghostly image of Yuya standing there, with a serious expression on his face. The pendant was on his neck. Yuto held out his hand to reach for Yuya, and the image did the same, like he was looking in a mirror. Yuto and the image were slowly pulled in together. They both disappeared, then, a blue lightning bolt struck the ground, and Yuto was back in the Field. However, he wasn't himself. By Yuya's influence, Yuto's eyes were pupils were red, but they could be seen, unlike his previous stages of going berserk, where his eyes were completely covered in blue.

Kachidoki gaped as he saw the sudden change in Yuto.

"My turn, draw. I activate the Action Magic Sacrifice for Reinforcement. I can destroy as many Monsters in my Hand or Field, as long as the combined levels of those Monsters don't surpass 12. I destroy Odd Eyes, Entermate Trump Witch, and Entermate Secondonkey." Yuto destroyed his Cards, Odd Eyes went to his Extra Deck while the other Cards went to the grave.

(If you don't know, Pendulum Monsters destroyed from the Hand go to the Grave.)

"Sakaki has no Cards left on his Field!" Nico exclaimed.

"What are you doing, Yuya?" Shuzo asked himself, knowing that Yuto was too far to hear him. However, even if he was close, he wouldn't answer.

"Now, I can add Monsters from my Grave, or Deck to my Hand as long as the combined level of those Monsters don't surpass the combined levels of the destroyed Monsters, which is 12. I add Entermate Silver Claw, Entermate Turn Toad, and Entermate Whip Viper." Yuto added his desired Monsters to his hand.

"He can Pendulum Summon now!" Ayu noted.

"I, using the Scale 3 Entermate Turn Toad, and the Scale 8 Timegazer, set the Pendulum Scale. With this, I'm able to simultaneously Summon multiple Monsters whose levels are between 4 and 7." Yuto explained as his pendant started glowing blue. "Swing, Pendulum of my Soul, carve an arc of destruction across the ether." A big Pendulum appeared between Turn Toad and Timegazer, who were floating in the air. The Pendulum started swaying with Yuto's chant. "Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my Monster servants!" 2 beams of light came from the portal below the big Pendulum. "First, from my hand, Entermate Silver Claw, then, Entermate, Entermate Whip Viper."

Silver Claw: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 700 Def

Whip Viper: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 900 Def

"What is he going to do?!" Gongenzaka looked at the Field, not knowing what Yuto is going to do.

"Don't tell me…" Yuzu widened her eyes.

"I, using the level 4 Entermate Silver Claw, and Entermate Whip Viper, construct the Overlay Network!" Yuto's Monsters went into a portal. A dark light emitted from the portal. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Dark Rebellion spread out its wings and roared to the skies behind Yuto.

"W-what is this?! A Pendulum Summon into an Xyz Summon?" Nico almost dropped his mic.

* * *

At the observatory

"Why does he have Dark Rebellion!?" Shun asked in anger.

"That's the dragon from last night!" Nakajima pointed out the obvious.

* * *

Back to the Duel

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, until the end of the turn, he can half the attack of a level 5 or higher Monster you control. Then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount!" Dark Rebellion shocked Idaten with electricity, weakening the Monster. "I can detach another overlay unit to use the effect again! Treason Discharge!"

Idaten: 3600-900 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-5200 Atk

"5200 Attack?!" Kachidoki's hand started shaking in fear.

"Battle. I attack Idaten the Star of Supreme Victory with Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." Dark Rebellion flew towards Idaten.

"Idaten's effect activates! If it battles a Monster with a lower level, that Monster's Attack becomes 0!" Kachidoki activated his Monster's effect out of desperation.

"Xyz Monsters do not possess levels. Therefore, the effect is nullified." Yuto reminded Kachidoki. However, Kachidoki didn't seem to know this.

"What?! If they don't possess levels then isn't their level 0?!" Kachidoki questioned in fear.

"Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Yuto's voice echoed as Dark Rebellion's fangs started surging with electricity. The dragon stabbed Idaten and unintentionally hit Kachidoki with it's foot, sending him backward. Kachidoki yelled in pain as he was knocked to the ground.

Kachidoki: 4000-0 Lp

The Action Field disappeared as Dark Rebellion also disappeared.

"Th-the winner is S-sakaki Yuya…" Nico Smiley softly declared, still in surprise on what just happened.

Shuzo looked around to see that the audience wasn't happy, and that they had looks of fear on their face. He started to clap. "G-good job Yuya…"

"I got so scared...I got the shivers…" Futoshi whispered.

"Yuya-oniichan…" Ayu said the name of her friend in concern.

"He seems like a completely different person." Tatsuya pointed out.

Yuto closed his eyes and clutched his head, when he opened his eyes, the Field Magic was gone. He saw Kachidoki lying on the ground.

"Kachidoki! Are you alright?" Yuto asked in concern. Kachidoki may have assaulted him and Yaiba, but he was still a person who was currently hurt. He held out a hand to Kachidoki, but to his surprise, he smacked the hand away. Kachidoki bowed towards the audience, or rather, his principal. It was at this moment Yuto noticed the quiet audience. He looked around to see looks of fear and confusion on everyone's faces, anything but smiles.

"What the hell...did I do…?"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Stalemate Trap: Until the end of the turn, neither player takes damage equal to or less than the Monster with the highest Attack on the Field. During either player's turn, you can banish this Card, no Monsters on either player's Fields can be destroyed.**

 **Sacrifice for Reinforcement Action Magic (Yay! First OC Action Magic Card thing a mijigy): You can destroy any amount of Monsters on your Field or in your Hand, as long as the total level of those Monsters doesn't surpass 12. Then, you can add any amount of Monsters from your Deck to your Hand whose levels don't surpass the total level of the Monsters destroyed.**

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Dang! It's been 7 days since I last posted. I meant to post 2 days ago, but I was too lazy to. Sorry about that.**

 **Anyways, most of this chapter is the same. So, I decided to make the Duel a bit different to make it up to you guys.**

 **Anyways, without further ado, here is the preview.**

 **Depressed from how he hurt Kachidoki in their Duel, Yuto feels like giving up. However, in her Duel, Yuzu tries to show Yuto to never give up. Meanwhile, Reiji meets a mysterious girl and Duels a mysterious man.**

 **Cybresamurai: Either Yuya or Yuzu is going to convince Yuto to use Fusion. Maybe both.**

 **Matrixnis: They might get a rematch in the future. Mirror Force, destroys? I know that. But the effect of Mirror Force is it destroys all Attack Position Monsters. You might have read it wrong, because when I read this, I looked back on the chapter and I'm pretty sure I said destroys Attack Position Monsters. So, if you could give me some clarity on that would be great. What's wrong with the wig? It gives him power. You see, that's how Yuya gained Pendulum Cards, it wasn't the Pendulum, it was all the hair! XD So, if he wears the wig, it will give him power, not as much as Yuya though! All jokes aside, yes, I have a plan for the boys. I'm not doing a fricking episode 148 where they stay as one for the rest of their lives. Well, in Yuto's case, he doesn't have a life since he is technically dead but who am I to judge? Same thing with Fu-I mean Yugo and Yuri, they will have their bodies back at some point. Yes, I have read Nox's Moonlight Sorrow. I might have to go reread that, all I remember is that it was really good.**

 **Mekyaku: Also, Yuya's voice is very different from Yuto's. Yuto's is more deep. So, making it go higher could put a strain on his throat or something like that. Yuto can fight, but the thing is he doesn't want to hurt anyone. But as seen in the chapter, if provoked, he will resort to fighting. Anyways, I might consider making Raging appear in Synchro. Still unlikely though.**

 **Knightdragon: I was kind of thinking of literally fusing Dark Rebellion and Odd Eyes using Fusion Summon, but that thing would go with Odd Eyes and Starve Venom better. I laughed when you said the kung fu guy, just going to be honest. :)**

 **Rgriffin8999: By abridged do you mean like what Little Kuriboh does? Because when it comes to humor, I have to tone it down since they are in a war, but there will be little pieces of humor sometimes.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	39. The Tournament Continues

"Now then, it's the seventh day of the Miami Championship! And up next in this Second Stadium, we have…" Nico Smiley appeared on a screen and pointed to his right as a picture of Yuzu slided onto the screen. "You Show Duel School's Hiragi Yuzu versus…" Nico pointed to his other side as a picture of a girl appeared. "Duel Girls Club's Naname Mikiyo!"

Both Duelists walked onto the Field as the audience started cheering, some yelling out the name of the Duelist they want to win.

"Yuzu-oneechan!" The 3 kids called out to Yuzu.

"Burning! Hot-blooded!" Shuzo shouted out to her daughter.

Yuzu turned and waved at the You Show crew.

"Do your best!" Ayu cheered.

"You better give them the shivers!" Futoshi exclaimed.

"I know you can do it!" Tatsuya told Yuzu.

Yuzu payed attention to "Yuya," who was Yuto in disguise, who was frowning towards the ground with a depressed look on his face. Yuzu frowned. However, her thoughts were interrupted by cheering Naname Mikiyo.

The moment Mikiyo appeared, the crowd went wild, especially the boys.

"As expected of an idol Duelist...just like that she grabbed the attention of so many people. But I'm the poster girl of You Show Duel School! I'll show you real Entertainment Dueling!" Yuzu declared her resolve.

Meanwhile, a girl in a cloak was watching. The girl had the same face as Yuzu.

* * *

At the observatory

A camera view of the mysterious girl panned out.

"Hiragi Yuzu has started her match in the Second Stadium." Nakajima informed Reiji.

"Then there is no doubt about it. That's not Hiragi Yuzu. And that is definitely the same girl from yesterday." Reiji deduced.

"The scheduled match for Miami National's First Stadium has last year's championship winner, Sakuragi Yu, who then was qualified for Youth leagues."

"So her target is Sakurai Yu, then?" Reiji guessed, keeping a calm and stoic expression on his face as usual. Reiji closed his eyes and got up from his chair. He walked towards the elevator, confusing Nakajima.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To Miami Stadium." Reiji answered nonchalantly, he turned around and faced Nakajima as the elevator took him down. "Make sure that Kurosaki doesn't go there."

"Understood."

* * *

Back at the Duel

"I attack with Gellenduo! Angel Loop!" Mikyo declared as Gellenduo sent two rings towards Yuzu's Monster, destroying her. Yuzu covered her face as she took damage.

Yuzu: 4000-2900 Lp

"I end my turn here." Mikyo concluded.

"This is a very close match! Both of the players are equal in skill!" Nico commentated.

"Hmm...we may be tied in Dueling skills, but with everyone's support, I've got the strength of a hundred! Everyone, make sure you enjoy every second of this Duel!" Mikyo exclaimed as she waved to the crowd behind her.

The crowd cheered back in response.

"Strength of a hundred? Please. I'm going to definitely give everyone the best Duel they can enjoy!" Yuzu declared.

"Stay calm and burn on, Yuzu! I'll transfer the hot-blooded power of a hundred myself!" Shuzo supported his daughter as images of Shuzo making faces appeared behind him.

"And I, the man, Gongenzaka, will cheer with the power of a hundred men!" Gongenzaka joined in with Shuzo as images of himself appeared.

"With both of us, you've got the power of two hundred!" Gongenzaka and Shuzo shouted in unison as they held up two fingers.

"Yay!" The 3 kids added.

Yuto, stayed silent. _Yesterday's Duel...why did that happen? Did I black out again? How am I supposed to keep my promise to Yuya if I hurt someone, let alone cover for his absence. Shun and Shark are probably watching somewhere, they know it is me. Or, they will think that Yuya stole my Cards from me._

* * *

Elsewhere

"Sakuragi has Xyz Summoned Hierophant of Prophecy! He used it to finish his match today!" A woman announced as the said boy opened a door and walked into a subway. (I think)

2 cloaked people came walking towards him. One had a strand of purple hair sticking out of her cloak while a scar was noticeable on the other's face. The one with the purple hair was shorter than the one with the scar.

"Are you the one who called me here?" Yu questioned. He was confused, why were the 2 wearing cloaks?

The shorter person threw off the cloak they were wearing. Under the cloak was a girl who was wearing a yellow ribbon. The girl also had green eyes. She was wearing a yellow stripe and a green-and-yellow star emblem on each sleeve, which is worn over a black shirt with a purple-brown collar. She is also wearing a red skirt held up by a brown belt with a silver buckle and ring connecting to two straps going over her torso while her thighs are covered by biker shorts and she was wearing all brown boots. (Yes I typed partially got that from the wiki.)

The girl held out the Duel Disk she was wearing, while smirking.

Yu looked at the girl in confusion. However, his confusion stopped by a familiar voice.

"The one who called you was me."

Yu gasped as he looked to wear the voice came from. The owner of the voice walked into Yu's view. It was Akaba Reiji.

"President?!" Yu questioned Reiji's presence. Akaba Reiji walked in between Yu and the girl and the remaining person with the cloak.

"I apologize, but you should leave now." Yu gave Reiji a weird look as he continued. "Your Duel today was splendid. I expect more from you in the future."

"Th-thank you." Yu accepted Reiji's compliment, albeit still confused at what was going on. He walked away before something weird happened. Or at least he started to.

"Hold it!" The girl reached out her hand and was about to chase Yu, however, Reiji grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Yu looked back in shock. What was with this girl? "Let go of me!"

"Hurry up and go!" Reiji commanded Yu, who, without a second thought, ran out of the subway, closing the door behind him as he exited.

The girl grit her teeth and forced Reiji's hand off her. "If you're going to get in my way, then I'll take you out first!"

"No, leave that to me." The person in the cloak said as he threw of his cloak. It was a man. He has gray, spiky hair swept back, and crimson eyes. He wears a green jacket with four visible pouches on the chest area and sleeves, over a black shirt and what appear to be bandages covering his arms. He also wears gray pants with a black belt and black shoes. His neck is adorned with a silver pendant around his neck. His left eye, which had the scar, was covered by an eyepatch. However, most of the scar could still be seen.

"Stay out of this, Barrett!" The girl told the man who is now known as Barrett.

"The duty given to me by the Professor is to protect you from any sparks that may fall upon you." Barret replied to the girl's command, rejecting her wishes of backing off.

"Kgh…" The girl walked back to Barrett's side, giving in.

"This Professor you speak of is Akaba Leo, correct?" Reiji asked, although he already knew the answer. The girl stopped walking in the middle of Barrett and Reiji, looking back at the latter. Reiji adjusted his glasses. "If so, then you two are…" Reiji stopped talking as Barrett narrows his eyes and pulls out a Duel Disk, which he places on his arm. Reiji does the same. However, he spoke into his Duel Disk. "Seal off this area. Do not let anyone in here until I tell you otherwise." The girl walked to the side to watch the Duel.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted.

* * *

At the same time

"We've has a truly heated match up until now, but Naname has taken the lead!" Nico yelled.

Yuzu: 100 LP

Mikyo: 1000 LP

"My turn!" Yuzu put a hand in the top Card of your Deck.

 _This match isn't decided yet! Being able to enjoy situations like this is Entertainment Dueling! Just like how Yuya does it. Yuya...I may not know where you are now, but I know that you will always be with me. Now, I have make sure to let Yuto know to never give up, even when things are against him._ Yuzu thought to herself.

"Draw! I Summon Crystal Rose!" Yuzu Summoned the Card Masumi gave her.

Crystal Rose: Level 2, 500 Atk, 500 Def

"I treat Crystal Rose as Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart!" Yuzu declared as a silhouette of her ace Monster overlapped Crystal Rose.

The crowd went wild in response to this.

Yuto thought back to what Yuya said to him. _Give everyone smiles._ He put his attention back onto the Duel, where Yuzu was about to Fusion Summon.

"Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Melodious Choir Bloom Diva!" Yuzu Fusion Summoned her Monster.

Bloom Diva: Level 6, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

The cheers of the audience grew even louder. Someone from the audience said, "I've been waiting for this!"

 _Give everyone smiles…_ The words replayed in Yuto's head.

"Battle! I attack Wingweaver with Bloom Diva! Reflect Shout!" Bloom Diva sent a green wave at Wingweaver, destroying it and sending Mikyo flying, while her life dropped to 0.

"The winner is Hiragi Yuzu! This was truly an amazing match!" The announcer exclaimed.

"Burning! You're burning!" Shuzo cried for her daughter in joy. Gongenzaka closed his eyes, crossed his arms, smiled and kept nodding in approval.

Yuzu smiled and looked up at her friends and father, she could see that Yuto was slightly smiling.

Later

Yuzu was off the Field. Yuto walked over to her while the others were talking amongst themselves.

"Thanks, Yuzu. You really opened my mind today." Yuto told her.

"No problem. However, in return, I need to know…" Yuzu looked at the others and came closer to Yuto and whispered in his ear. "What happened to Yuya?"

Yuto gasped and looked at Yuzu. "I-I don't know. He might have been teleported away by your bracelet." Yuto wasn't sure actually. That was a partial lie. After the Duel with Kachidoki, Yuto is thinking that somehow Yuya is residing inside him. It was as if...he absorbed Yuya's soul into his body.

Suddenly, the voice of Nico Smiley was heard throughout the stadium. "The next match of the championship will start! From You Show Duel School, we have Kamishiro Ryoga VS the fierce ruthless Duelist from LDS, Kurosaki Shun!"

"Oh yeah...I almost forgot about Shark!" Tatsuya realized. The feeling was mutual for everyone.

"He's Dueling against that Kurosaki guy!" Ayu shuddered at the thought of Shun, remembering his last Duel against Sora. Thinking back what happened to the Action Field. The destruction, the falling buildings, the fire, the despair.

 _Shun...Shark…_ Yuto thought about his friends.

"Well, even if Shark is acting the way he is, he is still part of our school. That means we have to support him!" Shuzo told the group.

"This Duel is going to give me the shivers! And not the good kind." Futoshi said.

 _A Duel between Shark and Shun...I haven't seen one of those in a while._ Yuto remembered. _Soon I'm going to have to go find O'Brien also. I'll also have to tell Shark and Shun about my current situation._

* * *

Later

The You Show Crew walked into some seats as they saw both Shun and Shark walking onto the Field. Immediately, the entire crowd went silent at the sight of the two Duelists.

The two met in the middle, where they stared each other in the eye.

"We haven't done this since when?" Shun asked.

"Sometime before those bastards attacked us." Shark answered.

"Hmph...how things have changed. Have you seen Yuto?"

"No."

"Let's just get this over with. I need to win this in order to get closer to the Professor!"

"Get closer to the Professor, huh? That's fine. But I won't be holding back!" Shark activated his Duel Disk. Shun did the same as both took a step back.

"Action Field on! Field Magic, City of the Future, Heartland!" Nico Smiley activated the Action Field.

"What?!" Yuto, Shark, and Shun widened their eyes in shock. Shuzo noticed Yuto's reaction, but decided to ignore it for now.

The stadium was changed into the city that was used in Sora and Shun's match. However, the buildings were back intact, there was no damage whatsoever.

"Duelists locked in battle! Kicking across the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters! They storm through this Field! Behold, this is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling, Actioooooooon!" Nico stopped the chant.

"DUEL!"

* * *

 **Finished! Yay. No Duel technically, sorry about that guys.**

 **This was hinted last chapter. A match between Shark and Shun.**

 **Here's the preview**

 **Shark and Shun have now started a Duel. As the Duel rages on, the crew starts to learn more about Shark and how he isn't from Standard.**

 **Sorry for the very short chapter, since most of the chapter is what happened in the anime, there isn't much new stuff here except the Duel between Shark and Shun. Dang, other than the first chapter, I think this is the shortest chapter of this fanfic. Really sorry about that guys.**

 **I won't being going back to Reiji and Barrett as everything that happens from there is the exact same as from the anime. But as you guys should know, the "mysterious" girl is Serena. Who is probably my favorite Bracelet girl, I don't know really. I'm pretty sure it's Serena though.**

 **Rgriffin8999: I won't make this story very funny. I mean, there will be some humorous moments here and there, but overall it should be a serious story.**

 **Matrixnis: I actually didn't notice that error. Thanks for correcting me on that. I meant "can destroy" not "can attack." About Yuya's ideals. Yes, you are correct. This is part of the reason for why I had Yuya become one with Yuto. Yeah, Yuto ain't good at acting, lol. So, how I do with the eyes is Yuto's eyes were red because of Yuya's wrath, anger, and influence. This actually happened in Episode 125 of the anime. When Odd Eyes Raging Dragon is Summoned, both of the boys' eyes are red. I forgot about Yuzu honestly. Lol, or maybe Yuto fooled me with the stupid disguise.**

 **Mekyaku: I haven't gave Rio her Card yet, but she will get hers soon. Honestly, I don't if I will have something similar to the Seventh One. Sure, you can suggest some Cards for Shark if you would want to. About Xyz for Yuto, there is a Monster I am considering adding for him. It's a Rank 5, however, it's a Vampire Monster. So, I don't know if I'm going to add it yet.**

 **Guest: Soon, Shark and Shun will confront Yuto.**

 **That's all for now guys!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	40. Raptors of Sky vs Creatures of Sea

"I'll be taking the first move! I activate the Magic Card Foolish Burial! I can send any Monster from my Deck to the Grave. I send Double Fin Shark to my Grave! Then, I activate the Magic Card Surface! With this, I Special Summon Double Fin Shark back from the Graveyard in Defense Position!" Shark revived his Monster.

Double Fin Shark: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1200 Def

"Then, when I activated Normal Magic Card this turn, I can Special Summon this Card. Come, Big Jaws!"

Big Jaws: Level 3, 1800 Atk, 300 Def

"Then, when I Normal or Special Summon a Fish-Type Monster, I can Special Summon Shark Stickers!" Shark chained his Monster's effect.

Shark Stickers: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1000 Def

"Now, I overlay using the level 3 Big Jaws and Shark Stickers! With these two Monsters I construct the overlay network! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 3, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!" Shark Xyz Summoned his Monster.

Aero Shark: Rank 3, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def

"Kamishiro Ryoga has just performed an Xyz Summon!" Nico announced.

"It's that Monster!" Ayu remembered. She thought back to how the Card did major damage to Shalulu through its effect.

"When used as Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a Water Monster, Double Fin Shark can be treated as two materials. I, using the level 4 Double Fin Shark treated as two materials, overlay! Xyz Summon! Appear, unappeased soul of the past that dwells aboard the ARK! Rise from the abyss where there is only darkness, and no light can reach it! Rank 4, Silent Honor ARK!" Shark chanted as he Xyz Summoned his ace Monster.

ARK: Rank 4, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def

 _There it is...Shark's ace._ Both Shun and Yuto thought.

"I activate the Magic Card Cross Draw of Destiny! We both draw a Card, then, if the Card we drew was a Monster, we can Special Summon the drawn Card in Defense Position." Shark explained as both he and a Shun drew a Card. "I didn't get a Monster. I got Xyz Treasure. However, the effect of my Card never says anything about getting rid of my drawn Card if it isn't a Monster."

"I drew Raid Raptors-Wild Vulture!" Shun revealed as he Special Summoned his Monster in Defense.

Wild Vulture: Level 6, 1600 Atk, 2000 Def

"Why would he give his opponent a free Monster?" Tatsuya asked.

"It's so confusing it gives me the shivers!" Futoshi states his catchphrase, however, he never shook his butt like he usually did.

"It's simple. Shark is going to use the effect of Silent Honor." Yuto said simply.

"How do you know that?" Gongenzaka asked his friend in interest.

Yuto widened his eyes. "I-uhh...saw his last match of course. He used the effect in his last match." That was close. He almost blew his cover again.

"Yes. He can absorb a Monster and gain the Attack of the absorbed Monster." Shuzo thought back to the effect.

"I activate Silent Honor's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can attach a Card in the Field as an overlay unit for Silent Honor. Then, if the absorbed Card is a Monster, Silent Honor gains the Attack of the absorbed Monster." Shark explained as Wild Vulture was pulled towards ARK. It dematerialized into an overlay unit, and it started orbiting SIlent Honor.

"Wild Vulture's Attack was 1600…" Yuzu whispered.

"Now Silent Honor ARK gains 1600 Attack!" Shark finished Yuzu's sentence.

ARK: 2100-3700 Atk

"I activate the Magic Card Xyz Gift! If there are two or more face-up Xyz Monsters on the Field, I can draw 2 Cards! Hmph, now I activate Xyz Treasure! I can draw a Card for every face-up Xyz Monster on the Field. There are 2, so I can draw 2 Cards! Now, I activate Aero Shark's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can deal 400 points of damage to you for every Card in my Hand! I have 3 Cards, so you will be taking 1200 damage!" Shark exclaimed as Aero Shark shot 3 rounds of bullets at Shun, who jumped over them in order to avoid getting hit, however, he still took damage.

Shun: 4000-2800 LP

"When I take effect damage, I can Special Summon Raid Raptors-Avenge Vulture from my Hand! Show yourself!"

Avenge Vulture: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 100 Def

"I end my turn." Shark concluded. "Now, it's your turn, hit me with all that you've got!

"Kamishiro Ryoga has just done an early 1200 points of damage! And now he is urging Kurosaki Shun to retaliate! How will he respond?" Nico asked the question everybody in the stadium was wondering.

"Hmph. My turn!" Shun drew his Card with a lot of force. "I Summon Raid Raptors-Retrofit Lanius!"

Retrofit Lanius: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1200 Def

"When used in an Xyz Summon for a Raid Raptors Monster, I can treat this Card as two Monsters! So, I, using the level 4 Avenge Vulture and my two Retrofit Lanius, overlay! Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as his ace Monster flew to the Field. It let out a one roar in aggressiveness to let its presence be known to the audience.

Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

"There it is! Kurosaki's ace Monster!" Nico shouted into his microphone. Secretly, Nico was actually worried. With how Kurosaki's last Duel went, who knows how much damage he could cause!

"Rise Falcon's Monster effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, Rise Falcon can gain the total Attack of all Monsters my Opponent controls until the end of the turn!" Shun explained as two beams came from Shark's Monsters and they went towards Rise Falcon, powering him up as a surge of flames covered the bird.

Rise Falcon: 100-5700 Atk

"5700 Attack!" Tatsuya gaped at Rise Falcon.

"If Shark takes two Attacks from that, he will lose!" Ayu bellowed.

"This is giving me the shivers!" Futoshi screamed.

"Battle! As you know, Rise Falcon can attack all Special Summoned Monsters once each! Go, Rise Falcon! First attack Aero Shark!" Shun declared as Rise Falcon flew towards its prey.

"Not so fast! I activate Cut-In Shark's Monster effect! When a Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can release that Monster, and then Special Summon this Card in face-up Defense Position!" Shark countered as Cut-In Shark was Special Summoned in Defense.

Cut-In Shark: Level 5, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def

"The attack still continues!" Shun reminded Shark, who grit his teeth in annoyance. Rise Falcon struck Cut-In Shark, destroying it. Shark made no movement at all.

"Now, Rise Falcon! Attack Silent Honor ARK! Brave Claw Revolution!" Shun shouted as Rise Falcon charged at Silent Honor.

"I activate Silent Honor's effect! When it would be destroyed, I can detach an overlay unit to negate the destruction!" Rise Falcon hit Silent Honor, however, the Monster stood strong, the impact of the attack caused shockwaves, which caused Shark to flinch slightly. The shockwave also caused a lamppost behind Shark to fall to the ground.

Shark: 4000-2100 LP

"I activate the Magic Card Raid Raptors-Pounce! I can destroy all Monsters you control with Attack lower than one Raid Raptors Monster I control! Disappear, Silent Honor!"

"I detach another overlay unit from Silent Honor ARK in order to negate his destruction once again!"

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn. At this moment, Rise Falcon's effect ends, and his Attack returns to 100." Two Cards materialized in front of Shun as the flames engulfing Rise Falcon disappeared. "You can't win. You know that. You can't beat who I am now!"

"Shun...you know that in all the matches we had together, I have came out victorious in most of them." Shun responded to Shun.

"In all the matches they had together?" Yuzu repeated.

"So they've faced each other before?" Ayu asked.

"From the sounds of it, yes." Shuzo repied.

"Wait...then that means...Shark is from the Xyz Dimension!" Yuzu whispered to herself in realization. She glanced at Yuto, who was watching the Duel with a serious face.

 _What else are you hiding from me, Yuto?_ Yuzu asked herself.

"My turn, draw! I activate Pot of Greed. I can draw 2 Cards. I activate Silent Honor ARK's effect! Once per turn, when this Card has no overlay units, I can attach a Water-Type Monster in my Hand or Grave as a material. I attach Big Jaws! Now, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can absorb a Rise Falcon!"

"Not so fast! Trap activate! Raid Raptors-Claws of Adversity! When a Monster, Magic, or Trap Card is activated while I control a Raid Raptors Monster, I can negate the activation, then I can draw a Card!" Shun countered.

"Kgh." Shark looked to see an Action Card on a lamppost. Shark ran towards the post and climbed up it, he grabbed the Action Card and activated it.

"Action Magic, Single Distraction, activate! When you control only one Monster, I can destroy that Monster!" Shark exclaimed as a lightning bolt struck Rise Falcon.

"From the grave, I banish Claws of Adversity in order to negate the destruction of Rise Falcon!" Rise Falcon dodged the lightning bolt.

"When I control a Water-Type Monster, I can Special Summon Silent Angler!" Shark slapped the Card onto his Duel Disk.

Silent Angler: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1400 Def

"Now, I release Silent Angler in order to Advance Summon Jawsman!" Shark Advanced Summoned his Monster.

Jawsman: Level 6, 2600 Atk, 1600 Def

"Advance Summon?" Yuto questioned. He hadn't seen Shark Advance Summon for a while.

"Well, well! Looks like Advance Summoning isn't as left in the dust as we thought!" Nico spoke through his microphone.

"Jawsman gains 300 Attack for every Water Monster on the Field except himself. I have only 1, so be gains 300 Attack." Shark raised his hand towards his Monster.

Jawsman: 2600-2900 Atk

"I activate the Equip Magic Sharkize. I equip it to Jawsman. Jawsman gains 400 Attack and he is treated as a 'Shark' Monster. So, Jawsman becomes Sharkjaws (I think!)"

Sharkjaws: 2900-3300 Atk

"It's the Card he used on you, Yuya-oniichan." Ayu noted.

"Now, from my Hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic High Tide Force!" Shark activated a very familiar Card from his last Duel.

"It's that Card!" Gongenzaka realized. He used that Card to Xyz Summon Silent Honor. What was he going to Summon now though?

"Mommy...I'm scared." A little girl said to her Mom as she hugged her tightly.

"Don't worry, it will be alright." The Mother assured her daughter. However, she was still scared.

"Using this Card and Silent Honor as material, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Silent Honor. So, using this Card and Silent Honor, I rebuild the overlay network! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 5, Shark Fortress!"

Shark Fortress: Rank 5, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Xyz Dimension (FINALLY!)

"Hmm…" Rio pondered in her thoughts as she walked out of her tent.

The day after Yuto, Shun, O'Brien, and her brother left Academia attacked again. This time, unlike before, the battle was more evenly matched, since the Resistance was more prepared. However, eventually, Academia would overpower the Resistance, as they have more numbers, and the number of soldiers in the Resistance are dwindling.

Rio was worried about her brother and friends. She can't get in touch with Yuto, Shun, and Shark because they don't really know how communicating between the dimensions work. And even if they did, they wouldn't have enough resources to make something like that. And since O'Brien left, Dr. Faker was really their only technician. Kaito was good, but compared to O'Brien and Faker, he was outclassed.

"Is there something wrong?" A voice asked. Speak of the devil, it was Kaito walking towards her.

"What, other than the fact that we are in a complete warzone and we are fighting when we really don't want to. Then, I find out one of my best friends get kidnapped, then two of my other friends goes to another Dimension with my brother?" Rio threw back in a sarcastic tone.

Kaito chuckled in response to this statement. "Don't worry. Although things are bad right now, we just gotta keep fighting, for a better future. A future where everything will be back to normal. Oh yeah, and of you're worried about Ruri, Yuto, Shun, and Shark, don't worry. They are all too stubborn to fall, especially Shark."

Rio looked at Kaito. She then smiled. "Thank you, Kaito. And I too will believe that we can make it out."

* * *

Back at the Duel

"Battle! Go, Shark Fortress, attack Rise Falcon!" Shark Fortress proceeded to shoot Rise Falcon on Shark's command.

"Let's go, Rise Falcon!" Shun jumped onto his Monster as he flew away from the attacks, destroying the Field, the glass on some buildings were shattering, and fires were starting.

"It's so horrible!" Yuzu looked on at the destruction occurring in front of her eyes.

 _No, stop! Don't let it happen again! No...no!_ Yuto felt pain as memories of Heartland being attacked played in his head. Yuto clutched his head in pain. _All the screams...the giants...the fire...the pain...the suffering...the destruction...it's all coming back…_

Rise Falcon managed to fly past an Action Card sticking on the antenna of a building, which Shun grabbed, or at least tried to. He grabbed the entire antenna and because of Rise Falcon, the antenna was ripped off, the Action Card started to fall to the ground.

"Damn!" Shun cursed under his breath as Rise Falcon started to fly downwards. Suddenly, a missile from Shark Fortress began tailing them. On top of Shark Fortress, was Ryoga.

"You can't run forever, you know that!" Shark shouted to Shun.

"I'm not trying to run. I'm trying to distract you." Shun told Shark. At that moment, Rise Falcon rushed upwards, right next to a building, the missile collided with the building, causing an explosion. Shark shielded his eyes, at the speed Shark Fortress was going at now, he can't stop in time, he was going to have to hope for the best. Shark jumped off Shark Fortress as his Monster crashed into the building, destroying even more of it.

"Oh no! Kamishiro Ryoga is going to hit the ground!" Nico yelled in concern. At that moment, Sharkjaws jumped up and caught Ryoga in his arms. After he landed to the ground, Ryoga jumped out of his arms. He gave his Monster a nod of thanks before looking up at the sky. He saw Shun throwing the same antenna he ripped off at the Action Card. He managed to pin the Card to a building. Rise Falcon flew past the building with great speed, and Shun jumped off, he grabbed the antenna and the Action Card. Shun was falling down. Shun quickly forced the antenna into the building. Unfortunately, he did this in glass. The glass immediately shattered, and Shun kept falling. Rise Falcon came in and saved Shun. Shark Fortress finally appeared in front of Rise Falcon and shot it. However, Shun managed to activate the Action Card.

"Action Magic, Evasion! The attack is negated!" Rise Falcon flew dove under the missiles and Shun finally jumped down to the ground.

"I'm not done yet! Sharkjaws, attack Rise Falcon! You can only stall for so long, Shun!" Shark pointed towards Rise Falcon.

"I know. Which is why I will take this as my time to strike! Quick-Play! Rank-Up-Magic Battle Up Force! When an opponent's Monster attacks,I can use Rise Falcon in order to Xyz Summon a Raid Raptors Monster whose Rank is two higher than Rise Falcon himself! Prideful falcon. Spread your wings, dyed in the blood of heroes, and charge through the path of revolution! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 6! Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon!" Shun lifted his fist as a wall of flames appeared behind him. Out of the flames flew Revolution Falcon, who screeched in rage. Revolution Falcon was Summoned in Defense.

Revolution Falcon: Rank 6, 2000 Atk, 3000 Def

"It's the Monster from his match with Sora!" Shuzo pointed out.

"Revolution Falcon's Monster effect activates, when this Card is Xyz Summoned by Ranking Up a Raid Raptors Monster, I can destroy a Special Summoned Monster you control. Then, you take damage equal to halve the Attack of the destroyed Monster. The only Special Summoned Monster you have is Shark Fortress unfortunately. However, he will still disappear!" Revolution Falcon flew high into the air and started to release bombs at Shark Fortress. The bombs caused more fires, destroyed more of the city, and it freaked out the audience even more. A bomb fell near Shark, Shark tried to run away, but he was caught in some of the blast.

"AHHHH!" Shark yelled in pain as he tumbled across the ground. The pain was excruciating. It was as if he was being pelted by multiple gunshots. Shark rubbed his mouth. He looked at his hand, there was blood. Albeit, very little blood, but it was still there.

Shark: 2100-900 LP

Shark rose to his feet. "I choose to cancel the attack. Since Shark Fortress is gone, Sharkjaws will lose the extra 300 points. Bringing him down to 3000. Revolution Falcon's Defense is 3000. So there isn't a point in attacking. I set a Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I set 2 Cards. That's the end of my turn." Shun said.

"Well… this has been a close game. Who will come out the victor?" Nico asked the crowd.

"Hmph, if only if were like old times. Where the kids would watch in enjoyment as we Dueled back in Heartland." Shark told Shun.

"Back in Heartland?" Yuzu repeated in confusion. "Wait, then that means…" Yuzu looked over to Yuto. She leaned in close to him. "You lied to me! You and Kurosaki weren't the only ones who came here! Anyone else you would like to tell me about who came with you?"

"There is...only one more person who came with us. That's it. I'm not lying on this one." Yuto answered Yuzu's question simply.

"Wait, so Kurosaki and Shark come from the same place, where ever they come from…" Shuzo whispered. "Say, Shark never told us where he came from either, just like Sora. And neither did O'Brien."

"That's right." Tatsuya realized.

"So, did they only join You Show Duel School as a means to stick in?" Gongenzaka asked.

"I don't know." Shuzo shook his head in denial. "Let's keep watching. Maybe we will find something out."

"Yeah, but I've gotten used to this war. Even if we win, the horrible memories will be engraved in our heads forever. There will be no more Dueling for fun like we used to. Things are never going to be the same again. You know that right?" Shun questioned Shark.

"Yeah...I know. However, I will do whatever it takes to stop the war. And one of those ways is to get through you!" Shark put a hand on the top of his Deck.

"My turn, draw! Trap activate. Xyz Reborn! I can revive an Xyz Monster in my Grave, and then attach this Card as an overlay unit for that Monster. Revive, Silent Honor ARK! Sharkjaws gains 300 Attack!"

Sharkjaws: 3000-3300 Atk

 _I could absorb his Monster, but who knows what that set Card is, plus, he could just get Action Cards to help him. Better to do this and wipe his Field._ Shark nodded to himself, knowing what he was going to do.

"That Attack boost won't matter anymore. Since I will be activating the Magic Card Depth Eruption!" Shark revealed the last Card in his Hand.

"Not that Card!" Shun remembered immediately what the Card does.

"If I control a Water Xyz Monster, I can destroy every single Card on the Field!" Shark explained his Card's effect.

"Wait, but that also means his Monsters will also be destroyed!" Tatsuya rebutted Shark's choice.

"Not Silent Honor ARK though. Remember, by detaching an overlay unit from itself, Silent Honor ARK can negate its destruction." Yuto reminded Tatsuya. He remembers this Card from Shark a lot, it is one of the many Card that makes Shark a very big threat and challenge.

"I detach an overlay unit from Silent Honor in order to negate his destruction, now, everything DISAPPEAR!" Shark shouted.

The ground started to shake, suddenly, huge sprouts of fire engulfed the Field, destroying everything except Silent Honor Ark. Shun's Blaze Falcon and set Cards, Rank-Up-Magic Doom Double Force, and Raid Raptors-Rig were destroyed.

"I activate Silent Honor's effect! Once per turn, when it has no overlay units, I can attach a Water-Type Monster in my Hand or Grave as material. I attach Big Jaws as material." A purple portal opened, and an overlay unit flew out and began to orbit around Silent Honor ARK.

"Battle! Go, Silent Honor ARK, attack Shun directly!" Shark declared as Silent Honor ARK proceeded to shoot at Shun. Shun noticed an Action Card nearby and dove for it. He immediately activated it.

"Action Magic, Damage Banish! I make the battle damage 0!"

Shark noticed an Action Card lying near a torn up building. He ran towards the Card and grabbed it.

"Action Magic, No Action! The activation of your Action Magic is negated, and destroyed!" Shark countered as Shun was hit by Silent Honor ARK. Shun grunted in pain as he fell to the ground.

Shun: 2800-700 LP

"I end my turn." Shark closed his eyes.

Shun rose to his feet and silently cursed. There wasn't anything he could do. He could only hope on this one Draw.

"Ruri, you may not be with me right now, but I swear, I will get you back…" Shun whispered to himself so no one could hear him. "I will win! My turn!" Shun drew his Card with force. He looked at it, this was what he needed. "Looks like everything went according to plan. I took quite a gamble with this one. From my Hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force! By paying half my life, I can Special Summon a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster in my Grave, then, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 2 higher than the Special Summoned Monster. Revive, Rise Falcon! Grrr…" Shun grit his teeth in pain as his ace reappeared.

Shun: 700-350

"Prideful falcon with wings dyed in the blood of heroes, unleash your full power in the air, and walk the flames of revolution to victory! Rank-Up-Xyz Change! Show yourself, Rank 6, Raid Raptors Revolution Falcon-Airraid!" Shun chanted as his new Monster appeared.

Airraid: Rank 6, 2000 Atk, 3000 Def

"Aiiraid...it's over." Yuto closed his eyes. No one heard what he said though.

"Airraid's effect activates, when this Card is Special Summoned, I can destroy a Monster you control, and deal damage to you equal to its Attack! Die, Silent Honor ARK!" Shun shouted at the top of his lungs as Airraid released bombs like the regular Revolution Falcon.

"I detach an overlay unit from Silent Honor ARK in order to negate the destruction!" The bombs went off, scaring more people. Some people weren't even looking at the Duel.

"THIS IS THE END AND YOU KNOW IT, SHARK! Go, Airraid, attack ARK!" Aiiraid rammed into ARK, immediately getting destroyed.

Shun: 350-250 LP

"What? Why would he destroy his Monster like that?" People from the audience questioned.

"When Airraid is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck, and then attach this Card as material. I Special Summon Raid Raptors-Final Fortress Falcon!" (I left out the chant on purpose.)

Final Fortress Falcon: Rank 12, 3800 Atk, 2800 Def

Shark gasped in shock. It was over.

"A 3800 Atk Monster?!" Ayu widened her eyes.

"A Rank 12 Xyz Monster at that." Tatsuya added.

"This is giving me the shivers…" Futoshi said in a nervous tone.

"This is the end! Go, Final Fortress Falcon! Destroy Silent Honor ARK!" Final Fortress Falcon flew up into the air and let out some bombs, destroying even more of Heartland, and destroying Silent Honor. Shark yelled in pain as he was blown back.

 _Shun...stop...no...stop!_ Yuto begged for it to stop as more horrible memories flashed into his head.

Shark: 900-0 LP

"Th-the winner is Kurosaki Shun…" Nico stammered.

Shun slowly walked off the Field

"Damn...I lost…" Shark cursed himself for losing while getting up. He also walked off the Field. He was going to get some rest.

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Observatory

"Did you get anything?" Reiji asked Nakajima.

"Yes sir, during the Duel, we detected a strong Xyz Summoning signal that wasn't Kurosaki's. It was Kamishiro Ryoga's." Nakajima informed Reiji.

"So it is as I suspected. Kamishiro Ryoga...is from the Xyz Dimension."

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Ok, so the end of the chapter was really weird. I admit, I did it poorly, I might fix it up later.**

 **Sorry for the late update guys, I was trying to figur out how to do the last turn.**

 **Originally, I wanted to have Shun Xyz Summon Ultimate Falcon on the last turn and beat Shark with it, but I wanted to keep the previous turns the same. And, I couldn't find a way to do it without using an Action Card. I didn't want to create a Card for the purpose as that would kinda be asspull right there.**

 **I decided to change Airraid's last effect, the destruction effect so it could Special Summon any Raid Raptors Monster instead of just Revolution Falcon. I could have Summoned Ultimate Falcon at that point, but I wanted Final Fortress Falcon to get some love...for some reason. I don't know why.**

 **Originally, I wanted to have Shun perform a Rank-Down-Xyz Summon, but I decided against it.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **It's the next day of the championship, and the finals have started. The Duelists are expecting the same thing as the other two rounds, however, they are thrown into a Battle Royale instead. For what reason, they don't know.**

 **Mekyaku: If you want, you can PM me the Card you think I'm gonna have Yuto use. I haven't been adding Rum Cards for Yuto much. I will make some for him though.**

 **Matrixnis: I might have forgot to hint at Hokuto getting carded. But yes, Hokuto is carded. Don't worry, I'll try to make sure the 8 counterparts will actually fricking matter instead of just being fodder for 2 fricking people who are basically them. I'm talking to basically all of the bracelet girls, Yuto and Yugo. Yuya's off the hook because of main protagonist protection and Yuri was just so fun to watch, Yugo is almost off the hook and if Yuto Dueled one or two more times he would be off the hook. The others, other than Serena, and Yuzu, barely got screen time.**

 **Guest: I won't have that. However, I might have Yuzu hit Yuri, which will make Yuri get pissed off. Unless that's what you meant and you just typed that in wrong.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	41. Change of Plans! A Battle Royale?

"Next up is Duel News!" A woman was heard from a TV in You Show Duel School. Yuto sighed in boredom and worry. He needed to make sure that Shark was ok. He seemed fine when he left the Field, but maybe the pain would get to him later.

The woman continued talking. "After intense battles over the past few days, in the Miami Championship's Junior Youth Class, Round Two has finished and the Top 16 have been determined." Shuzo walked to the group watching the TV. "Now then, let's get right into introducing those players!"

Everyone except Yuto perked up and got excited. (Also, remember Gongenzaka isn't here.)

"Our first player is You Show Duel School's Hiragi Yuzu!" A picture of Yuzu holding up a peace sign is shown on the screen, making Shuzo go on the fritz in excitement.

"Here it is! So cute! My daughter is the best!" Shuzo gloated as party streamers flew across Shuzo. The entire group sweatdropped as Shuzo kept on ranting. "Burning! Hot-blooded!" Yuzu reached her limit. The next thing Shuzo knew, he was bending down in his pain as her own daughter smacked him with her fan. (Damn, talk about disrespectful, lol.)

"And from the same You Show Duel School and Entertainment Duel style. He's been making a name with his Pendulum Summoning, Sakaki Yuya." A picture of Yuya came up on screen...the real Yuya.

Yuzu's annoyed expression turned into a sad one. She has totally forgotten about Yuya. Soon, she will need to ask Yuto about this.

Meanwhile, Yuto narrowed his eyes at the picture. _Yuya...I will definitely fulfill your wish._

"He defeated two fierce opponents, LDS' Sawatari Shingo in the first round and Ryouzanpaku's Kachidoki Isao in the second!" At that statement, Yuto thought back to the Duel between him and Kachidoki. "He's qualified for Round Three in this tournament."

 _I can't lose myself again like with what happened with Kachidoki. I need to make sure I keep my anger in check._ Yuto thought to himself.

The group kept silent. Until the Kirigakure Cooking School's Mokota Michio was called. When that happened, Yoko came out of nowhere and instantly became fangirl Yoko. "Yaaaagh! Mitchie! You're amazing!"

"Y-yoko-san…" Shuzo whispered the adult's name, surprised that she was there.

Then the woman announced some fish guy and Gongenzaka for Round 3, calling Gongenzaka one of the tournament's "dark horses."

"And another one of those dark horses is LDS' Kurosaki Shun." The woman slightly quivered as she read off his name. A picture showing a serious Kurosaki was shown.

"Shun…" Yuto repeated the name of his best friend.

"His shocking first round victory over You Show Duel School's Shiunin Sora is still very clear in our minds!" With that, everyone grew serious. "Kurosaki also pulled out his second match in a close victory against You Show Duel School's Kamishiro Ryoga. I wonder what kind of Duel he'll show us in the third round." In reality, the woman was actually terrified.

"What kind?!" Tatsuya repeated in confusion. "No matter how you look at it, he went too far!"

"I bet it's his fault that Sora is gone too!" Ayu declared.

"I'm so frustrated I've got the shivers!" Futoshi bellowed.

"Shiunin...Sora…" Yuto said.

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Fusion Dimension

"You said you wanted to go to Standard once again, is that correct?" The Professor asked Sora.

"Yes sir! There are Xyz remnants in Standard!" Sora revealed to Leo. However, Leo probably already knew.

"Hmm...I will grant that wish." Leo accepted Sora's pleads.

"Thank you very much!"

"But, this time, you won't go alone."

"Wait, what?! Oh, please don't let it be Edo Phoenix...that guy is a major jackass!" Sora insulted the Commander-In-Chief who wasn't present.

"No. You'll be going with them." Out of nowhere, from the columns, came members of the Obelisk Force.

Sora turned around and gave a look of surprise. "Obelisk Force?!"

"Finding those Xyz remnants is only a secondary objective." Leo informed Sora coldly. "Your target...is her." Leo showed Sora a picture of the girl with Barrett.

"Yuzu!" Sora exclaimed.

"No, she is Serena." Leo revealed the girl's name to Sora.

"Serena...but...I keep seeing Yuzu. Why?"

"You have no need to know that. Your objective is to capture Serena and bring her back to this world. You are authorized to engage the local Duelists in combat in order to accomplish this. You MUST bring Serena back." Leo commanded Sora, putting emphasis on "must."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Back at You Show

"Don't worry, Sora will definitely come back! Definitely. I believe it!" Shuzo formed his hand into a fist.

"Dad…" Yuzu looked at her father.

Yuto kept a serious expression on his face. _Yeah, and when he does come back, something tells me that things aren't going to be good._

"I'm sure Sora would be happy if you work hard for first place! It'll motivate him to try harder and come back!"

"That's right! He only entered the Championship because "if Yuya is going to enter, then I will too!"" Futoshi quoted Sora.

"If you guys keep winning, he'll be so frustrated he'll have to show his face!" Tatsuya remembered how Sora would normally act if something similar happened.

"You're still winning in the Junior section too, Tatsuya." Ayu reminded Tatsuya.

"Yes, you're right. Yuya, Yuzu, and Tatsuya, do your best and frustrate Sora! And work your hardest to get first place!" Shuzo cheered for the 3.

"But...I, personally, would like Mitchie to aim for first as well…" Yoko murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear, ruining the moment entirely.

 _Wow, if that's called going against your own son I don't know what is!_ Everyone thought.

"Tomorrow, we'll finally have our match to determine the Top 8. I hope all of our competitors will fight with no regrets tomorrow!"

* * *

Meanwhile

Akaba Himeka snapped her fingers, switching off the TV she and Reiji were listening too. "It seems like it's finally happening…"

"No. I won't let it. We will hold off the enemy's invasion in this town. No matter what." Reiji told Himeka as he looked out the window.

* * *

Meanwhile-At the hideout

"Damn…" O'Brien cursed as he threw away another wad of paper at the door, hitting the person entering, which was Shark.

"What's your problem?" Shark asked as he slowly walked in, still hurt from his Duel with Shun.

"I'm trying to recreate my Dimensional Transporter." O'Brien told Shark as he looked at him. "What happened to you?"

"Shun, Duel. Two things that don't go well on days like this. Anyways, I've got a question now that you mention Dimensional Transporters."

"Sure. What do you need?"

"You used a Dimensional Transporter to get here. So why did you take one of the Transporters back in Heartland?" Shark asked.

"It malfunctioned as I entered Xyz. It doesn't work anymore." O'Brien told him.

"Then couldn't you have shown Faker your broken Transporter?" Shark lifted one of his brows in interest.

"You guys didn't have the resources needed for it, we had to make a completely new design." O'Brien answered, not even looking at Shark.

"Worry about that later." Shark told O'Brien as he walked away, ready to get some rest.

However, O'Brien kept on working.

* * *

At the Sakaki Residence

"Hey, Yuy-I mean, Yuto. Come here!" Yoko called out to Yuto, who was sleeping in Yuya's bed, in his Resistance clothes and no wig.

"Ok." Yuto said groggily as he slid down Yuya's pole.

He came into the kitchen to see Yoko sitting at a table with Yuzu.

"Why is Yuzu here? I thought she was back home sleeping."

"We need to talk, Yuto." Yuzu told Yuto.

"About?"

"Yuya. What happened to him?" Yuzu questioned Yuto.

"Tell us from the beginning, please." Yoko pleaded Yuto. Yuto started at both her and Yuzu. They wanted to know. Yuto felt bad for them. Yuzu lost one of best friends and from what he knew, Yusho disappeared 3 years ago and left Yoko, and now she lost her son...However, Yuto was going to have to give the truth.

"I don't know what happened to him. I'm being honest. I don't remember after Yugo beat Yuya." Yuto closed his eyes, thinking back to that night.

"Come on, Yuto! Please try to remember, Yuto! Yuya is someone we care about very much, it just pains me-no, us to hear that he disappeared without a trace." Yuzu out her hands together and looked at Yuto in a pleading manner.

"I'm sorry. I don't-" Yuto was cut off as a memory flashed into his head. The purple void, Yuya was there.

"Actually...I might know. I think Yuya is-" Yuto was cut off by a sharp pain. He held his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were crimson red, like Yuya's eyes. "In another Dimension." Yuzu and Yoko gasped as this. They were shocked. Now that Yuzu thought about, it made sense, her bracelet shone, and Yuya could have disappeared instead. They were shocked by this so much that they didn't notice that Yuto's eyes were red. "I'm sure he is fine." His eyes changed back to gray. He silently gasped. He didn't want to say that. He wanted to say that Yuya could be inside his soul. But, he said something else. He could also feel something, a feeling of sadness inside. A feeling of regret. He could also feel that something didn't want him to tell them the truth. Could it be that…

"Thank you, Yuto." Yoko's voice broke Yuto out of his thoughts. "You can go back to bed now. Yuzu, you better hurry home or else Shuzo will get worried."

* * *

The next day

The Top 16 were in a line as the entire crowd cheered for them. A flock of birds flew over the stadium as Yuto and Yuzu looked at the people in the line. (Yuto's back in disguise by the way.)

"Kurosaki didn't come, didn't he?" Yuzu asked as she saw no sight of the Raid Raptors user.

"Where would he be?" Yuto asked himself.

"Everyone, thank you for waiting!" Nico Smiley appeared on the screen and in front of the competitors. "Right now, instead of a Round Three to determine the top 8, a Battle Royale between these 16 Junior Youth competitors will take place!" This caused the audience to go silent. However, soon the audience began to cheer in approval again.

"Ba-Battle Royale…?" Shuzo, Yoko, Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya spoke in unison.

From above the stadium, Akaba Himeka and Reiji were looking out the window where they could see the stadium.

"A city-wide Battle Royale. You've really thought this out, Reiji-san." Himeka said.

"If we broadcast that invaders from another dimension are going to arrive at any moment, the city could dissolve into panic. So instead, we will release the top 16 of the Junior Youth class into the city, and have them take out the enemy in the Battle Royale. However, the ones who will actually intercept the invaders will be these 8. These are the 8 best of the Youth class. The plan is made even smoother by the fact that all of them are LDS." Reiji explained his plan.

"For the honor of LDS, and to protect our world, we're counting on you." Himeka placed her fate in the 8.

"Yes mam!" All 8 responded.

Reiji looked at the man near the entrance door, standing with his arms crossed, waiting. "I'm sure you know already, but Kurosaki, your orders are to find fighters with potential among the remaining 15 in the stadium, who are suitable to become Lancers to provide for any emergencies."

"So you don't want me to fight the enemy then? I can't promise that." Shun replied as he held out a hand to the Top 8. "If those eight get knocked out, I will have no choice but to fight."

Yu looked at him and gave him a stern face. "You're just Junior Youth and you're running your mouth!"

Shun opened the doors and walked out of the room as he said, "Do your best to stay alive."

* * *

Back at the Stadium

"Now then, let's explain the rules! The match will begin promptly at noon! At that time, Action Cards will be spread out! And here is the important part! There are Pendulum Cards from Leo Corporation hidden in the city!" Nico revealed.

"Pendulum Cards hidden in the city?" Yuto repeated.

"The competitors must find at least two of them and then Duel!" Nico held up two fingers.

"Everyone had to get Pendulum Cards?" Yuzu questioned.

"So that means everyone can Pendulum Summon." Shuzo pointed out.

"The matches will be held under the Ante Rule with the Pendulum Cards included! The winner the takes the amount of Pendulum Cards bet by the loser and acquires them as their own! The time limit is twenty-four hours!" Nico explained.

"Wait! An entire day?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.

"Also, the city will be split into four areas based on the Fields in the Field Magic, Wonder Quartet!" A Field Magic appeared on the screen in front of Nico, revealing four areas. "Competitors are free to battle in any of these four areas!"

"The entire city will be an Action Field!" Tatsuya noted.

"Four of them!" Ayu added.

"Shivers!" This time, Futoshi actually did shake his butt when he yelled out his catchphrase.

"Now we wait!" Nico announced as a big wave of silence filled the stadium as the clock was 14 minutes away from noon. They waited for only a minute, and no one made a sound. A baby could be heard crying the background.

"Well...this is awkward…" Nico chuckled. "So...the weather is nice out today...hey does anybody else feel cold?"

"It's 70 degrees out." Gongenzaka told Nico.

"Oh…"

 **9 minutes of torture later**

"The starting time is almost upon us! All entrants please prepare your Duel Disks!" Nico yelled as everyone activated their Duel Disk.

"Battle Royale Mode." The Duel Disks of all competitors said as the audience began to cheer time kept ticking towards noon.

"Gate open!" On his command, an entire section of the audience was lifted up, revealing the outside to the city.

Outside, Serena was the shadows. _The Xyz remnants are in there…_

"Now then, let's get this started! Duelists locked in battle! Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters! They storm through this Field" The clock ticked down to 15 seconds to noon. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Actioooooooon!" Nico lifted up his fingers.

"DUEL!" All 16 competitors shouted in unison as Nico snapped his fingers. The clock struck noon, and a bubble holding Action Cards exploded, scattering all of the Action Cards.

The Duelists ran out of the gate, ready to determine the top 8 who would move on. Little did they know…

Something bigger was going to happen soon.

* * *

 **Finished! No Duel this chapter, sorry.**

 **Whooh, finally a quick update! There wasn't really much to this chapter so I wanted to get it out as fast as I could for you guys.**

 **Next chapter will be similar to Episode 42 in the anime so I don't think a preview is needed.**

 **Cybresamurai: To be fair, Shark doesn't have the Cards related to Chaos Numbers and all of that, since I took out the Numbers and Chaos Numbers. The closest to a Number in this story is my recreation of Silent Honor ARK.**

 **Guest: Yeah, and Yuri didn't have a real Duel until episode 106. The anime never showed any of his Duel with Yuzu, and when he Dueled Yugo, all they did was Summon their dragons and just stand in one place in berserk chanting "We will become one."**

 **Mekyaku: I read your PM, and you were wrong on your guesses. Also, I said the Monster was a Rank 5 Xyz Monster, unless I said 6 on accident. Both of the Monsters you guessed were Rank 6. Good try though.**

 **Matrixnis: Oh shoot yeah, my mistake. Even still, Shark didn't draw a Monster, and also, no matter what Field Wild Vulture was on, Silent Honor could still absorb since I made the effect absorb any Card on the Field. Regardless, thanks for catching my mistake.**

 **ThePlotHand: How did you find music that partially fit those scenes?!**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	42. Battle Royale, Start!

"Kurosaki never showed up, did he?" Yuzu asked Yuto as she crouched down and searched through a bush to try and find a Pendulum Card.

"No...but, Shun is one of the 16 competitors. He will definitely come." Yuto told Yuzu.

"Then let's split up and search!" Yuzu said with a smile as she started running away from Yuto.

"Ah-Yuzu!" Yuto called out to the girl.

Yuzu stopped running and turned around. "What?"

Yuto gave her a smile. "Just be careful."

"Yeah, you too." With that, Yuzu ran off.

"Now then, let's prepare the stage for our competitors. Action Field, on! Field Magic, Wonder Quartet, activate!" The Field Magic activated as the entire city was changed into 4 different terrains. "Volcanoes! Icebergs! Jungle! And Ancient Ruins! With all 4 areas set up, the preparations are complete! Just who will come out on top? Who will hold victory in their hands?"

* * *

At the Volcano Area

Yuto picked up a Pendulum Card.

"You've got two now, don't you?" A voice asked. Yuto looked to the direction of the voice two people standing on a rock smirking.

"We of the Ryouzanpaku Dojo will be your opponents!" One of the two declared.

"We'll make sure to completely humiliate you!" The other added.

"Ryouzanpaku…" Yuto thought back to his Duel with Kachidoki. "So, a two on one Duel it seems."

"Oh! Will the first Duel be starting in the Volcano Area?" Nico Smiley asked as the audience was shown Yuto and the two people in the Volcano Area, about to Duel. "It seems like Ryouzanpaku's Takeda and Umesugi versus You Show Duel School's Sakaki Yuya!"

"Yuya-oniichan!" Ayu spoke her friends name out of concern. He already had trouble dealing with just Kachidoki, now he has to deal with two people from the same school.

"His opponents are from the Ryouzanpaku Dojo!" Tatsuya pointed out.

"This is the thrill of a Battle Royale!" Nico shouted.

"In the line with the ante rule, bet a Pendulum Card!" Takeda told Yuto as he held up a Pendulum Card.

"One per person." Umesugi said.

"DUEL!" All 3 Duelists shouted in unison.

* * *

At the observatory

"All players have bet a Pendulum Card and begun their Duel!" Nico was heard on screen.

Reiji appeared on the elevator. Nakajima, who was watching, turned around and saw Reiji.

"President."

"How is it going?" Reiji questioned Nakajima.

"Sakaki Yuya's Duel against Ryouzanpaku has just started." Nakajima informed Reiji as the latter walked closer to the screen.

"Entertainment and Martial Arts! Which style will win?!" Nico asked.

* * *

Back at the Duel

Both Umesugi and Takeda made a very familiar hand signal to Yuto. Bring it on, is what they were saying. Kachidoki made the same signal during their Duel. Yuto grit his teeth as he thought about Kachidoki, he blinked a couple of times, shrugging the thought off.

I can't lose here now! I entered this tournament in order to protect Yuya's name. I will win! Even if my opponents from Ryouzanpaku! Yuto thought up his resolve.

"If no player controls a Monster, I can Special Summon Entermate Drumming Kong from my Hand." Yuto Special Summoned Drumming Kong as the Monster immediately started playing its drums.

Drumming Kong: Level 5, 1600 Atk, 900 Def

"However, since I Special Summoned it this way, the level is reduced by 1."

Drumming Kong: Level 5-4

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Two Cards materialized in front of Yuto.

"Now come…" Takeda started as he kept doing the hand signal at Yuto.

"We'll drag you right into…" Umesugi continued with a smile.

"The darkness of defeat!" Takeda finished.

"Darkness?" Yuto remembered back to Kachidoki's words. He remembered losing it, and defeating him violently.

"You beat Kachidoki to a complete pulp." Umesugi ranted.

"That was your true nature." Takeda taunted Yuto.

"NO! You're wrong! Make your move already." Yuto rushed.

"My turn!" Takeda drew his Card. "You're not the only one who can use Pendulum now! I, using the Scale 5 Pendulum Statue Purple Shield and the Scale 11 Purple Sword, set the Pendulum Scale! With this I am able to simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are between 6 and 10. Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Earthly Wind Star, Tsumuji! Heavenly Wind Star, Arashi!"

Tsumuji: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 0 Def

Arashi: Level 7, 2300 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate Purple Sword's Pendulum effect! Once per turn, I can increase the Attack of all Warrior-Type Monsters on my Field by 200!"

Tsumuji: 2200-2400 Atk

Arashi: 2300-2500 Atk

"Battle! I attack Drumming Kong with Tsumuji!" Tsumuji sent an arrow towards Drumming Kong.

"Trap activate, Entertainment Flash! If I control an Entermate Monster, I can switch all Attack Monsters you control to Defense!" Both Monsters on Takeda's Field took defensive stances.

"I'm not done yet. I activate Fusion from my Hand!" Takeda revealed the Card as he put it onto his Duel Disk.

Yuto narrowed his eyes at the Card and formed a fist with his hand.

"What's this?!" Nico commentated. "A Main Phase 2 Fusion Summon to follow up the Pendulum Summon?!"

"I will fuse Tsumuji and Arashi! Blow, wind! Rage, storm! Surging God of Destruction, reign over this land! Fusion Summon! Come forth, level 10 Great Storm Star, Fujin!" Takeda clapped his hands together as his Monster was Fusion Summoned.

Fujin: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2200 Def

"I activate Fujin's Monster effect! At the end of each turn, it inflicts 500 damage to you for every Warrior-Type Monster on the Field!"

"What?!" Yuto widened his eyes.

"I end my turn." Takeda concluded as Fujin sent a cyclone towards Yuto.

Yuto turned around and ran. He saw an Action Card across a pool of lava, which had rocks he could jump on. However, when he was at the rocks, Umesugi tripped him, almost making him fall into the lava. Fortunately, Yuto managed to catch himself, however, Umesugi grabbed the Action Card and activated it.

"Action Magic, Flame Ball! I inflict 200 damage to you. Take this!" A fireball appeared in front of Umesugi and was thrown towards Yuto, striking him. Yuto grunted as he took damage. Then, the cyclone engulfed him. Yuto shielded himself, staying in place as he took damage.

Yuto: 4000-3300 LP

"Damn...it's their turn next…" Yuto started to run around, desperately looking for an Action Card.

"I'm counting on you, Takeda!" Umesugi called out to his teammate.

"I've got it covered, Umesugi!" Takeda assured his partner with a grin as he jumped down and slid down towards Yuto. "You won't get away!"

"My turn! Here comes my Pendulum! I also set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 5 Purple Shield and Scale 11 Purple Sword! With this, I'm able to simultaneously Summon Monsters from levels 6 to 10! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Earthly Thunder Star, Todoroki! Heavenly Thunder Star, Senkou!"

Todoroki: Level 6, 2100 Atk, 200 Def

Senko: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 1600 Def

"Continuous Trap, Twin Big Shield! When a Monster(s) is Special Summoned to an opponent's side of the Field, I can activate this Card and equip to a Monster I control. I equip it to Drumming Kong." Yuto quickly took his chance to make a move.

"Battle! Go, Senko! Attack Drumming Kong!" Umesugi declared.

"Drumming Kong's effect activates, when a Monster I control battles, I can increase the Attack of a Monster I control by 600 until the end of the Battle Phase!" Drumming Kong started to play his drums, increasing his Attack.

Drumming Kong: 1600-2200 Atk

"It's not enough! The attack continues!"

"The effect of Twin Big Shield activates! Twice per turn, when a Monster I control would be destroyed by Battle or Card effect, I can negate the destruction!" Yuto explained the effect of his Card. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"But you still take the damage!" Umesugi shouted the classic Arc-V meme.

Yuto winced in pain as Drumming Kong was struck by Umesugi's Monster.

Yuto: 3300-3100 LP

"One second, Umesugi!" Takeda yelled.

"Go for it!" Umesugi nodded at Takeda.

Yuto noticed that Takeda and an Action Card, something he must have grabbed while Umesugi was doing his turn.

"Action Magic, Illusion Dance! With this, all Attack Position Monsters are switched to Defense!" Takeda activated his Action Card as all Monsters started to dance. "All Monsters affected by this Card return to Attack Position at the end of the turn." The Monsters stopped dancing, and they all took defensive stances.

"It's the Action Card I used against Yuya in our Duel!" Shuzo noted.

"Thanks, Takeda! Quick-Play, Pulse Fusion! I fuse Senkou and Todoroki!" Umesugi's Monsters were sent up into the air as they started to glow.

"Wait! A fusion during the Battle Phase?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.

"Flash across the heavens! Echo through the earth! Lightning God of Destruction, reign over this land! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Supreme Lightning Star, Raijin!" Umesugi chanted as his ace Monster appeared.

Raijin: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2200 Def

"When this Card attacks Defense Position Monsters, it inflicts piercing damage!" Umesugi exclaimed. "Battle! I attack Drumming Kong with Raijin!" Raijin thrusted his sword at Drumming Kong.

"Once again, Twin Big Shield negates the destruction of my Monster!" Yuto reminds Umesugi. Yuto was struck by a bolt of lightning as he widened his eyes and dropped to the ground.

Yuto: 3100-1000 LP

Takeda walked to Umesugi's side and smirked.

"There's nothing else he can do." Takeda said.

"Now we shall drop you into the depths of darkness!" Umesugi spoke similar words to what Kachidoki said.

"No! Not yet...I'm not giving up!" Yuto got back on his feet and ran to look for an Action Card.

"Your struggling is pointless! At the end of this turn, you'll take a total damage of 1000 from Fujin's effect!" Takeda shouted.

"I end my turn!" Umesugi declared. This was it, the end.

Fujin let out a cyclone of wind towards Yuto.

Ayu, Futoshi, Tatsuya, Shuzo, Yoko, and other members of the audience as they saw the cyclone coming towards Yuto. Was it over for him?

Yuto turned around and shielded himself. The cyclone collided with something, but Yuto didn't feel anything. He didn't take damage. Yuto looked up to see a man in orange hair about h8s age holding his hand out to a Monster Card he activated.

"Don't hog all the action!" The man exclaimed, shocking the 3 other Duelists.

"Who is that?!" Shuzo asked the question the others were thinking.

"Let me join in!" The boy smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile-At Academia-In the Fusion Dimension

"Hmm...this should do…" The doktor tapped something on a screen. "This will do nicely. Finally, I can show you that I am not just some puppet that you can order around, Professor!"

Before Akaba Leo came, Academia was still a school actually. There used to be a different Professor, except the students didn't call him the Professor, they called in Principal.

The school wasn't used to fight at the time and frankly, the doktor was getting ready to quit. However, he was the Principal's right hand man, and the job had a good pay too.

However, when the Principal retired and Akaba Leo took his place, the doktor was ready to quit. However…

"Damn you...Leo." The doktor got an angry expression on his face, something that rarely happens.

But he has a reason to be mad. You see, when Akaba Leo heard that the doktor was going to quit, he denied it and forced him to work on some experiments.

At first, he really didn't care. He wasn't being bothered at all. But that all changed when…

* * *

3 years ago-Academia-Professor's Throne Room

"I quit!" The doktor, when he was still sane exclaimed. At this point in time, the doktor was known as Hiro.

"Hmm...why?" Akaba Leo asked with a stoic expression.

"Because you're making this Duel School train for fighting and you're forcing me to do 'experiments' on that stupid cabbage boy and that stupid persistent girl! And also, you give me long working hours, and very low pay! There are many other jobs with a better pay at this point! In fact, look at my eyes! I work for so long, that I only get 4-6 hours of sleep!" Hiro explained his reason for leaving in anger.

"No! I will not let you leave! I had a feeling you would say something like this at some point. So, I prepared this! Capture him!" At his command, a student in blue appeared behind the doktor and tased him. Hiro yelled in pain as he dropped to the ground unconscious.

"Lock him up! MAKE him work for us! If he doesn't obey, knock him unconscious again and repeat the process until he agrees to work with us! Also, keep him locked up!" Leo commanded the student who tased the doktor.

For the next 3 years, Hiro was tired, beaten, and forced to work. He only got food if he was starving or if he did what they said. And if he refused to eat, he would be force fed. Eventually, it went to the point where Hiro gave in and lost his sanity. He became a sadistic person.

"Are you willing to work for us now, for good now, no breaks? We're getting tired of this cycle, Hiro!" A student shouted at Hiro.

"Yes...I will…" Hiro had his face shadowed in his prison cell.

"Good." The student opened the cell.

"However, I'm not the one known as Hiro anymore…" Hiro walked out of the cell, revealing his sadistic smile. "Call me THE DOKTOR!"

* * *

 **Finished! I really didn't want to write this Duel to be honest, but I made it slightly different so it wouldn't be a complete repeat of what happened in the anime.**

 **So, I decided to give the doktor some backstory. I'm going to be honest, it isn't good, but I didn't want to be cliche and have the old "Person has someone close to him/her killed and his/her life is changed forever for the good/bad."**

 **Also, if you guys are wondering about Yuto and Dennis and how Yuto didn't say anything like "It's Dennis!" or something like that, I'm saving that stuff for next chapter.**

 **Here's the preview**

 **Dennis helps Yuto from defeat and they manage to defeat Takeda and Umesugi. Dennis questions Dennis and has a feeling he has seen him before. After they part ways, Yuto heads to the Ancient Ruins, where he encounters Kurosaki…**

 **I don't know why, but saying Kurosaki sounds more menacing in this preview.**

 **Venomous Blade: You shall see soon. The Obelisk Force is coming soon.**

 **ThePlothand: Thanks for explaining it more. I might PM you in the future, I don't know.**

 **Matrixnis: I really don't know what else to say really. If I had him say, "oh he's somewhere in the city," then Yuzu and Yoko would wonder why Yuya would get in touch with them somehow or just try to get back to his house or school. About the dimensional transporter thing, you'll see what I did soon. Those 2 Magicians will make an appearance at some point down the road. Don't worry, I'm not throwing them in the trash.**

 **I decided to skip the Yuzu and Gongenzaka stuff cause I really saw no point in rewriting that stuff. I'll probably skip the Yuzu and Dennis Duel too, but it will still happen, I just won't show it.**

 **Sorry for the short chapter.**

 **That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	43. Suspicion

"Beep!" A sound came from the boy's Duel Disk, causing him to look down in confusion. "Instruction Penalty, 2000 LP

"OH NOOOOOOOO!" The boy screamed in a comedic manner as his own Duel Disk electrocuted him. He fell down the hill facedown. Yuto sweatropped at the sight.

"The man who has just appeared is LDS' exchange student from Broadway, Dennis Mackfield! But he has just taken a 2000 LP penalty for intrusion." Nico Smiley explained.

"What is that about?" Futoshi asked with a straight face.

"That didn't happen with Yuzu-oneechan." Tatsuya noted.

"Ahem! Ahem!" Nico cleared his throat, getting the attention of the audience. "Now then, I shall explain. First off, in Hiragi's case, she was already taking part in a Duel against Halil. However, in this case, Dennis was not Dueling with anyone before joining, so he was then penalized."

"Ohh...ouch...sheesh...this is one of those late starts, isn't it?" Dennis gave a clumsy look. Dennis fixed his collar. "Well, I better collect myself!"

"Wait, what happened to the effect damage?" Yuto asked.

"Oh that! You see, when I joined this Duel, I sent Entermage Damage Juggler to the Grave and activated its effect. When a Monster would deal effect damage, its effect is permanently negated. So from now on, Fujin's end-of-turn effect can't activate!" Dennis explained. Takeda grit his teeth in annoyance. He was so close to defeating Yuya, and then this clown comes along and saves him!

"Quit interfering!" Umesugi shouted at Dennis.

"How rude! And I had so much more fun planned too!" Dennis exclaimed. "Anyways! Let's finish this magnificently! My turn, draw!" Dennis floated in the air in joy as he drew his Card/

"Sakaki Yuya! Our next turn will be your last, prepare yourself!" Takeda called out to Yuto.

"Sakaki Yuya's life is 1000." Takeda said.

"Yeah, so we need 5 Flame Balls!" Both Takeda and Umesugi jumped over Yuto and Dennis, looking for Action Cards.

"Damn!" Yuto cursed as he began to run after them. Dennis also started to run with Yuto.

"Hey, you're Sakaki Yuya, right? I'm Dennis Mackfield! I'm an LDS exchange student from Broadway!" Dennis raised his arms in joy.

"I'm not Yuy-I mean-nice to meet you." Yuto quickly corrected himself as he almost broke out of character.

"Your first round match was wonderful! I got so excited watching that!" Dennis started to have tears rolling down his face.

 _What's with this guy? And why does he look so familiar?_ Yuto asked himself.

"All right! Action Magic, Flame Ball! Take 200 points of damage, Sakaki Yuya!" Takeda activated an Action Card he collected.

"Entermage Flame Eater! When an effect would deal damage, I can negate that effect and Special Summon this Card!" Dennis explained as his Monster appeared and ate the fireball coming towards Yuto.

"What?!" Takeda widened his eyes.

Flame Eater: Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1600 Def

Umesugi's Monster carried him over to an Action Card on a lampost. "All right, this time!"

"Oh, also, your second round match! I didn't quite approve of that one." Before Dennis could continue, Umesugi activated his Action Card.

"Action Magic, Flame Ball, activate!" Another fireball came towards Yuto.

"Good thing I have another one of these guys! Entermage Flame Eater!" The new Flame Eater appeared and consumed the fireball.

"Geez! You're really annoying! Quit bothering me when I'm trying to talk to Yuya! But now that I say that...huh?" Dennis decided to play dumb as he took a good look at his Field. "Looks like there are two Monsters with the same level." Yuto gasped in shock, knowing what Dennis was going to do. "Which means I can do _that!_ With my two level 4 Entermage Flame Eaters, I construct the Overlay Network! Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician!"

Trapeze Magician: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"All right!" Dennis jumped into the air. "Yee-haw!" Dennis grabbed onto Trapeze Magician's hand as they flew into the air. Dennis laughed as little trails of lights were left behind the Magician.

Yuto widened his eyes. A memory played in his mind. And it wasn't his memory. It showed a man doing the same thing Dennis was doing but with a different magician. Also, the man was much older compared to Dennis.

Dennis jumped off his Monster and landed next to Yuto. "Now, feast your eyes!" A purple wave collided with the lava on the Field, making a beautiful scenery.

"What a gorgeous Summon!" Nico exclaimed.

Shuzo raised up his hands in excitement. "That kid's as flashy as Yusho!"

Yoko smiled at the scene. Memories of Yusho were coming back to her. Good memories. _Oh Yusho…_

"As long as Trapeze Magician is face-up, all effect damage lower than or equal to its Attack is negated. It means you guys won't be able to rely on that Action Magic, Flame Ball! Now then, I've done all I need to. I end my turn." Dennis simply concluded. Dennis turned to Yuto. "You're more suited for the finale!"

"Dennis...alright! My turn, draw! I Summon Entermate Whip Viper!"

Whip Viper: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 900 Def

Yuto gasped as an image of Dark Rebellion flashed into his head. His eyes glowed. Yuto's eyes sparked blue as he clutched his chest in pain. Yuto grunted as he tried to resist the pain.

"Yuya...Yuya. Yuya! Yuya!" Dennis called out to Yuto, who turned to face him. "It's fine. Just relax!" Yuto's eyes returned to normal. "You're afraid it'll turn out like when you fought Kachidoki, right? But it'll be fine. Trapeze and I are here for you." Yuto looked at the Monster, and back at Dennis before smiling.

"Thanks, Dennis! All right!"

 _Come on old friend! Don't let me down now!_

"I construct the Overlay Network using the level 4 Whip Viper and Drumming Kong! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his ace Monster appeared.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"So you've finally stepped into the darkness!" Takeda exclaimed.

"The fact that you Summoned that dragon from pitch-black darkness is proof!" Umesugi stated.

"No! You're wrong! I'm not walking that path again! And I'll prove it now!" Yuto yelled.

"It's showtime! Everybody enjoy! Let's have fun together!" Dennis jumped and got caught by Trapeze Magician's hands. "I'll start us off! I activate Trapeze Magician's effect! By using one overlay unit, I can target a Monster and let it attack twice this turn! I target Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Dark Rebellion roared at its opponents.

"Now, it's my turn! I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! By using an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster until the end of the turn. Then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount! I target Fujin!" Dark Rebellion let out its wings and electrocuted Fujin, weakening it. "Treason Discharge!"

Fujin: 3000-1500 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-4000 Atk

"I use Dark Rebellion's effect again! I target Raijin! Treason Discharge!" Raijin was also weakened.

Raijin: 3000-1500 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 4000-5500 Atk

"Battle! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Fujin!" Dark Rebellion flew towards Fujin and headbutt him, destroying the Monster. Takeda yelled in pain as his life dropped to 0. "One more attack! Dark Rebellion!" Dark Rebellion circled around and stabbed Raijin, destroying him. Umesugi was sent into the air as his life dropped to 0.

"Yuya! You did it!" Dennis told Yuto.

"Yeah...thanks to you. But, one question, have we ever met before? I swear I know you from somewhere." A cold sea of silence filled the two. Dennis got a look of fear on his face for a second, did he know where he came from? However, he quickly regained his composure.

"I don't know! I have never seen you before! Anyways, I have wanted to tag Duel with you for a while! With Sakaki Yusho's Junior!" Dennis revealed.

"You know Sak-I mean, my father?!" Yuto asked.

"Of course! He's a Duelist I admire! Now then, I'll be off! Let's make sure to make it through this!" Dennis held out a hand.

Yuto looked at the hand. He still was a little curious about this guy. However, something inside told him to accept the hand. Plus, he needed to stay in character.

"Yeah, it's a promise!" Yuto accepted the hand.

* * *

Later-At the Ancient Ruins

Yuto walked into a building in the ancient ruins. He looked around to see 8t he could find someone. He did find someone, but the last person he would expect was…

"Shun!" Yuto exclaimed as he saw said person standing on his left with his arms crossed. "I've been wanting to find you!"

"The same goes for me." Shun said.

"What did you do with Yuto?" Shun asked.

"Yuto…" Ayu whispered the name.

"Who is that?" Futoshi asked.

"I also know that Yuto fought with Shiunin Sora. And I know that you were there! Then after that, Yuto disappeared. What happened there? What did you do to Yuto?" Shun demanded for an answer.

"Shun...I-"

"Don't refer to me so casually! I know something happened! There's no mistaking it!" Shun formed his hand into a fist. "After all, your eyes are a different color! I remember that you had crimson eyes! Why is it that you have gray eyes! The same color eyes that Yuto has?! And if that wasn't enough, then why do you have Yuto's Card?! Why do you have Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon? As far as I'm concerned, Dark Rebellion is a one of a kind Card that only Yuto had! I've never seen a second copy of it in my life!"

"Gray eyes? That's right!" Shuzo realized in a whisper. "Also, Yuya has been acting weird lately. Could that weird thing that happened in Round Two against Kachidoki have anything to do with this Yuto person? Also, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon...I've never heard of that Card ever until Yuya Summoned it. Something isn't right here. Also, there was something off about Yuya's voice. I thought it was just something wrong with his throat, but maybe it is something more…"

"This Card can Attack directly with its Monster effect!" Yuto looked to his left to where he entered and saw someone with a Monster. "I Attack directly with Assault Knight Slash!" Said Monster let out a purple wave, coming right for Shun and Yuto. Both gasped as they crouched down in order to avoid the attack.

"Assault Knight Slash can negate battle damage!" Another person countered as the Monster on their Field, which was the same as the Monster on the other person's Field, formed a blue shield, protecting its owner.

"Knight of Duels!" Yuto and Shun got back up on their feet.

"These idiots never learn…" Shun muttered.

"I end my turn. For some reason, I hear some pebbles babbling…" The first Knight said.

"Then we should just kick those interfering pebbles aside!" The second knight responded. "My turn! I Attack directly with Assault Knight Slash!" The Monster let out a purple wave at a third Knight. Yuto and Shun both ducked for cover.

"Assault Knight Slash can negate battle damage!" The knight exclaimed.

"They're acting like they're Dueling just to harass me!" Shun spoke as he stood up.

"I end my turn." The second Knight ended. "We can keep this up until those pebbles are ground to bits.

"If it's bothering you so much, then join the Duel and take the instruction penalty. My turn! Assault Knight Slash Attack directly!" The third knight declared as aapnother purple beam came towards Yuto and Shun. This time, it actually hit them.

"AAAAAUGH!" Shun yelled in pain as he was blown into a column.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Yuto was blown back into a broken down platform. He almost fell off, but he managed to grab the ledge at the last second.

"Those guys! And they call themselves Duelists!" Tatsuya murmured in anger. How could they do something like that? Yuya could have gotten hurt!

"We're only just Dueling…" the first Knight started.

"We aren't doing anything against the rules." The third Knight finished.

Yuto put another hand on the ledge and lifted his head over it. "Shun…"

At that moment. 3 men in uniforms came running towards the place where the knights were. Yuto heard the footsteps and looked to where he heard it. He was shocked to see who it was…

"No...no...it can't be!" Yuto bellowed as he saw the familiar dressed men come closer to the Knights. The blue clothing, the masks, the Duel Disks. It was all so familiar. "Not them…" Memories of the attack on Heartland flooded Yuto's mind.

"The Obelisk Force is here…"

* * *

 **We're finished! Another repeat chapter. Sorry for that guys.**

 **Sorry for the chapter being so short by the way. I just wanted this done and out.**

 **Here is the chapter preview.**

 **The Obelisk Force has arrived, and with Sora sided with them. Sora and Shun immediately go to a different place to initiate a Duel, while the Obelisk Force defeats the Knight of Duels and Cards them. Struck by grief that he couldn't help the Knight of Duels, Yuto and Yuya, who's rage starts to erupt inside Yuto, breaks character and switches Decks and challenges the Obelisk Force to a Duel. However, something isn't right…**

 **If you guys remember from the anime, a very iconic Monster is Summoned. (One of my favorite Summons in the anime actually.)**

 **Matrixnis: Yeah, I feel the same way, the doktor could have been explored more. And while I hated him to guts because of the crap he did, he still shouldn't have been thrown in the dust.**

 **Bridgey: Sun Shadow and Moon Shadow...I know who you mean. Hikage and Tsukikage. I can't believe I spelled the latter's name right! I don't know about Hikage, but Moon Shadow/Tsukikage might.**

 **Rgriffin8999: I might to do something like that.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys!**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	44. Dragon with Eyes that Glitter in Rage

At the observatory

Both Reiji and Nakajima gasped in shock as they saw the Obelisk Force running on screen.

"That's!" Nakajima exclaimed.

"Cut the Ancient Ruins Area feed!" Reiji ordered immediately, not wanting the audience to see what was going on so he could prevent them from going into a panic.

In the stadium, the screen for the Ancient Ruins was cut out. Replaced by a No Signal Bar.

The audience moaned and groaned in both annoyance and confusion.

"Umm...it seems like we're having some connection issues with the video feed." Nico said as he looked around in worry. "L-let's just get back to the heated battle going on in the Volcano Area!""The Obelisk Force is here...and that's!" Yuto gasped as he saw another person walking into view. A very familiar person.

It was a very familiar boy in the blue jacket with a lollipop in his mouth.

"You're!" Shun realized who the person was right when he came into view.

"Shiunin Sora!" Yuto said the name of the person.

"I've been waiting for this. For when I could finally settle the score with you. Kurosaki Shun!" Sora turned back to see Yuto, dressed up in disguise. However, from how far he was, he couldn't tell it wasn't Yuya. Sora turned his back on Yuto as he took the lollipop out of his mouth. "You guys hold the knights off. Make sure they don't get in our way."

"No! Not Shun!" Yuto yelled. Yuto climbed down from his ledge.

"What's with that tone?" The first knight asked.

"And who the hell are you anyway?" The second knight asked.

"Obelisk Force." The Obelisk Force with a red gem on his head answered as he and the other two activated their Duel Disks.

* * *

Later

Both Shun and Sora were walking up the stairs to a structure. Sora grinned as he finally got what he wanted, a rematch. However, after he beat this guy, he needed to get revenge on the other guy. The one who beat him once and had the option to beat him in their first Duel.

"Damn it! Stop it!" Yuto shouted as he jumped down pillars.

While that happened, the three Knight of Duels Duelists fell to the Obelisk Force.

"Hmph, the Duelists of Standard don't really stand a chance." The Red Obelisk Force stated.

Yuto jumped down to the last pillar, where he saw a horrible thing that he was very familiar with. The Red Obelisk Force held out his Duel Disk and was about to press a button.

"AHHHHH!" Memories of Heartland played in Yuto's head as he heard the screams of the civilians as if they were there with him in Standard. He remembered the Ancient Gear Monsters, the Chaos Giant, the Ultimate Golem.

"NO!" Yuto froze in his tracks as the first Knight was Carded right in front of him.

"AHHHH!" The second Knight screamed in fear as he backed up as far as he could go.

"This is against the rules!" The third Knight exclaimed in fear.

"This is completely by the rules. The defeated should be erased." The Green Obelisk Force told the Knights.

"Stop it…" Yuto whispered. However, his plead fell on deaf ears as the soldiers moved in closer to the Knights and held out their Duel Disk. "Stop it...STOP IT!" Yuto shouted at the top of his lungs as the two Knights were Carded. Yuto kept screaming in pain as he widened his eyes. The darkness, it was coming back. Yuto's eyes flickered from blue to red. Yuto could feel Yuya's rage sparking out. Until finally, the darkness took over…

"Now, let's get back to our mission." The Red Obelisk Force told the other two.

"Wait." A voice said. The Obelisk Force gasped and turned to where the voice came from. The saw Yuto slowly walking towards them with a dark aura surrounding him. "I...won't forgive you!"

* * *

Meanwhile

Both Sora and Shun activated their Duel Disk.

"Hmph. This time I won't lose!" Sora exclaimed.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll start! I Summon Edge Imp Tomahawk!" Sora slammed the Card onto his Disk.

Tomahawk: Level 4, 1800 At, 800 Def

"I use Tomahawk's effect! I can send one Edge Imp Monster from my Hand to the Grave to deal 800 damage to my opponent!" Sora sent DT Modoki to the Grave as Tomahawk sent 4 yellow axes towards Shun. Shun jumped out of the way as they hit the floor, where Shun was standing. However, the axes popped and caused a yellow wave of energy to hit Shun, sending him backwards near the entrance.

Shun: 4000-3200 LP

"I set one Card and end my turn." Sora concluded.

Shun got back up in his feet as he placed a Hand on his Deck. "My turn! I Summon Raid Raptors Vanishing Lanius from my Hand."

Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def

"If I control a Vanishing Lanius, I can Special Summon Fuzzy Lanius from my Hand!"

Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4, 500 Atk, 1500 Def

"I overlay using the level 4 Vanishing Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius! Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! Xyz Summon! Take flight! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Force Strix!" Shun chanted as a wave of darkness erupted in front of him. When the wave disappeared, Force Strix flew out.

Force Strix: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def

 _Another Monster with a low Attack._ Sora noted in his thoughts.

"Once per turn, by using an Overlay Unit, this Card can add one level 4 Dark Winged Beast-Type Monster from my Deck to my Hand. I add Vanishing Lanius to my Hand. Next I activate the effect of Fuzzy Lanius in the Grave. When this Card is sent to the Grave, I can add a Fuzzy Lanius to my Hand. Now, by the Monster effect of the Vanishing Lanius I Summoned first, I Special Summon another Vanishing Lanius. With Vanishing Lanius on my Field, I Special Summon another Fuzzy Lanius! Force Strix's Attack increases by 500 for every other Winged Beast-Type Monster I control."

"You powered it up. But not by much. You better not be taking me lightly!" Sora told Shun. He hated it already that the last guy held back against him he could have finished him off by detaching another overlay unit from that stupid dragon.

Shun closed his eyes. "I'm always serious when I Duel. Even if it's against a worthless opponent!" Shun opened his eyes and gave Sora "the bird glare." (I'm going to call it that, yes.)

* * *

Meanwhile

"I won't forgive them!" Yuto spoke, however, it wasn't his voice. It was Yuya's.

"The Fusion Dimension!" Yuto's voice was now heard. "Academia!"

"Who are you?" Red Obelisk Force asked.

"You all…" Yuto stopped walking. Yuya's voice took over again as Yuto's blue eyes got a tint of red in them. "Why did you come to this world!?"

"You don't need to know that." Green Obelisk Force replied rudely.

"I won't let you do as you please!" Yuya narrowed his eyes. Quickly, Yuto, who was back in control, quickly took out Yuya's Deck from the Duel Disk and replaced it with his own Deck. Yuto lifted the Duel Disk.

"Duel us!" Both Yuto and Yuya shouted in unison as an image of Yuya overlapped Yuto's body for a second as the Duel Disk was activated.

The Obelisk Force chuckled in amusement, not taking notice that they said "us," and not "me."

"DUEL!" All 4 Duelists shouted.

"I Summon Ancient Gear Hound Dog!" The Red Obelisk Force exclaimed.

Hound Dog: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I use his effect to inflict 600 points of damage to you!" A fireball was sent toward Yuto.

"Not so fast, Action Magic, Acceleration! The effect damage is negated!" Yuto countered as he jumped to the right, avoiding the fireball.

"So those are Action Cards. Well they won't help you win this Duel. Hurry up and finish this."

"Yeah, in an instant! My turn! I also Summon Ancient Gear Hound Dog and attack directly!" The Green Obelisk Force declared as Hound Dog started running towards Yuto.

"From my Hand, I activate Phantom Knights Wall. When I would take damage, I can Special Summon this Card and negate it." Yuto Special Summoned his Monster in Defense as a misty wall with eyes appeared, blocking the fireball.

Wall: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1500 Def

"As long as this Monster remains on the Field, I don't take any damage." Yuto revealed.

"What?!" All 3 Obelisk Force exclaimed in shock.

"Damn! I set a Card and end my turn." The Green Obelisk Force clicked his tongue.

"My turn! You said, "as long as that Monster remains on the Field," you take no damage. Well, then how about this! I activate Fusion! I fuse the three Hound Dogs in my Hand. Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits, flock together and become one with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" The yellow Obelisk Force Fusion Summoned.

Triple Bite Hound Dog: Level 7, 1800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Magic Card, Soul of Fusion! I can target a Fusion Monster on my Field, then, I can banish one of its Fusion Materials in the Grave, then, until the end of the turn, the selected Monster gains the Attack of the banished Monster! I banish Hound Dog!"

Triple Bite Hound Dog: 1800-2800 Atk

"Battle! Go, Triple Bite Hound Dog, tear down this wall! (I'm sorry I had to type this down.)" The yellow Obelisk Force shouted as one head of Triple Bite shot Yuto's Monster with a fireball, destroying it. "Triple Bite can attack three times! So, two more direct attacks will finish you off!"

"From my Hand, I activate Phantom Knights Guard, when a direct Attack is declared on me, I can negate the attack and Special Summon this Card!" Yuto Special Summoned a misty ghost with a shield in Defense. Triple Bite Hound Dog seized its attack.

Phantom Knights Guard: Level 4, 900 Atk, 2300 Def

"Fine! I use the last attack to destroy your Monster!" Triple Bite pounced at Guard, shredding the ghost to pieces.

"Finally, I activate the Magic Card Fusion Bullet! I target Triple Bite Hound Dog, and through this Card's effect, I can deal you damage equal to that Monster's current Attack! Hound Dog's is 2800, so you will be taking 1400 damage!" Yellow Obelisk Force exclaimed as a bullet struck Yuto, sending him backward. Yuto landed on the ground face down.

Yuto: 4000-2600 LP

"I end my turn. At this moment, Triple Bite's Attack returns to normal. And you're already cornered. Poor fool…" Yellow Obelisk Force commented as Yuto looked at the Obelisk Force with a look of hate and rage on his face.

"Soon, you'll get the same fate as these weaklings." Red Obelisk Force showed Yuto the Cards of the three Knight of Duels Duelists. Yuto gasped as he remembered the terrified looks on the Knights faces as they got Carded mercilessly.

Yuto growled in anger in as he started to get back on his feet. "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-"

Memories of the attack on Heartland flooded his head. People Carded. Academia soldiers laughing. The hopeless and scared look on people's faces, he was all remembering them.

Then, a vision of what would happen to Standard if Academia invaded it with their dirty heads surged into Yuto's head. He felt a reaction from deep inside his heart. He could feel Yuya's anger. However, he could also feel his own anger, and something else.

It's like his heart was swinging, like a Pendulum. A Pendulum full of hate, malice, and grief.

Yuto and Yuya were walking with their eyes closed as the Pendulum swayed in between them. The swing of the Pendulum decreased, and it was coming to a stop. However, Yuto and Yuya's bodies were getting closer as this happened, it was like the Pendulum was forcing them together.

"RAAAAAAAAGH! OUR TURN!" Yuto bellowed as he drew his Card, with his Pendulum surging with blue light, with a hint of darkness inside, a deep anger building up inside the Pendulum. "I, using the Scale 3 Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade, and the Scale 8 Phantom Knights, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto slapped the two Cards on to his Duel Disk, the word Pendulum showed up on his screen.

"What is this?!" Obelisk Force Green questioned.

"Don't tell me…" Obelisk Force Yellow started.

"...that this is a Pendulum Summon!" Obelisk Force Red finished.

Yuto and Yuya, who was reacting inside Yuto, were grinning maliciously. "With this I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters whose levels are between 4 and 7! Swing, Pendulum of my Soul, Carve an arc of Destruction across ether! Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monster servants! From the grave, Phantom Knights Wall, Phantom Knights Guard, and now, from my Hand, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"From the Grave? But the data on Pendulum Summoning shown from Shiunin Sora said that Pendulum Monsters can only be Summoned from the Hand and Extra Deck!" Red Obelisk Force rebutted at Yuto's Pendulum Summon.

At the observatory, Nakajima was shocked. "How can this be?!"

"Perhaps, it is the Pendulum effect of one of those Pendulum Cards. Looks like Sakaki Yuya has evolved once again. No, not Yuya…Yuto...he has evolved the power of Pendulum more than Sakaki Yuya did…" Reiji narrowed his eyes. Why was Yuto taking Yuya's place? Also, why was he using Pendulum Summoning like he created it. Unless…

"Now, I use the level 4 Phantom Knights Wall and Phantom Knights Guard in order to construct the Overlay Network! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as he Xyz Summoned his ace Monster. Both Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion roared out to each other as Yuya reacted inside Yuto even more.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster you control. Then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount. Treason Discharge!" Dark Rebellion opened its wings as he let out electricity towards Triple Bite.

"I don't think so! Quick-Play, Fusion Cancel! I return Triple Bite to his Extra Deck, then, I Special Summon the materials to his side of the Field!" Green Obelisk Force countered as 3 Hound Dog's appeared on the Yellow Obelisk Force's Field.

"Battle! Go, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Ancient Gear Hound Dog!" Yuto thrusted his fingers towards one of the three Hound Dogs on the Yellow Obelisk Force's Field. "Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Dark Rebellion crashed into the mechanical hound, destroying it. Yellow Obelisk Force shielded himself from the dust as he grit his teeth in pain.

Yellow Obelisk Force: 4000-2500 LP

The other two Obelisk Force looked at him as he was blown to the ground.

"I'm not done yet!" Yuto shouted, alerting them.

"I attack Hound Dog with Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya declared through Yuto. "Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd Eyes shot out a spiral of fire towards the Hound Dog on the Red Obelisk Force's Field. Once the blast hit, the Obelisk Force member was thrown to the ground and the Dog was destroyed.

Red Obelisk Force: 4000-2500 LP

"I end my turn." Yuto concluded.

"Wh-who the heck is this guy?!" Green Obelisk Force asked in fear as his comrades slowly rose to their feet.

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Volcano Area

Dennis was currently Dueling Serena, who challenged him out of nowhere after he beat Yuzu, who was watching the Duel.

Serena grit her teeth and formed a fist with her hand in anger. "I've never had a more boring Duel! Hurry up and finish! I want to go and search for the others!"

"You are a really scary one...then I guess I could go serious for a bit. My turn, draw!" Dennis grinned...until he saw the Card he drew, Fusion. "AHHHHH! I lose...I set a face-down Monster and one Card and end my turn."

This ticked off Serena, who was already at her limit.

"A desperately set Monster and backrow...you...are you underestimating me!?" Serena interrogated in anger.

"No, that's not it!" Dennis quickly denied, however, this went on deaf ears.

"NO EXCUSES!" Serena shouted. "My turn!"

* * *

Meanwhile-At the hideout

A beeping went off on O'Brien's Duel Disk, shocking both him and Shark.

"What's that?!" Shark questioned.

"That's something Professor Viper installed on my Duel Disk. In the case that people from the Fusion Dimension are nearby! We need to go, now! We might be under siege by the Xyz Dimension!" O'Brien replied as he picked up his Duel Disk and turned off the beeping. "Let's go!"

* * *

Back with Yuto

Yuto smirked with cockiness.

"What is this guy?" Yellow Obelisk Force asked.

"Hurry up and finish it!" Green Obelisk Force rushed his partner.

"My turn! I Summon another Ancient Gear Hound Dog and use its effect to deal 600 damage to you!" The Summoned Hound Dog immediately ran towards Yuto and jumped into him, shoving him to the ground. Red Obelisk Force smiled in satisfaction. However, his smile soon disappeared when he saw Yuto slowly sat up on his feet, with a blank expression on his face, as if nothing had ever happened.

Yuto: 2600-2000 LP

"I-I end my turn!" Red Obelisk Force turned to his teammate, signaling him to go.

"My turn! I also use Hound Dog's effect! Hound Flame!" Green Obelisk Force declared as a stream of fire enveloped Yuto. When the flames ceased, Yuto rose to his feet and dusted some dirt of his shirt, making no reaction at all. This scared the Obelisk Force even more.

Yuto: 2000-1400 LP

"I end my turn!" Green Obelisk Force told Yellow.

At that moment, Gongenzaka and Mieru arrived to the scene, unintentionally seeing each other.

"Where's Darling?" Mieru asked Gongenzaka.

Gongenzaka and Mieru looked in front of them to see Yuto Dueling the Obelisk Force.

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka exclaimed at the sight of who he thought to be his friend. However, he noticed something wasn't right.

Yuto stood up straight and let out a malicious grin.

"My turn! I use the effect of both of my Hound Dog's! Take 1200 damage!" Yellow Obelisk Force shouted as Yuto was blown back by the flames of both Hound Dogs, this time, Yuto actually let out a yelp of pain. Unknown to Yuto and the Obelisk Force, Yuto's wig flew off, revealing his purple and black hair.

"Darling!" Mieru started to run towards Yuto.

"Wait!" Gongenzaka stopped Mieru as he looked at the wig. "A wig?" Gongenzaka looked at who he thought was Yuya. "Yuya's hair! It changed! Wait...is that really Yuya...or just some guy in disguise?" Mieru looked at Yuto, who was getting back on his feet, noticing the hair and that the green and red hair originally on him was a wig.

In the observatory, Nakajima was shocked. "A wig! You mean that isn't Sakaki Yuya!"

 _As I thought._ Akaba Reiji thought to himself.

Yuto turned to face the Obelisk Force. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The dark aura surrounding Yuto flared up even more.

It was at this moment the Obelisk Force noticed the wig.

"His hair?! What the hell is with this guy?" Red Obelisk Force asked.

"Hurry up and eliminate him!" Yellow Obelisk Force told his comrade.

Yuto's eyes glowed even more, with his left eye glowing bright red while his other was bright blue. Red for Yuya, blue for Yuto. Yuto put his hand on the top of his Deck.

"MY TURN!" Yuto drew hsi Card with force as a dark aura covered him. When the aura dissipated, Yuto's Extra Deck was seen glowing blue with a hint of red. Yuto eyed the Card he drew, and looked at the two Monsters on his Field. "Now you fools will suffer! I activate the Magic Card Phantom Knights Possession!"

"Phantom Knights? I remember that from his Duel with Kachidoki! Also, those Pendulum Scales…" Gongenzaka noted.

"I can have an Xyz Monster I control get a level equal to a Monster on the Field!" Yuto explained the effect of his Card as Dark Rebellion's eyes glowed green for a second. "I make Dark Rebellion a level 7 Monster!"

"N-now he has…" Gongenzaka whispered.

"Two level 7 Monsters." Reiji said.

Under his glasses, Nakajima widened his eyes. "It can't be!"

Yuto quickly narrowed his eyes. "I overlay my level 7 Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto declared as both of his Monsters traveled into the portal. "Dragon of dual colored eyes. Unleash that black scale of wrath, and eradicate all opposing enemies! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! Dragon whose eyes glitter with rage! Supreme King Black Dragon - Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" Both Yuto and Yuya shouted in unison. The sky grew dark as strong winds everywhere as the new dragon was Summoned. The only one not affected by the wind was Yuto.

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon: Rank 7, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

"These shockwaves can't be from Standard…" Green Obelisk Force struggled to speak through the force of the wind.

Gongenzaka was also struggling against the wind. However, he had even more difficulty when Mieru's shoe stuck onto his face.

"DARLIIING! Nyaaagh!" Mieru screamed as tried to jump towards Yuto, but got blown into Gongenzaka by the wind.

* * *

Meanwhile-Ice Area

A small green light enveloped the area, out of the light came a white d-wheel.

"Huh!?" The driver gasped in confusion as he stopped his d-wheel. The driver was Fusi-I mean, Yugo. "Is this...the Ice Age?" Yugo picked up a Card and looked at his ace. "Whenever this guy shines, I get warped to random places. Don't tell me that I've warped through time." Yugo took off his helmet as he looked around. "A world, eons later, where humanity is destroyed...wait! There are people here!" Yugo realized as he saw two people standing near a building. "Oi! You guys!" Yugo called out to the two.

Said people turned around, revealing themself to be Takeda and Umesugi.

"You're!" Takeda started.

"Sakaki Yuya!" Umesugi finished.

"Urr...don't get my name wrong right off the bat! I'm Yugo!" Yugo corrected the two, not knowing that they mistook him for the person he Dueled a couple of days back.

* * *

Back in the Ancient Ruins

"When Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon is Xyz Summoned by using an Xyz Monster that was treated as a level 7 Monster, it can destroy all of my opponent's level or rank 7 and under Monsters. And then deal damage equal to their Attack!" Odd Eyes Rebellion roared out in fury as the Hound Dogs were struck by lightning, getting destroyed instantly. The 3 members of the Obelisk Force winced as they took damage.

Red Obelisk Force: 2500-1500 LP

Green Obelisk Force: 4000-3000 LP

Yellow Obelisk Force: 2500-500 LP

"Furthermore, by detaching an overlay unit, this Monster can attack as many times as Monsters were destroyed this turn!" Yuto revealed.

"As many Monsters were destroyed?!" Gongenzaka exclaimed in shock as he helped Mieru to her feet.

"There were 4 Monsters destroyed this turn." Yuto reminded his enemies as Odd Eyes Rebellion ate an overlay unit. "So, I can attack all three of you directly!" Odd Eyes Rebellion's eyes flashed as electricity surged around it's wings of purple energy. "Get them, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" The Monster's fangs glowed purple as it dug its fangs into the road, flying towards the Obelisk Force. "Rebellious Wrath Strike Disobey!" Odd Eyes Rebellion shot himself upwards, striking the Obelisk Force, who all flew back and hit the ground unconscious.

Red Obelisk Force: 1500-0 LP

Green Obelisk Force: 3000-0 LP

Yellow Obelisk Force: 500-0 LP

Mieru and Gongenzaka looked on in shock.

Gongenzaka was the one to speak. "What just happened?"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Wall: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1500 Def, Dark, Warrior: When you would take damage, you can Special Summon this Card, negate the damage. As long as this Card is face-up on the Field, you take no damage.**

 **Soul of Fusion Magic: You can target one Fusion Monster you control, banish one of its Fusion Materials from the Grave, then, increase the targeted Monster by the Attack of the banished Monster until the end of the turn.**

 **Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1600 Def, Dark, Warrior, Scale 3: Pendulum Effect: When you Pendulum Summon, you can Pendulum Summon 1 Monster from your Grave. If you have a Phantom Knights Card in your other Pendulum Zone, you can Pendulum Summon 2 Monsters from your Grave. Monster Effect: When this Card is Summoned Successfully, you can Special Summon a Monster in your Grave. When this Card is destroyed, you can send this Card to the Grave instead of the Extra Deck.**

* * *

 **Finished! Finally!**

 **Just a side note, I made a small change to Odd Eyes Rebellion's effect. All I did was allow it to destroy Monsters with a rank of 7. So now it can destroy Xyz Monsters with its effect.**

 **Sorry for the late update, I meant to get this chapter up yesterday, but my computer broke, literally. I got it fixed now, so I posted this as fast as I could, sorry for the late update guys!**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **After an accident with a ahem...column in the Ancient Ruins, Gongenzaka gets Yuto pinned to the ground. Meanwhile, the last of the feed is cut in the stadium. In the Jungle Area, Gongenzaka, Mitchie, Mieru, and the fish guy restrain Yuto. Meanwhile, Tsukikage and Hikage lead Yuzu and Serena to the Ice Area…**

 **Mekyaku: Shun is a birdbrain. At this stage, his rage is out of control, where he doesn't think clearly. If he wasn't blinded by rage, he would noticed Yuto was in disguise due to many reasons. Yeah, I view the Supreme King Black Dragon as an iconic Monster by Arc-V standards.**

 **Matrixnis: Yeah, I tried to mention Yuya a bit in this, make it be known that he isn't forgotten.**

 **Rgriffin8999: Sorry, I prefer the subbed chant, so I decided to use it instead of the dubbed one.**

 **Guest: Yeah, although the Obelisk Force are assholes, they don't deserve the pain of facing berserk, especially from the one from the Xyz Dimension.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	45. The Reveal

Yuto stood over his defeated enemies, still not himself. He turned around and walked in a certain direction. He glanced over to a temple to his left. Gongenzaka looked over to where Yuto was looking, and saw someone jumping back out of the entrance of the temple.

"Kurosaki!" Gongenzaka identified the person. "Is he going to Duel with Kurosaki?" Gongenzaka glanced to Yuto's right to see a column with cracks in it. Suddenly, part of the column broke, and it was falling down on Yuto!

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka called out to Yuto. He still wasn't sure if Yuto wasn't Yuya. For all he knew, Yuya was wearing a temporary wig to hide a new hairdo earlier. And that it happened to fall off during the Duel. "YUYA!" Gongenzaka dove for Yuto and tackled him to the ground. Mieru shrieked, covered her eyes and looked away as the pillar hit Gongenzaka in the back, causing a yell to be heard from him. Mieru peeked and saw the pillar on Gongenzaka's back, who was pinning Yuto to the ground, protecting him from the pillar and restraining his movements.

However, Yuto took no notice of the danger that he was in from the pillar and tried to force Gongenzaka off him. "Kggg...RAAAAGH!" Yuto writhed in pain as he tried to escape.

"Hurry! Go get someone!" Gongenzaka commanded Mieru, who was still frozen from fear and shock. "I'm counting on you!"

"O-okay!" Mieru replied as she ran off to get help.

* * *

Meanwhile

"Now, time for the finish!" Mitchie exclaimed. "By returning Princess Pudding and Knight Napolitan to my hand, I can destroy one Monster for each Card returned by this effect!" Halil and Olga's Monsters were destroyed, causing them to gasp in shock. "At this moment, I activate the Trap Card, Metabolic Storm! I deal damage to my opponent equal to the Attack of the Monsters destroyed by my Royal Cookmates' effect!" Both Halil and Olga yelped as they were sent to the ground as their life dropped to 0. "I hope you can dine with me again." Mitchie took a bow.

"All right, you won!" The fish guy exclaimed in joy. "Hurry up and give me your Pendulum Cards!"

"You didn't even do anything!" Olga stated.

"How shameless." Halil spoke as they both handed over their Pendulum Cards.

The fish guy, named Teppei, swiped the Pendulum Cards from their hands as he smirked. "Thanks, come again! This is good! I'm looking forward to working with you, partner!" Teppei looked back to Mitchie, who was talking to Mieru.

"What?! Yuya-kun is-?!" Mitchie questioned, wondering what was wrong with him.

"You too! If you're his partner, then come with!" Mieru pointed to Teppei.

"Huh?" Teppei gasped in confusion. At that moment, the feed to the audience was cut out. This caused a very negative reaction from the audience.

"Hey! Why can't we even see Mitchie now!?" A woman in the audience demanded for an answer.

"Umm, from what I have been told, it seems a non-participant or a fan has snuck into the Battle Royale." Nico reported to the audience, referring to Mieru.

Meanwhile, Yoko was deep in thought.

 _That person who was on the screen for an instant was...that one girl who came to our house before...I thought I heard her say something about Yuya. But, Yuya is missing. So she must be referring to Yuto. What's going on?_ Yoko thought to herself in confusion.

* * *

In the observatory

"We cannot confirm the presence of any Duelists in the Iceberg Area." A woman informed Akaba Reiji.

"After detecting such a powerful Synchro Summon…(Remember, when Yugo teleported to the Iceberg Area, he beat Takeda and Umesugi, I'm not showing that scene) it must have been a Duelist of the Synchro Dimension. And he might be that lookalike of Sakaki Yuya that Kurosaki spoke of…" Reiji whispered to himself. "Find them! Continue your search!"

"Yes sir!" The 3 workers responded.

"And Sakaki Yuya, or, Yuto, in disguise as Sakaki Yuya?" Reiji asked Nakajima.

"He was moved to the Jungle Area by the people who went after him."

* * *

Meanwhile

Yuto was heard screaming out in pain trying to get out as Teppei and Mitchie pinned his arms while Gongenzaka pinned his legs. Next to Gongenzaka was the wig Yuto was wearing. Yuto fidgeted his head like an animal who has lost control.

"How did this happen!?" Mitchie asked Gongenzaka.

"I don't know. It's almost as if something is possessing Yuya! Well...I don't even know if this is Yuya!" Gongenzaka told Mitchie.

"What? Don't say stuff like th-" The next thing heard from Teppei was a yelp of pain as Yuto bit his hand. Because of this, he let go of Yuto's hand, who then proceeded to punch Teppei in the chin, causing the latter to immediately regrab the former's hand. (Yes this actually happened in the anime, except it was Yuya who did it.) "Why do I have to go through this? Now that I think about it, I'm not even this guy's friend or anything!"

"And I wasn't your friend either. But I listened to your request and decided to be your comrade. Because I believed that if I worked with you, I could get plenty of Duels and further polish my skills. Now it is your turn to listen to my request! Please help Yuya-kun with me!" Mitchie pleaded.

"But...how do we even do that? In fact, we don't even know if this is Sakaki Yuya, this guy has different hair!" Then, a crystal ball came into Teppei's view, and he saw Mieru holding it.

"First, we should determine what is it that is possessing Darling." Mieru said.

"You can see that?" Teppei asked.

"I'm Houchun Mieru." Mieru introduced herself. "I'm a Divination Duelist with the greatest fortune-telling abilities of my school. If I use that power then…" Mieru trailed off as her ball glowed a bright purple. "I see it…I see it…" Mieru then gasped.

"What's wrong?" Gongenzaka asked in concern.

"There are two souls inside of Darling." Mieru revealed.

"Two souls?" Gongenzaka, Mitchie, and Teppei questioned in unison.

"No...not just two! Deeper inside, there's something else that's trying to overwhelm the other two! I don't know what it is, but it's a very terrifying existence." Mieru stated.

"Terrifying existence?" Gongenzaka repeated.

"C-cut that ou-" Teppei then jumped out of fear as Yuto let out a surprise yell of pain, before calming down and losing consciousness.

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka called out to Yuto.

"Yuya-kun!" Mitchie joined in, concerned.

"Wait. So if one of the souls is Yuya, then who is the other one?" Gongenzaka asked.

"I don't know. But...I have a feeling this isn't Darling. Darling's soul is one of the two. However, Darling's soul seems to be the less dominant of the two. I think Darling's soul is sleeping inside, slowly reawakening. The person here isn't Darling. He's just someone who looks like him and dressed up as him." Mieru told the three.

"Wait, looks the same!? Could this be...that man who assaulted Sawatari? That man named...Yuto?" Gongenzaka asked to no one in particular to answer.

* * *

In the Iceberg Area

"Let me go! Get your hands off me, you masked ninja!" Serena shouted at the red ninja carrying her, who sweat dropped. "Let me go!" Finally, the red ninja put her down. Serena backed up. "What are you after!? It doesn't seem like you're working with them! Tsukikage, I'll leave these two to you." The red ninja told the blue ninja, now known as Tsukikage. "There might be more of them nearby, I'm going to go check out the situation."

"Understood, Hikage. Be careful, brother." Tsukikage told the red ninja known as Hikage as the red ninja disappeared.

"Who are those guys?" Yuzu asked Tsukikage, referring to the Obelisk Force in the Volcano Area.

"From what we know, they are from Academia in the Fusion Dimension." Tsukikage answered.

"Academia?!" Yuzu repeated in shock. Yuzu turned to Serena. "Then you must be Ruri after all!? Did you escape from the Fusion Dimension on your own? Those people from Academia are chasing after you…"

"I'm Serena!" Serena told Yuzu. "My name is certainly not Ruri."

"Serena…" Yuzu repeated the name.

"It's true that they are from Academia and are out to capture me. But I won't be captured! Even without this ninja's help, I would have fended them off myself!" Tsukikage just simply closed his eyes and turned around, not facing Serena.

"Out to capture you? Why are they after you?" Yuzu asked.

"It's obvious! They are obeying the Professor's orders!"

"Professor?"

"In Academia, the Professor's orders are absolute. We are not allowed to disobey them. But I disobeyed those rules in order to prove to him my own power! If I eliminate the remnants of the Xyz Dimension in Standard, the Professor will regret not sending me out to the front lines! That's why!" Serena explained.

"That's why you Dueled Dennis?" ]

"I had the wrong idea about him." Serena said simply. Unknown to the trio, Dennis was hiding behind a piece of ice on a building, listening.

"So that means you are from Academia? And by the front lines you mean the Xyz Dimension?!"

"That's right! All of my comrades went to the Xyz Dimension and were able to display their skills honorably! But I was alone to stay behind by the Professor's orders."

"Do you even know what Academia did to the Xyz Dimension?" Yuzu questioned Serena. Serena made a sound in response that told Yuzu that she was listening. "Xyz Dimension, Ruri's homeland, was a peaceful place. Until that day…"

The words of Shun in his Duel against Sora played in her head. _On that day, our enemy attacked us without warning and turned our town into a battlefield._

"I heard that the people of Academia constantly attacked the people of the Xyz Dimension with smiles on their faces. As if they were taking part in a hunting game…"

"Ridiculous!" Serena denied, shocking Yuzu. "Laughing as if it were a game? The Duelists of Academia are warriors. They would never do something that foolish!"

"Are you saying that they are lying?" Yuzu interrogated.

"Academia has a noble objective! The objective to make all worlds one!" Serena revealed to Yuzu.

"Make the world's one?"

"The invasion of the Xyz Dimension was for that purpose. Eventually, we will assimilate the Synchro Dimension and this Standard Dimension and unite the worlds! All of Academia's Duelists were trained to achieve that noble objective! Prideful warriors wouldn't do something like that!"

"What pride is there in bringing tons of people grief!?" Yuzu asked.

Serena smiled in amusement. "What do they have to grieve over? The Xyz Duelists should have their own pride as well! Even if they were to lose their lives, if they fought with their all, they should be able to accept the results and-" Serena was interrupted as Yuzu placed her hands on Serena's shoulder, shocking the girl.

"Are you telling them to shut up and accept it when they lose their families as well!? Academia didn't just bring grief to Xyz Duelists, but to their friends and families as well!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Are their families not Duelists?" Serena asked.

"Kurosaki and Yuto are fighting to save Ruri, Kurosaki's little sister, from Academia!" Yuzu informed Serena.

"To save her?"

"Kurosaki Shun is the Xyz remnant you're after! If you don't believe what I'm telling you, then go check with him yourself!"

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Jungle Area

Mitchie put a spoon with something in Yuto's mouth. After he removed the spoon, Yuto slowly started to open his eyes. He saw Gongenzaka, Mitchie, and Teppei looking down at him.

"You...Gongenzaka?" Yuto recognized the oaf.

Mieru's face came into Yuto's view.

"You're…" Yuto thought back to the day when he filled for Yuya the first time, this person was trying to hug him if he remembered correctly.

"Darling! Darling is back to the usual Darling!" Mieru exclaimed in joy.

* * *

Later

There was food lying on a grill in front of the group of 5.

"Well, it was nothing, the reason you came back to normal is because of my help! By the way, the soup you just drank was made with the fish that I caught from the sea! I don't need your thanks, but...if you insist on giving me your Pendulum Cards then...hey! Are you even listening?!" Teppei shouted.

"All I remember is...those damn soldiers from Academia showed up, and then the Knight of Duels were…" Yuto hesitated to say the words, but eventually found the courage to say it. "Turned in to Cards."

"What?! People who lose to them in a Duel are turned into Cards?!" Gongenzaka repeated in shock.

"Impossible!" Mitchie exclaimed.

"I can't remember much after that...did I beat them?" Yuto asked Gongenzaka.

"Yeah, by Xyz Summoning a dragon I've never seen before." Gongenzaka told Yuto.

"This doesn't make sense…" Mieru whispered to herself as she looked through her crystal ball with Yuto's face on it. "Darling...isn't the same Darling...but he isn't the same as that vicious beast. Before, I saw another soul inside you." Mieru told Yuto.

"Another soul inside of me?" Yuto questioned. So his assumption was right, Yuya's soul might have merged or...absorbed with his own.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, care to explain this?" Gongenzaka asked as he showed Yuto the wig, shocking him.

 _Crap! The wig's gone! I think I blew my cover!_ Yuto thought to himself as a drop of sweat rolled down his face.

"You're not Yuya, are you? You're that man, Yuto right? Yuzu told me about a man named Yuto who assaulted Sawatari one day. That would happen to be you, correct?"

To say Yuto was shocked was an understatement. He was almost amazed that Gongenzaka could find this out just by finding out he was wearing a wig. For all he knew, Yuto's hair could just be another wig. But then again, there were some other factors. He botched up Yuya's voice at times, and also his eye color was gray, Yuya's was red.

"Yes. You are correct. I am not your friend Sakaki Yuya. You are also correct in the fact that I am, Yuto."

A long sea of silence filled the area as everyone could only look at Yuto in shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Yuya wasn't here? Then where was he? Was he the second soul inside of Yuto? And why was Yuto taking his place?

* * *

In Academia

The doktor was currently in his lab, laughing maniacally, after performing something successful.

"Muahahaha! I'm finally finished! You!" The doktor pointed to a student in blue, who jumped in place out of shock.

"Y-yes sir!" The student stuttered.

"What are you waiting for? I said I'm finished! Go get some people and get one of the stupid girls! I really don't care which!" The doktor commanded.

"Yes sir!" The student began to walk out, however, the doktor called him again. "What?"

"Never mind. I'll pick which girl for you. Pick a Card." The doktor held out two different Cards. "One is an Xyz Monster, one is a Synchro Monster. Pick one and rip the Card."

The student hesitated and decided to pick the Card on the left. He ripped it to shreds.

"Guess what."

"What?"

"I lied. These Cards weren't a Monster at all." The doktor gave a sadistic smile as he ripped the Card in his hands in halve. The remains of both Cards flew to the ground, faceup. And, to the horror of the blue student, they were the Cards of two students. One of them, he didn't know, it was just some random Carded student. However, the Card the doktor ripped, had a person sealed inside also. And he knew the person all too well. It was none other, than the brother of Marufuji Ryo...Marufuji Sho.

"You ripped the random student. Get the Synchro girl. Now!" The doktor shouted, causing the student to shriek in fear and run away to go get Rin.

"Hahahaha, hahahahahahaha! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! COUGH COUGH...oh shit!" The doktor cursed as he coughed hardly.

* * *

 **Finished! This was a repeat chapter, so I decided to add this little part with the doktor. I decided to add this to signify the doktor's sadism and how he took joy in ripping Sho's Card.**

 **So, I had the doktor rip up the Card of Sho Marufuji, who is Syrus Truesdale in the dub of Gx. Which, I think means Sho is dead...I think. Anyways, I had the doktor rip up Sho's Card for the irony of the fact that Sho is the younger of Ryo. If the student picked to rip Sho's Card, Ruri would be picked for the "experiment." And Ruri is the sister of Shun, I had to include some small meaning in that, so that's part of the reason why I had Rin. Sorry Rin. I said part of the reason, there is another reason.**

 **Here's the preview!**

 **Yuzu and Serena decide to switch clothes so Serena can talk to Shun. They both go their separate ways. However, Yuzu runs into a boy with a similar face as Yuya and Yuto. However, unlike them, this boy, is more menacing and creepy.**

 **There will be more to that chapter, don't worry. I just couldn't come up with anything to include for the other stuff.**

 **Matrixnis: Yuya is going to speak with Yuto very soon. A small chance it might happen next chapter. Probably going to happen in the chapter after that though.**

 **Mekyaku: That was an error on my part, sorry! The Scale 8 Phantom Knights Monster is called Phantom Knights Paladin, he was already used one in the story before this Duel. Also about Yugo, that scene actually happened in the anime, so I'm not making him more stupid in this regard.**

 **Guest #1: Yep. Gongenzaka knows for sure now.**

 **rgriffin8999: Yuzu won't Duel Yuri...no I'm kidding. The Duel is going to end in the same way probably, but I will make sure to show it. I think I'll have Yuzu at least put up a bit of a fight. Don't worry about that.**

 **Des lightning: We will have to wait and see how the Synchro Dimension goes.**

 **Guest #2: You mean karma? Because I don't know what kauma is.**

 **That's all for now guys.**

 **Just one last note. From now on, if you're a guest reviewer, put down a name for yourself like des lightning. Nothing too big, just put down a name for if you send a review.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **Take care, goodbye! :)**


	46. Yuri of the Cold Hearted Smile

"Who's Yuto?" Teppei asked.

"Me. I'm Yuto, not Sakaki Yuya. We are simply look alikes. I am also the person who assaulted Sawatari, as Gongenzaka had said." Yuto answered with a straight face.

"So where is Yuya?!" Gongenzaka questioned.

"I don't know. I have reason to believe that I somehow absorbed his soul. As the girl said, I have another soul in me, which could be Yuya. But I don't know if it really is Yuya. But I'm pretty sure it is." Yuto said.

"I also saw something else other than the two souls." Mieru told Yuto, who looked at her in confusion. "There was some terrible darkness...it was trying to control both of the souls."

"Darkness?" Yuto gasped as he remembered to how his Dad got Carded. How he blacked out and found out that he won the Duel later. Then, there was a blackout where he Carded members of the Obelisk Force, then, there was the Duel against Sora and Kachidoki, and now with the Obelisk Force here. Was the darkness causing the blackouts?

* * *

Meanwhile-In the Ice Area

"I understand. I'll meet this Xyz Dimension Duelist called Kurosaki and check if what you said is true." Serena agreed to Yuzu's statement.

Yuzu nodded. "Oh, I know! Let's swap clothes!"

"Clothes?" Serena repeated in confusion.

"It'd be a hassle if you were found by Academia before you got to Kurosaki, right?"

"I see. So you're willing to be my double and draw their attention away from me?" Serena asked to be sure.

"Exactly!" Yuzu confirmed.

"All right!" Serena exclaimed as she put her hands on her jacket, ready to take it off.

This immediately scared Yuzu. "W-w-wait!"

"Why!?" Serena asked in annoyance.

Yuzu looked at Tsukikage with an annoyed face, who was looking away with his eyes closed and arms crossed. She walked over to Serena and held her by the wrist. "Don't give me that!" She directed Serena to behind a rock.

"Ok, let's change."

"Ok."

"You hear that? We're changing, got it?"

"Understood." Tsukikage responded to Yuzu's question.

"This will do it!" Yuzu exclaimed as she looked at herself after they switched clothing. "Kurosaki wasn't in the Volcano or the Jungle Area. All that's left is…"

"The Ancient Ruins." Serena finished for Yuzu. Both girls nodded to each other and went their separate ways. Tsukikage disappeared after they left.

After a little bit, Serena was gone, so was Tsukikage. However…

"Over here! I found her!" Someone shouted.

"We found Serena!" Another voice exclaimed.

The next thing she knew, Yuzu was cornered by 3 members of the Obelisk Force. However, Yuzu didn't know what the Obelisk Force was.

A white light appeared in front of Dennis, who was watching from behind a rock. "Huh?" The light dissipated, Dennis smiled as he saw who it was, a grinning boy. "What's this? I was getting tired of waiting...Yuri."

"So, did you find them?" Yuri got straight to the point asked as he walked over to Dennis with a stoic expression.

"Of course! I've already...huh? She's surrounded already...ah jeez."

"Hmm…" Yuri took note of the 3 Obelisk Force members. "What are they doing here? Professor gave only me the orders to bring back Hiragi Yuzu."

"Yes, good question. But the answer is rather simple. Yuzu just exchanged outfits with Serena. The Obelisk Force is probably going after Serena." Dennis explained.

"Serena...hmm...that name sounds familiar for some reason…" Yuri murmured under his breath.

"The two of them are look-alikes, just like you and Yuya-kun. That's why-"

"And who is that?" Yuri interrupted Dennis and narrowed his eyes. "Yuya-kun?"

"I keep telling you, the guy from this dimension who looks just…" Dennis stopped talking as he heard two people screaming. "Huh?" Yuri and Dennis turned to their left to see Halil and Olga sliding down on a sled at great speed. The sled gave a jump and hit the roof the building, ramming into the rails of the building.

Olga stood up and gasped for air. "That scared me!"

"We went too fast…" Halil stated the obvious.

"It's because you said you wanted to ride it!" Olga rebutted.

"But…" Halil pointed to Yuri and Dennis. "We found some Duelists!"

"Oh boy, they saw us." Dennis said as he closed his eyes and smiled.

"What are you people doing here?" Olga asked,

"Sheesh, that's the last thing I want to hear from you. Huh?" Dennis eyed Yuri, who was slowly walking towards Halil and Olga.

"You people are nuisances." Yuri smiled maliciously as he activated his Duel Disk. Halil and Olga activated theirs in response.

* * *

In the Volcano Area

"What the heck is this?" Yugo whispered to you self in curiosity as he looked around him. He was a little island rock thing with his d-wheel, surrounded by lava. After Yugo beat Takeda and Umesugi, his Card shined again, and he was transported to this place. Yugo pressed a button on his helmet and the vizor slid up, revealing his face. "First the Ice Age and now a blazing hell... what's going on with this world?"

Yugo's bickering was cut short by a loud plead. "Stop it!"

"Huh?" Yugo looked to the direction of where he heard the voice and saw people. "That's…"

There were 3 members of the Obelisk Force Dueling and 3 Lancers Dueling.

"I activate the Continuous Magic Card Ancient Armageddon Gear from my Hand. And with Ancient Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog's effect, I can attack three times! First I'll start with your Monster!" Yellow Obelisk Force pointed at his opponent, who jumped in surprise. "Get him! Battle! I attack Natural Gaodrake! And I activate Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog's effect. Any Monster with a Gear Shift Counter on it can be destroyed before damage calculation!" A gear ricocheted off Triple Bite and struck Gaodrake, destroying the Monster. Then, a lightning bolt appeared as a tank came rolling onto the Field. "Now, with Ancient Armageddon Gear's effect, the destroyed Monster's Attack of 3000 is dealt to its controller!" The tank let out a stream of fire which hit the boy with purple hair in the stomach, who was blown back in Red Obelisk Force, who was grinning madly. The boy gasped.

Guy: 2400-0 LP

"St-stop! Please! Help me! AHHHHHH!" The boy screamed as the Red Obelisk Force clicked a button and engulfed the boy in purple light, a Card was then seen in the boy's place. Red Obelisk Force picked up the Card and grinned.

The same process repeated, except the guy with glasses took 3500 points of damage.

Guy with glasses: 2100-0 LP

The guy with glasses dropped to the floor as he was sealed into a Card, all of this happened in front of Yugo's eyes.

"Those guys are…" After he left from his unfinished Duel with Yuto, he noticed some Obelisk Force members sealing people into Cards around Heartland. "Those bastards are here too!?"

"This is the end! I attack Hierophant of Prophecy!"

Yu whimpered in fear, knowing that he was going to end up like the others.

"Hold it right there!" Yugo shouted. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, Yugo came in riding up a slope with his d-wheel, launching himself up high.

In the observatory, an alarm went off.

"There is an intruder in the Volcano Area!" A woman reported.

"He's...he's not a Duelist from the Fusion Dimension! Then...is he from the Synchro Dimension?" Nakajima asked while Reiji watched in interest.

Yugo activated the Duel Disk on his d-wheel and revealed a Card in his Hand.

"I Special Summon Speedroid Menkoat from my Hand!" Yugo exclaimed as a machine type rug appeared as it continued to spin into the air. "With its effect, I change all of my opponent's Monsters to Defense Position!" As his he stated this, every Monster the Obelisk Force had was switched to Defense Mode.

"Damn it! I end my turn!" Yellow Obelisk Force concluded. "You! Just who are you!?"

"I'm Yugo." Yugo introduced himself.

"Fusion? Are you an ally, then?!" Green Obelisk Force asked.

"I JUST TOLD YOU MY NAME IS 'YUGO,' DAMN IT!" Yugo cursed as he drove off in the direction of Yellow Obelisk Force, shocking the soldier.

"My turn! I Summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!"

Tri-Eyed Dice: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1500 Def

Yugo rode up a hill and launched himself high into the air, making everyone look up at him in shock, wondering what would happen next.

"I tune my level 4 Menkoat with my level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice!" Yugo landed on a building across from him and continued to ride down it as he Summoned his Monster. "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Clear Wing let out a roar as it flew next to Yugo.

Clear Wing: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Synchro Dragon?" Reiji repeated, even he couldn't hide his surprise. First Pendulum Dragon for Yuya, then Xyz Dragon for that Yuto guy, and now Synchro Dragon for this guy that calls himself Yugo. Something weird is going on.

Yugo finally hit the ground and stopped driving.

Yellow Obelisk Force took a step back and regained his composure. "But whenever a Monster is Summoned or Special Summon, Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog's effect puts one Gear Shift Counter on it!"

"Now your dragon shares the same fate as their Monsters!" Green Obelisk Force added to his comrades explanation.

"I wonder about that."

"What?!" Red Obelisk Force lost him smile and his composure after Yugo's statement.

"When a level 5 or higher Monster activates its effect," Yugo spoke as the wings on Clear Wing started glowing, "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon can negate that effect and destroy that Monster! Dichroic Mirror!" Double Bite was destroyed as the tank shot Yellow Obelisk Force who dropped down in pain.

Red Obelisk Force: 3200-1800 LP

"From his own Card's effect?!" Green Obelisk Force exclaimed.

"There's more! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's Attack is increased by the destroyed Monster's Attack!" Yugo revealed as Clear Wing's entire body glowed green, powering the dragon up.

Clear Wing: 2500-3900 Atk

"Prepare yourself!" Yugo warned the Obelisk Force. "Now it's over! I activate the Magic Card Synchro Cracker! I return Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to my Extra Deck and destroy all Monsters with Attack lower than it!" Yugo inserted Clear Wing's Card back into his Extra Deck as Clear WIng glowed even more, letting out 5 beams of green light, which destroyed every Monster the Obelisk Force controlled. "Get finished off by your own Card! With Ancient Armageddon Gear's effect, you'll take damage equal to the Attack of your destroyed Monsters!" The tank released multiple bullets, hitting the 3 members of the Obelisk Force and reducing their life to 0, the 3 dropped to the ground unconscious.

"He finished off that many opponents that quickly?!" Nakajima widened his eyes under his shades.

"As I thought...Synchro...is not our enemy." Reiji said.

(The rest goes the same, Yuu runs away like a coward, Sawatari confronts Reiji, you know how it goes.)

* * *

Meanwhile-With Yuzu

 _In order for Serena to learn what happened to the Xyz Dimension, she has to meet Kurosaki. I have to keep these guys away from her._ Yuzu thought to herself as she activated her Duel Disk.

Yuzu noted the Duel Disks the Obelisk Force were using. "Those Duel Disks are from the Fusion Dimension...since it's come to this. I have to fight!"

"You people are nuisances too!" A voice called out. Yuzu gasped as a boy, Yuri, jumped down from a building. Yuzu and the Obelisk Force looked at Yuri.

Yuzu gasped as she saw the person. "Yuya!" She didn't actually say Yuya to play along with that disguise Yuto has, she actually meant it. She thought it was Yuya.

"What are you saying? I'm not that guy. That aside, you three, get out of my way." Yuri commanded menacingly. He held up two Cards in his hand. "If you get in my way, you'll end up like this." Yuri threw the Cards into the air, which landed on the ice, showing the scared looks of Halil and Olga.

"Those are…!" Yuzu exclaimed as she recognized the faces. She, and the Obelisk Force deactivated their Duel Disks. Yuzu crouched down to the Cards as the Obelisk Force ran away. "People are sealed inside these Cards...Yuya! How could you?! No, you're not Yuya."

"Geez, what gave it away." Yuri said sarcastically as he gave Yuzu an annoyed look. "Anyways, sorry about that. They were interfering with my work. You can have them back." Yuzu looked at Yuri, she saw Yuto in her eyes, and then Yuya.

 _Wait!_ Yuzu played back Yuto's words to her when he woke.

" _Ruri was kidnapped by someone from Academia. Then, Yugo appears saying that I took his friend Rin, when it was really someone else. Something tells me that the person who took Rin and Ruri are connected. Maybe they are the same person. Either way, I feel like that both kidnappings were done by an Academia soldier, who looks like me."_

 _He's probably the guy who kidnapped Ruri and that other girl Rin!_ Yuzu realized.

"Did you do this?" Yuzu questioned Yuri.

"That's right." Yuri admitted without any hesitation.

"Why!?"

"Why? Because they were nuisances." Yuri answered simply.

Yuzu got an angered expression on her face as she glared at Yuri. "Turning people into Cards-!"

"If you keep bugging me about it…" Yuri interrupted Yuzu, who gasped and started to listen. "I'll turn you into a Card too.

Yuzu widened her eyes.

"But I won't. If I did something like that, I'd get scolded by the Professor." Yuri told Yuzu.

"Professor?! So that means you're from Academia!?"

"Yeah, you got that right. But you really do look just like them...Ruri and Rin, that is." Yuri revealed, unknowingly confirming Yuzu's suspicion.

"So, the one who kidnapped Ruri was…" Yuzu trailed off, waiting for Yuri to finish.

"Yep, me." Yuri stated without hesitation once again. This guy must enjoy what he does a lot if he is just saying this stuff without a second thought.

"Why would you do something like this?" Yuzu asked. This was so cruel. First, they attack the Xyz Dimension out of the blue without warning, and then this guy comes and kidnaps the girl who, out of many people, already had their life ruined. And he's just standing here smiling about it?

"Why? Because it was the Professor's orders." Yuri replied calmly. Yuzu shuddered as she heard the name again. "Right now, I'm only acting on the Professor's orders. His orders to bring you to him, that is."

"Me?! Why?!" Why was this Professor guy ordering this guy to kidnap people who look like Yuzu. And why was he ordering to capture Yuzu? What goal was he trying to accomplish?

"I don't know, I only follow." Yuri shrugged his shoulders as he started to walk towards Yuzu. Yuri held out a hand to Yuzu. "Anyways. Come, the Professor is waiting for you." Yuzu looked at Yuri's face, who was grinning maliciously. "I'm giving you the easy way out. I suggest you take it. However, I kind of want you to take the hard way...so I can have some...fun, with you first." Yuri grinned as he chuckled.

Yuzu grit her teeth as she shivered in place. This guy was creepy, beyond creepy. After a moment of silence, Yuri reached down and took Yuzu by the wrist. Yuzu gasped as she started screaming in fear. By pure instinct, with her free hand, Yuzu grabbed her fan and slapped Yuri with it, hard, sending the boy stumbling backwards. Yuri had his back facing Yuzu as he was crouched down. Yuzu took this chance to backflip multiple times away from Yuri, landing on her feet.

A sea of silence filled the gap between the two.

"In all of my life, I had never seen anyone do something so daring like that, hitting me, that is. And you hit me, I'll say it again." Yuri touched his cheek, the spot where Yuzu's fan made its mark. "Ruri and Rin never did that. They were too scared too. Rin seemed like the person who would hit me, but you? Hah, I didn't expect that. You have my praise." Yuri turned around to face Yuzu, revealing an agitated face, however, it could be seen that he was trying to hide it. "Well, you're certainly like Ruri and Rin in the aspect that you are resistant to go with me. Alright, you chose the same choice they made. The hard choice. This is the part where I have fun!" This statement sent more shivers down Yuzu's spine as she took a step back.

Yuri held up a finger, about to make a proposal. "So, how about we do this? We'll Duel, and if you win, you get your freedom, and I won't go anywhere near you...for a while. However, if I win, you have to do whatever I say."

"Wait! Why did you kidnap Ruri and Rin?"

"I already said, I'm just following orders. Hurry up now! Weren't you just all ready to go against the Obelisk Force? That's 3 Duelists at once! And I'm just one. Now normally, that would be better odds for you to face me, and therefore you should be more confident. However, in this case, a Duelist of my stature highly outclasses those Obelisk Force scum! Now if you won't start, then I will!" Yuri activated his Duel Disk.

"Hold on! Who are you anyway, why do you look so much like Yuya and Yuto?!" Yuzu asked yet another question. However, the reply was similar to her other questions. Nothing that helped her.

"Who knows why I look like those two. I don't even know who you're talking about. As for who I am, I guess it is fair for you to know the name of the person who is about to kidnap you and take you away from the home you love so much. I'll tell you this...in my life, I have been called many names, some good, and some, relishing. However, out of all of these names, my favorite, is Yuri, of the Cold Hearted Smile."

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Sorry for the late update, my internet was acting up these past couple of days.**

 **Also, if you guys remember that morning scene in the anime that played during Episode 47 when Yuya pondered on the fact that he had two souls while Mieru, Teppei, and Gonenzaka were sleeping, that scene will be in the next chapter, with a few...changes. I will indirectly mention the scene in the preview.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **Yuzu and Yuri initiate a Duel. All seems even at first. But, soon, Yuri quickly takes the lead, and Yuzu is forced to avoid him and stall for time, stall for someone to help her, or for the championship to end. Later, Yuto ponders on the fact that Yuya is inside him, he thinks about the darkness, when suddenly, he hears a familiar voice…**

 **Guest: Lol, yeah I made some mistakes in this story because of spell check. That is, when my computer is charging and I write on my iPad.**

 **Matrixnis: Big Boy-I mean, Battle Beast/BB won't appear yet, however, he will come soon. About Yuya speaking with Yuto, well, I'll let you figure that out.**

 **Mekyaku: Yeah, Sho did the cyber/roid/dark deck thing. Nothing against Sho, I really didn't like him as a character, but I really didn't hate him. Don't worry, I didn't get rid of Sho because I don't like him. About the Ice Age part, Yugo actually said that in the original, along with the humanity wiped out thing. By Sora joining the lancers, do you mean in later down the road or do you mean right at the end of the Miami Championship?**

 **Rgriffin8999: I'll PM you my answer at some point.**

 **ThePlothand: You used Jiren's Power Unleashed?! I love that theme!**

 **That's all for now guys.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	47. Plants vs the Singing Divas

"DUEL!" Both Yuzu and Yuri shouted in unison as they begun their Duel for Yuzu's freedom.

"I'll go first. My turn!" Yuri exclaimed as he began his turn. "I activate Fusion! I fuse Predator Plants Darling Cobra, Predator Plants Cordyceps and Predator Plants Easter Lily Lizard!"

"A 3 way fusion on the first turn?!" Yuzu gasped in shock.

"The fragrance of 3 plants become one, grow into a new plant and release your fearsome smell to all! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Level 9, Predator Plants Poison Planter!" Yuri chanted as he Fusion Summoned his Monster as a purple plant with tentacles as hands, a dark green face in the shape of a flower missing some petals, and a dark aura around it, with more tentacles as legs.

Poison Planter: Level 9, 3000 Atk, 2600 Def

"What is this?! It's so...terrifying!" Yuzu shuddered at the sight of Yuri's Monster.

"Haha. I'm glad you like it. Anyways, I set a Card and end my turn." Yuri said as one Card materialized in front of him.

"I will not falter! I have to beat him! My turn, draw! When I control no Monsters, I can activate the Magic Card 1st Movement Solo! Now, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Melodious Monster from my Hand or Deck at the cost of not being able to Special Summon Monsters, except Melodious Monsters. From my Deck, I Special Summon Melodious Diva Serenade!

Serenade: Level 4, 400 Atk, 1900 Def

"Once per turn when Serenade is Special Summoned, I am allowed to Normal Summon a Melodious Monster during my Main Phase along with my Normal Summon. I won't be using that yet! Serenade counts as two tributes when I Advance Summon. By treating Serenade as two tributes, I release her in order to Advance Summon Melodious Maestra Shopina!" Yuzu Advanced Summoned her Monster as Serenade disappeared from the Field.

Shopina: Level 7, 2300 Atk, 1700 Def

"Using the extra Normal Summon granted by Serenade, I Summon Melodious Songstress Soprano!" Yuzu slapped the Monster onto her Duel Disk as she was Summoned.

Soprano: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def

"I can Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck using this Card and Cards on my Field and in my Hand as Fusion Materials! I fuse this Card with Melodious Diva Tamtam! Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!" Yuzu chanted as her signature Fusion Monster appeared.

Bloom Diva: Level 6, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Hoh, a Fusion Summon! I wasn't expecting that. Very good." Yuri applauded Yuzu, before narrowing his eyes at her. "However, compared to my Fusion Summon, that was mediocre. It's like comparing an ant hill to a gigantic wall, it's obvious which one is better."

Yuzu grit her teeth in annoyance. "Tamtam's effect activates! When this Card is used as Fusion Material, you take 500 damage and the Fusion Summoned Monster loses 500 Attack." A misty form of Tamtam appeared, and with her rod, she shot Yuri with a green ball of energy. Yuri took a step back when the ball hit him, other than that, he didn't give that much of a reaction.

Yuri: 4000-3500 LP

Bloom Diva: 1000-500 Atk

"I activate Shopina's effect, once per turn, I can add a Light Fairy-Type Monster to my Hand at the cost of not being able to activate the effects of non-light Monsters. I add Soprano to my Hand! Battle! Go, Bloom Diva, attack and destroy Poison Planter! When Bloom Diva attacks a Special Summoned Monster, this Card won't be destroyed, you will take the damage I would have taken and your Monster is destroyed!" Yuzu explained as Bloom Diva let out green shockwaves out of her mouth. "Reflect Shout!" Poison Planter was destroyed as Yuri took damage, who stood in one place and covered his face with one hand calmly.

Yuri: 3500-1000 LP

"When Poison Planter is destroyed, I can Special Summon any Predator Plants Monster from my Hand or Grave except this Card. From the grave, I revive Predator Plants Easter Lily Lizard!" Yuri pointed to an empty space on his Field, which soon became occupied by Lily Lizard in Defense.

Lily Lizard: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 1200 Def

"When this Card is Special Summoned from the Grave, I get to draw a Card." Yuri drew a Card from his Deck and glanced at it, before directing his eyes back to Yuzu in a nonchalant manner.

Yuzu grew worried about the expression he was making. Was he holding back? If so, by how much?!

"Shopina, attack and destroy Lily Lizard!" Yuzu declared as Shopina brought her hands together, a ball of light formed inside, and she released it towards the lizard. When the ball hit its target, lizard was immediately destroyed, however, since it was in Defense, Yuri took no damage.

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Yuzu concluded her turn with two set Cards.

Ok, this doesn't seem bad so far...but something tells me he has something more terrifying in store for me. I must not falter! I will win! If everything plays right, then everything will- Yuzu's thoughts were interrupted by Yuri chuckling.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Yuzu demanded for an answer.

"Nothing. I have to admit, you're not terrible, in fact, you're not even bad, I would say you're ok even. However, I still have yet to go all out!" Yuri revealed.

Still have yet to go all out! Yuzu thought in worried as she widened her eyes in shock. Just how powerful was this boy?

"My turn, draw! Now, during my Standby Phase, I activate the Grave effect of Predator Plants Cordyceps, by banishing it, I can Special Summon two level 4 or lower Predator Plants Monsters from my Grave at the cost of my Normal Summon. Revive, Predator Plants Easter Lily Lizard and Predator Plants Darling Cobra!" Yuri exclaimed as a ghostly image of Cordyceps rose from the grave, before warping into nothing, in its place was Yuri's desired Monsters.

Darling Cobra: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1500 Def

"Lily Lizard's effect activates, when this Card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can draw yet another Card from my Deck. Also, Darling Cobra's effect activates, allowing me to fetch a 'Fusion' Magic Card from my Deck to my Hand. I add Re-Fusion!" Yuri's desired Card ejected out of his Duel Disk as Yuri grabbed it and showed it to Yuzu.

"Re-Fusion?! Not that Card!" Yuzu gasped, knowing exactly what the Card did, as she had a copy of the Card in her own Deck lying somewhere.

"Oh, you know this Card? So, if I were activate it, I would be able to…" Yuri trailed off waiting for Yuzu to finish.

"Special Summon a Fusion Monster in your Grave at the cost of 800 Life Points." Yuzu finished as she gritted her teeth.

"Correct! So I do that to revive Poison Planter!" Yuri grinned as his Monster appeared as his body glowed purple, indicating the life reduction.

Yuri: 1000-200 LP

"If I only I had Fusion in my Hand, then I could end this!" Yuri pouted. "Oh well. Looks like I have to go with an alternative route! I activate the effect of Poison Planter! Once per turn, I can send a Predator Plants Monster on my Field to the Grave and destroy a faceup Monster you control, then, this Card gains half of the destroyed Monster's Attack until the end of the turn! I release Lily Lizard in order to destroy Bloom Diva!" One of Poison Planter's tentacles grabbed Lily Lizard, the Monster disappeared on contact, then, Poison Planter proceeded to assault Bloom Diva, destroying the Monster.

Poison Planter: 3000-3250 Atk

"Battle! Go, Poison Planter, attack Shopina!" Yuri pointed at Yuzu's Monster. Poison Planter sent a tentacle at the Monster.

"Not so fast, Quick-Play, activate! Pianissimo! I can target one Monster on the Field, that Monster's Attack becomes 100 but the Monster can't be destroyed in battle! Of course, I choose your Poison Planter! Now this is the end!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"No, it's not! Trap activate, Maze of the Plants!" Yuri revealed his set Card, shocking Yuzu. "By banishing a Predator Plants Monster in my Graveyard, I can negate the activation of your Card, but wait there's more! I get to target a Set Card you control if you have one, now, I have to guess what type it is, Magic, or Trap, the Card is then revealed. If I guess wrong, nothing happens, if I guess right, then I get to destroy the set Card, and you can't activate it in response! I banish Lily Lizard to negate and destroy Pianissimo, then, for that set Card...I think...it is a Trap!"

The set Card was revealed to be Melodious Rhythm Charge, a Trap Card, the Card was destroyed instantly.

"No way...he guessed right…" Yuzu looked to where her destroyed Card was in bewilderment.

"Continue the attack!" Yuri commanded as the tentacle slapped Shopina, destroying her, Yuzu winced in pain as she took damage.

Yuzu: 4000-3050

"Now, Darling Cobra, direct attack her!" Yuri shouted as Darling Cobra slithered up to Yuzu, jumped up and slapped her across the cheek with its tail. Yuzu let out a yelp of pain as she fell to the ground.

Yuzu: 3050-2050 LP

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuri concluded.

Yuzu felt her cheek, where Cobra hit her. That hurt a lot! However, Yuzu fought through the pain and stood back up as she put her hand on her Deck.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Treasure Cards from Heaven! I banish 1 Light Fairy-Type Monster in my Hand in order to draw 2 Cards, I can't Special Summon or conduct my Battle Phase after unfortunately. I banish Soprano to draw 2 Cards." Yuzu drew 2 Cards and looked at them and nodded. "I set a Monster and a Card and end my turn."

"That's all! You're going to have to do more if you want me to stay away from you. Now the fun begins!" Yuri grinned madly as he began his turn by. "My turn, draw!" Yuri showed the Card he drew to Yuzu, showing that he was using it. "I activate the Equip Magic Card Predator Power! I equip it to Cobra, Predator Power gives Cobra 500 Attack!"

Darling Cobra: 1000-1500 Atk

"Battle! Go, Poison Planter, destroy the set Monster!" Poison Planter smacked the set Card with a tentacle, destroying the Monster, revealing herself to be Melodious Diva Aria. "Now, Cobra, attack Hiragi Yuzu directly!" This time, Cobra jumped to Yuzu, slapping her in the stomach with its tail. Yuzu groaned in pain as she dropped down to the ground, whimpering more as she hit the ice on the ground, where she held her stomach and grimaced. It hurt so much! She could only imagine how much it would hurt from a stronger Monster.

Yuzu: 2050-550 LP

"I end my turn. You're not looking so good there anymore." Yurt taunted Yuzu, who was still on the ground, starting to sweat. "Didn't you hear me? I ended my turn. If you're gonna waste my time, I ought to bring you the Professor, but I kinda want to enjoy this Duel right now so...hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!"

Yuzu finally let go of her stomach and slowly rose to her feet, still in pain.

"Not yet...I won't give up...I need to get back to my friends and family...and I still haven't figured out what happened to Yuya yet...I need to know what happened...so I won't quit here!" Yuzu stated her resolve. No matter how much she would get pushed around, she would fight.

"Not bad…" Yuri muttered under his breath.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Melodious Encore! With this, I can revive any Melodious Monster in my Grave, revive, Bloom Diva! Battle, go, Bloom Diva, attack Poison Planter! Bloom Diva's effect activates! Reflect Shout!"

"Trap Card, Predators Survival Instinct! I can send as many Cards on my Field or in my Hand to the Grave for every 1000 points of damage I would take and negate it. Since I would take 2000 damage, I send 2 Cards to the Grave, which will be Predator Power and Darling Cobra, now I don't take any damage! The effect of Predator Power's second effect, when sent from the Field to the Grave, I can add any Predator Plants Monster from my Deck to my Hand, I add Predator Plants Sundew Kingii!" Yuri countered as the attack connected, destroying his Monster.

"With Poison Planter's effect, I Special Summon Predator Plants Sundew Kingii!"

Sundew Kingii: Level 2, 600 Atk, 200 Def

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuzu concluded.

"Ok, now, it's time!" Yuri exclaimed as he slit his eyes, freaking Yuzu out even more. "My turn, draw! I Summon Predator Plants Moray Nepenthes!"

Moray Nepenthes: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate Sundew Kingii's effect, once per turn, during the Main Phase, I can Fusion Summon a Monster using this Card and other Cards in my Hand or on my Field as materials, I fuse Sundew Kingii's and Moray Nepenthes! Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs. Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!" Yuri chanted as he Fusion Summoned his ace Monster.

Starve Venom: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def

"What's...this…?" Yuzu took a step back at the sight of the venomous Monster, who was glaring at her with green eyes.

"Starve Venom's effect, once per turn, if this Card is Fusion Summoned using Monsters on the Field only, it gains the Attack of all Special Summoned Monster's on your Field. The only Monster you have is Bloom Diva, so Starve Venom gains 1000 Attack!" Yuri explained as Starve Venom gained a purple aura, roaring in fury as he grew in power.

Starve Venom: 2800-3800 Atk

"Starve Venom's additional effect, once per turn, I can target a level 5 or higher Monster you control, until the end of the turn, your Monster's effects are negated, and Starve Venom gains them!" Starve Venom swung its tail at Bloom Diva, wrapping it around Bloom Diva, Bloom Diva flinched in pain as she lost her effect, Starve Venom's eyes glowed as he gained the effect.

"No way!" Yuzu bellowed as she looked at her Monster as the tail let go of the Diva, returning to Starve Venom.

"Yes way! Battle! Go, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Bloom Diva! Starving Toxic Blast!" Yuri declared as Starve Venom let out a wave of Toxic substance towards Bloom Diva.

"I activate the Grave effect of Melodious Encore, by banishing it, I can negate the damage that would be inflicted to me!" Yuzu revealed her Card's effect as she stood strong as Bloom Diva was destroyed.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuri concluded. "Give up. There is nothing you can do." Yuri slowly walked towards Yuzu, who had only a set Card. As Yuri walked, Starve Venom flew with him slowly, as if trying to mimic him. "Don't worry. With the Professor, you will be in good hands." Yuzu gained an even more frightened look on her face as she started to run away, while Yuri kept walking after her slowly. "Soon, you will be defeated...soon, you will have to give in."

This chase kept going on for a while, Yuzu was so scared to the point where she forgot she was even in a Duel, she forgot that it was her turn.

* * *

Later-Jungle Area-Dawn

Mitchie, Mieru, Teppei, and Gongenzaka were sleeping, while Yuto was wide awake, holding out both Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion.

Ok, so there are two souls inside of me, one is me, and the other I am sure is Yuya. It has to be, the memories, that one time I saw Yuya in the void during the Duel with Yuzu. It all adds up! And that darkness, when those bastards from Academia showed up and turned the Knight of Duels into Cards, I lost consciousness. But you wanted me to bring smiles to everyone, and keep them safe. So, that darkness, is controlling Yuya and I. However, our rage triggers the darkness to get stronger and take control...how can I control that darkness...and what if I fail! Yuto grasped his fist and grit his teeth.

"When you let fear get a hold of you, you won't be able to do a thing." A voice said. Yuto gasped in shock. The voice sounded like it was right next to him! Yuto looked to his right, and saw a very familiar boy about his age floating in the air, slightly translucent, looking at the sky. "If you want to win, gather your courage and press forward! Those are my Dad's words."

"Yuya! What the hell?! Are you...a ghost?" Yuto asked.

"I guess you could say that." Yuya said, however, it wasn't in his usual cheerful self, he sounded a little more grim.

"Never mind that! Everyone's been worried about you! Well...by everyone, I mean Yuzu, your Mom, and everyone with me here, minus the fish guy. What happened to you anyway?!" Yuto questioned.

"I don't know. We should talk about this later and focus on right now. So the darkness has took control of you too. The darkness, it's...suffocating. But we can't fall! We have to fight it!" Yuya told Yuto.

"Yeah, you're right!" Yuto nodded in agreement with a smile. "No matter what kind of demon may be residing inside, I will believe! And I will fight it, and never give up!"

Unknown to them, Gongenzaka opened one of his eyes and glanced at Yuya, while smiling. The others were starting to wake up too.

"If we combine our strength, we will definitely win! I'm not alone, I'm never alone!" Yuto raised his fist to the air in triumph. He turned to the others. "Guys! Come on, it's morning!"

"Alright! Lunch time!" Teppei exclaimed in joy.

"Thanks Yuya." Yuto thanked said person. "I will make sure to keep your promise!"

"No problem, Yuto." As Yuto went to go eat lunch, Yuya watched him. "Spread smiles...I don't think that will work anymore…"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Predator Plants Poison Planter Fusion, Dark, Plant: You can send a Predator Plants Monster you control to the Grave, then, destroy a faceup Monster your opponent controls, then, this Card gains half the Attack of the destroyed Monster. When this Card is destroyed, you can Special Summon a Predator Plants Monster from your Hand or Grave. You can only use each effect of Predator Plants Poison Planter once per turn.**

 **Maze of Plants Trap: When a Card effect is activated, you can banish a Predator Plants Monster in your Grave, negate the activation, destroy the Card. Then, if your opponent controls a set Magic/Trap Card(s), you can target one of them, call if it is a Magic or Trap Card, reveal the Card, if you were right, the Card is destroyed, and your opponent can't activate the Card in response, if you guess wrong, nothing happens.**

 **Predator Power Magic, Equip: This Card can only be equipped to a Dark Monster. The equipped Monster gains 500 Attack. When this Card is sent from the Field to the Grave, add one Predator Plants Monster from your Deck to your Hand.**

 **Melodious Encore Magic: Special Summon 1 Melodious Monster in your Graveyard. When you would take damage, you can banish this Card and negate the damage.**

 **Predators Survival Instinct Trap: When you would take damage, you can send as many Cards from your Hand or Field to the Grave, negate every 1000 points of damage for each Card. Example: 2000 damage, send 1 Card, negate only 1000 damage, take the rest of the 1000 as damage.**

 **Note: The anime effect of 1st Movement Solo was changed to the real life effect.**

* * *

 **Finished! Sorry about the delay!**

 **Hope you liked the Duel, I tried to have Yuzu put up a little bit of a fight. And now Yuya can finally talk with Yuto! So, one of the reasons why I had Yuya be absorbed was indirectly mentioned at Yuya's last line of the chapter.**

 **Also sorry for only 1 transition, I wanted to focus on the Duel this chapter, since I went through...2 chapters without a Duel**

 **Not gonna say much here, so here's the preview.**

 **Yuto and Gongenzaka head off and run into Dennis. After a bit, they head off to find Yuzu. Meanwhile, Yuzu finds that there is nowhere left to run away from Yuri, suddenly a white motorcycle appears with a rider on it. Yuzu's bracelet shines and sends Yuri away. The rider, Yugo, mistakes Yuzu for his childhood friend Rin, and goes up to hug her, however, they are both then teleported away when Yuto, Gongenzaka, and Dennis make it to the area. Also, Sora beats Kurosaki in a Duel, he goes to try Card the defeated Duelist, only to be stopped by Serena.**

 **Long preview this time! There probably won't be a full Duel next chapter. There might be part of one though.**

 **rgriffin8999: I think I like the dubbed Odd Eyes Dragon (the regular one) a little more than the subbed to be honest. Well, I don't know if you would call it a chant, but you know what I mean.**

 **Matrixnis: Yuya's back! I'm pretty sure you were waiting for him to come back lol. About Yuzu being defiant, I always thought that was one of the strong points in her personality.**

 **Mekyaku: The Duel with Yuto and Sora...I'm trying to plan something out with that Duel. As for Sora joining later, most likely.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	48. Descent into Hardship

"Thank you, Mitchie-san!" Yuto thanked Mitchie for the lunch. It was really good. The best meal he had in awhile. Because of the war, Yuto and his comrades didn't have much time to eat, and when they did, it wasn't exactly the best, but it was enough to survive.

"Please, call me Mitchie."

"You really are the best partner, Mitchie!" Teppei complimented his partner.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, has never had a meal so delicious! Thank you, Mitchie!" Gongenzaka took a slight bow to the boy, this ticked off Mieru.

"What the hell!" Mieru shrieked, shocking the four boys. "You keep going on about Mitchie this and Mitchie that! Even I can make delicious food for Darling!"

"I'm not Yuy-hey!" Yuto shouted as Mieru ran away for some reason.

"What's with her? Where is she going?" Teppei asked, munching on a sandwich.

Mitchie blinked rapidly in surprise. "Maybe to search for ingredients? Hey, wait, she's not a participant in the Battle Royale, is she?"

"Not just Mieru. There are plenty of other Duelists not a part of the Junior Youth Championship that have invaded." Gongenzaka revealed to Mitchie.

"Including me." Yuto added. "Also...from what I recall, you guys are…'friends' with Shiunin Sora, correct?"

"Yes." Gongenzaka confirmed. "What about it?"

"Well, when those bastards from Academia came, Shiunin Sora was leading them."

"Sora?! He's back?!" A drop of sweat rolled down Gongenzaka's face as he heard the news.

"Yeah. As we speak he should be...oh no!" Yuto widened his eyes in fear.

"What's wrong?" Gongenzaka asked in concern.

"If I remember correctly, Shiunin Sora was having a revenge Duel with Shun!" Yuto recalled to when both Shun and Sora went to a separate temple.

Yuya's spirit appeared next to Yuto at that moment, only Yuto could see him. _"That Duel should be over right now! If anything, the victor of the Duel might be in a different area. We haven't seen or heard anyone in the Jungle Area, and I highly doubt that one of them is in the Ancient Ruins Area! We need to go now!"_

* * *

Meanwhile

Yuzu, exhausted, hid below a small cliff of ice. _I can't do it! He's too strong!_ Yuzu quietly gasped in shock as she saw the shadow of Yuri's dragon.

"You're amazing, it's already morning!" Yuri called out, Yuzu looked up, where she heard Yuri's voice, more fear pouring into her. "The fact that you've managed to run away for this long is truly amazing! You have my praises. But, if you hadn't noticed, ever since I Summoned my dragon and ended my turn, you have never started your turn, you just kept on running! So, if you're not going to do anything, I guess our game of hide and seek is over. Come out. Come with me back to the Professor. Yuri stepped to the edge of the tiny cliff, where Yuzu saw his feet through a small crack.

Just then, Yuri's dragon let out a roar and smashed part of the cliff, making the crack bigger as rocks fell to the ground. Yuzu backed up at she almost screamed in fear, however, she managed to cover her mouth with her hands just in time.

"I hope you'll come out soon…" Yuri said in a playful tone.

 _It's over! I can't get away! Help me, Yuya, Yuto, anyone!_ Yuzu closed her eyes as tears started to form.

At that moment, Yuzu's bracelet shone a big light, causing both Yuri and Yuzu to gasp in surprise. Yuri disappeared.

Yuzu opened the eyes and looked at her bracelet and to where Yuri was standing, he was gone, and so was the dragon. "It shone again! Don't tell me that Yuya really is…?!"

It was then that Yuzu heard the rev of an engine, she looked to where Yuri was standing and saw a white motorcycle ride off the tiny cliff, Yuzu saw a rider on it. Unknown to her, the driver was Yugo.

Yugo glanced to his left, swearing that he saw someone. He widened his eyes as he saw the person. He thought he was hallucinating for a second.

"Rin!" Yuzu gasped when she heard Yugo say the name. Yugo's d-wheel hit the ground and Yugo quickly skid to a halt and turned it slightly so he could face Yuzu, who he thought was his childhood friend. He pressed a button on his helmet, lifting up the visor. "Rin!" Yugo got off the d-wheel and ran over to Yuzu. "Awesome! I've missed you, Rin!" Yugo gave Yuzu a tight hug, the girl let out a yelp of surprise in response as a blush formed on her face.

"H-hold on! Rin!?" Yuzu gasped once again as she remembered the boy named Yuri mentioning the name, along with Ruri. Could this be that guy Yuto mentioned? The boy named Yugo? Yuzu held Yugo's head by the sides of his helmet and pushed his face slightly away from hers so she could look him in the eyes. "You know who Rin is?" Yuzu immediately stopped talking as she paid attention to Yugo's face. At first, he saw Yuya, and then Yugo, and then Yuri, and then back to the face she was seeing now. This could confirm her suspicion! Yuto had said that Yugo had the same face as him, and that he had a missing friend named Rin! This all added up, this wasn't just a coincidence.

Meanwhile, Mieru, who was watching the scene, from a cliff higher up, was getting infuriated.

"Th-that's Hi-hiragi Yuzu!" Mieru stammered as she saw what was going on. "She's changing clothes and messing around with other men while seducing Darling-or, whoever the other guy is! UNFORGIVABLE!" Mieru gained an aura of fire as she took a step forward. "I'm going-" The rest of Mieru's sentence was cut off as the ground under crumbled as Mieru screamed in shock and fear. She slid down the hill, towards a slope going up. She was launched upwards and sent backwards by the slope and her head fell into a crack, knocking her out cold.

* * *

Earlier-In the Jungle Area-With Yuto and Gongenzaka

"Oi! Yuya!" A voice called out to who he thought was Yuya, but was really Yuto.

Yuto, who was running with Gongenzaka in a hurry stopped and turned towards the voice. "Huh? You...Dennis!" Yuto narrowed his eyes, getting suspicious, once again pondering on the fact that he knows Dennis from somewhere.

"How are you doing?! I just beat Yuzu in a Duel!" Dennis lied. While it was true that he beat Yuzu, he didn't do it just now, he did it yesterday.

"With Yuzu?!" Both Gongenzaka and Yuya, who couldn't be seen exclaimed in shock.

At this moment, Yuya quickly disappeared and took control of Yuto's body, his eyes turning red. "Where?!"

Gongenzaka took note of the fact that the voice sounded like the real Yuya, not like Yuto trying to impersonate him, but put if off for now.

"In the Volcano Area...why, what happened?" Dennis pretended to play dumb, knowing what was happening.

"There aren't just 16 of us in this Battle Royale." Gongenzaka informed Dennis.

"You're saying there's someone else here?!"

"Yeah!" The real Yuya spoke. "It might sound unbelievable, but other Duelists from different dimensions have snuck in!"

"Different dimensions? Hah, you can't be serious!" Dennis chuckled.

"It's the truth!" Yuya's eyes turned gray, signifying that Yuto took back control of his body. "There's also a boy named Shiunin Sora among them."

"Sora…" Dennis whispered the name, before continuing to play the happy-go-lucky-dumby act. "Oh? You know someone from a different dimension! Amazing!"

"I saw the Knight of Duels taken out by those bastards with my own eyes!" Yuto told Dennis.

' _Those bastards?'_ Dennis repeated what Yuto said in his head.

"If that wasn't bad enough. We can't use our communication in this Field, so we can't get in touch with anyone, which is why we split up from the group we were in and search for everyone."

"Wow! This sounds like a big deal! Yuzu said she was going to the Iceberg Area." Dennis said, trying to mislead them. He figured that by now Yuri should have captured Yuzu already. "We should go look for her!"

The trio then ran over to the Iceberg Area. Yuto took this time to communicate with Yuya in their thoughts.

" _Ok, what the hell did you do?!" Yuto demanded Yuya for an answer._

" _I don't know. I felt something come over me and I took control. It felt like I was in a body again, well, a solid one, not translucent." Yuya said in denial._

" _Whatever, don't do that again, that was a really weird feeling."_

* * *

With Yuzu

"You want to know who Rin is?!" Yugo asked, at this moment, Yuzu's bracelet shone again, teleporting Yugo away. However, since Yuzu was making contact with Yugo, she also disappeared. Above, Yuto, Dennis, and Gongenzaka came.

"No good. Looks like Yuzu isn't here." Yuto told the other two, well, three, if you counted Yuya.

"Maybe she went to a different area?" Gongenzaka suggested.

Dennis let out tiny smirk, unknown to Yuto, Yuya, and Gongenzaka. _Looks like Yuri safely finished his work then. Then all that's left is..._

* * *

At the Ancient Ruins

Serena ran up the stairs to a temple, nearly out of breath, she gasped as she watched what unfolded between Shun and Sora.

"Deathtoy Scissor Tiger's Attack increases by 300 for each Deathtoy Monster I control!" Sora explained. Scissor Tiger gained a purple and blue aura as it laughed.

Scissor Tiger: 1900-2200 Atk

"This is the end!" Sora shouted as he was covered in the same aura, grinning maliciously. He could finally have his revenge on this Xyz Loser. "Go, battle! Attack Force Strix, Deathtoy Scissor Tiger! Send Kurosak...this Xyz remnant to his grave!"

"Kurosaki?!" Serena repeated the name as she looked to the other person, Shun. This was the person who could give her the answers she needed!

Deathtoy Scissor Tiger rushed at Force Strix, destroying the bird with its scissors, causing an explosion, which blew back Shun yelling in pain. He blew past Serena, who looked on in horror as Kurosaki hit the ground and continuously tumbled down the stairs, lying down in defeat.

Shun: 2100-0 LP

Serena immediately took action and made a mad dash down the stairs to Kurosaki.

"It looks like I've won this time!" Sora smiled as he came outside of the temple.

Serena tried to touch Kurosaki, so she could help him get up, but she quickly retracted her hand when Shun clutched the left side of his chest in pain.

"These are horrible injuries!" Serena examined Shun's body, seeing multiple scratches on his face.

"Get out of the way, Yuzu. Kurosaki is the prey I've hunted." Sora commanded Serena, not knowing that she wasn't Yuzu.

Serena stood up and turned around and activated her Duel Disk.

"Huh? That Duel Disk is...wait, don't tell me...that you're Serena?!" Sora asked in a whisper.

"Magic Card, Lunar Eclipse! The Field is enveloped in total darkness." Serena revealed as a dark mist covered her and Kurosaki.

"Serena!" Sora yelled as he ran down the stairs into the mist.

* * *

Later-At the Volcano Area

Serena and Kurosaki kept on running. However, they had to stop as Shun grunted in pain and clutched his chest and crouched down onto the ground, unable to run.

"Are you okay?" Serena questioned Shun. She heard footsteps and saw Sora slowly walking towards them with a serious expression on his face.

"Hey, can you just let me finish that guy off?" Sora asked as he took the lollipop out of his mouth. "You'll only get hurt too."

Then, the ninjas known as Tsukikage and Hikage appeared right in front of Serena. Sora decided to try to ignore them and right past them. Keyword try, as Hikage, with great speed that matched Sora, ran right up to his face.

"Now's our chance." Tsukikage told Serena as he and Shun, who was being carried by Serena, walked away.

"You're in my way." Sora said.

"That's why I'm here." Hikage replied.

"Why are you guys helping me?" Serena asked Tsukikage.

"Once we take up a mission, we will stake our lives to complete it." Tsukikage answered Serena's question. "That is a rule of our Fuuma Clan."

* * *

In the observatory

"Serena is an important asset in negotiating with Academia. She must be protected at all costs." Reiji informed Nakajima. "How many enemies are left?"

"We've confirmed four including Shiunin Sora. However, there is always a possibility that more soldiers are on the way." Nakajima responded. "Oh yes, sir. Whatever happened to that man, Kamishiro Ryoga?" Nakajima was interested what happened to him. He hasn't seen him ever since his defeat at the hands of Shun.

"We are keeping a close eye on him. It seems that the other guy at You Show that one time hails from the Fusion Dimension. If I recall, when he Dueled Hokuto, a strong Fusion Summoning signal was recorded at that time. That man...O'Brien, must have came here to Standard with the 3 Xyz Duelists, Kurosaki, Ryoga, and that boy named Yuto." Reiji explained. "Put the feed on Kamishiro Ryoga, now!"

"Yes sir!" The workers exclaimed as they showed a feed of Shark and O'Brien, they were walking through the Jungle Area, about to enter the Temple Area.

* * *

With Shark and O'Brien

"This place is just temples." O'Brien noted.

"Just like how in the last area how it was just a jungle." Shark said. "Just what is going on here?"

"We should keep moving. Maybe there is more areas." O'Brien proposed.

"Fine." Shark replied as the two left the temple they were in. Little did they know, earlier, that was where Shun and Sora had Dueled.

* * *

At the Volcano Area

Dennis and 6 members of the Obelisk Force were watching Shun, Serena, and Tsukikage. Dennis turned to the Obelisk Force.

"There is Serena. Go get her." Dennis told the soldiers.

"You're not coming?" One raised an eyebrow in confusion. This would be much easier and quicker if Dennis helped out.

"There are a lot of issues with that...the Field is full of security cameras. Anyways, you 3, go out their and Duel them." Dennis pointed to the 3 Obelisk Force members with a green gem, red gem, and yellow gem. "You three, only Duel if they need help. Also, keep in mind that if you join the Duel, you will receive an Intrusion Penalty, Akaba Reiji had it set so anyone who joins in the middle of Duel takes 2000 points of damage." Dennis pointed to the 3 that had a blue gem, white gem, and purple gem.

"Yes sir!" The 3 exclaimed in response.

As the trio walked towards the building, a voice from the Obelisk Force called to them. "Serena-sama."

"Please do not resist." Green Obelisk Force pleaded, which is surprising judging by the fact that other members of the Obelisk Force never say 'please.'

"We've been tasked to bring you back." Red Obelisk Force added.

"You'll have to take me back by force." Serena declared. Academia was like a prison. She didn't want to go back there. Furthermore, she still had to ask Kurosaki about the Xyz Invasion to see if what Yuzu said was true. However, she didn't expect Shun to put a hand in front of her, the next thing she knew, Shun and Tsukikage stepped up, getting ready to battle.

"Then you leave us no choice." The 3 Obelisk Force Duelists all activated their Duel Disks. Shun, Serena, and Tsukikage did the same in response.

"DUEL!" The 6 Duelists bellowed in unison.

* * *

Meanwhile

Yuto and Gongenzaka were currently to the Volcano Area. They checked everywhere else, but to no avail, so the Volcano was the only area left. However…

"Yuya! Gongenzaka!" A voice shouted.

Yuto and Gongenzaka stopped and turned to the direction of the voice to see Shark and O'Brien.

"O'Brien! And...Shark…" Gongenzaka murmured the latter's name. He still hadn't forgotten how he acted in his last two Duels.

"Are you guys going to the Volcano Area?" Shark asked, deciding to get to the point.

"Yes. We're looking around for Yuzu." Yuto replied.

"Let's go as a group." Shark said before he raised his eyebrow at Yuto. "Also, cut out the disguise and trying to imitate Yuya, Yuto."

"What?"

"Yuto, stop acting like a dumbass, I know it's you."

"Damn...looks like I'm busted again. How long have you known?"

"Ever since your Duel with Kachidoki." Shark answered in a nonchalant manner. He could easily tell from when Yuto hit Kachidoki, Yuya would never hit somebody, he seemed too nice to do that. Yuto, although nice, barely pulls any punches. Shark was also going to ask why Yuto was cosplaying as Yuya in the first place, he was also wondering where the boy was at all, but he decided to put it off to the side for now.

"One second. O'Brien, are you...with Shark, from another dimension I mean?" Gongenzaka asked. They both entered the school at the same time, and they both seemed to be fine with each other's presence.

"Yes, I am." This shocked Gongenzaka, first Sora, then Shark, now O'Brien! What's next, you're going to say that his best friend Yuya is the reincarnation of the devil? (Oh wait…) "Anyways, no more dilly dallying! We need to go!"

"Oh yeah, if you guys didn't no, soldiers of Academia are here, along with Shiunin Sora." Yuto informed the two.

"They are! Damn!" Shark cursed. Academia already got their dirty hands on the Xyz Dimension, and now they're targeting this one. "Well, I didn't see any soldiers in the other areas, there must be some in the Volcano Area!" The 4 people nodded as they ran off to the Volcano Area.

Later-In the Volcano Area

The four entered from an opening in two rocks, where they were greeted by the sight of none other than Shiunin Sora Dueling Hikage on a rock island thing that was separated from them by lava.

"Sora!" Gongenzaka shouted out the boy's name.

Sora looked at Gongenzaka and the others, taking note of O'Brien and Shark, before sighing and looking back at his opponent, before widening his eyes with a serious expression on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile

"I activate Moonlight Cat Dancer's effect! By releasing Blue Cat, it can now attack every Monster on my opponent's Field twice!" Serena explained as Blue Cat disappeared as Cat Dancer laughed and danced. "Battle! I attack Triple Bite Hound Dog with Cat Dancer!"

"That won't work! Trap Card, Fusion Dispersal, activate!" Red Obelisk Force countered.

"What!? Fusion Dispersal?!"

"I can revert one attacking Fusion Monster my opponent controls into its Fusion Materials." Cat Dancer was seen screaming as her fusion was undone, as its Fusion Materials reappeared. "Now, the Battle Phase ends and now damage is dealt to you equal to the Attack of the Fusion Material with the highest Attack!"

Serena gasped as she quickly covered face. A strong gust of wind hit her and send her skidding backwards, the force of the wind was so hard it actually felt like someone punched her.

Serena: 4000-2400 LP

"Too bad, but we fully comprehend your Deck." Red Obelisk Force grinned. "You don't have any options left!"

"Let's go, hurry!" Mitchie rushed Teppei, who was holding onto an unconscious Mieru. They were both hiding behind a rock so they wouldn't be seen.

"Why?! Even if we fight them, we won't get any Pendulum Cards!" Teppei retorted selfishly.

"But our friends are in a pinch." Mitchie argued. He couldn't just ditch them here.

"Huh...you're right. We could use our power to turn a pinch into a chance...like hell that'd happen, idiot!" Teppei yelled at Mitchie, but at a low enough tone so the Obelisk Force could hear him.

While all of this was happening, Sora started to slowly advance on Hikage, taking slow steps towards him with his Monster, causing Hikage to continue to backup the same pace as Sora.

"Shiunin Sora! Stop this! You don't have to do this!" Yuto shouted.

"You're right I don't. But this guy got in my way, so it's my job to take him out, which I'm about to do, so just wait!" Sora replied coldly.

"God damn it!" Yuto cursed as he was about to jump over the lava in order to get to Sora, however, he was held back by the other.

"Wait, don't do anything stupid!" O'Brien exclaimed.

"Don't do what Shun does!" Shark added.

"I don't care! Let me go!" Yuto tried to fight against the hold, but he was no match against the 3 of them.

Gongenzaka looked to his right, and saw Shun, Tsukikage and Serena Dueling the Obelisk Force. However, he didn't see Serena as Serena, he saw her as Yuzu.

"Yuto! Over there, it's Yuzu!" Gongenzaka pointed to where the group was Dueling.

" _Yuzu!"_ Yuya repeated the name of his childhood friend as he looked at the direction Gongenzaka pointed to, desperate to see her again for real instead of just memories.

"Yuzu...and…"

"I end my turn." Serena concluded as Shun came into Yuto's view.

"Shun!" Yuto, Shark, and O'Brien recited the name of their comrade out loud in unison.

"Now, let's go!" Mitchie told Teppei. Now was their chance to strike, if there was a chance to fight, it was now! Mitchie stepped onto the Field with his Duel Disk activated. "You're facing us now!"

Teppei grumbled as he walked onto the Field and also activated his Duel Disk. The interruption by the two Duelists was a shock to everyone, even to the Obelisk Force. However, Teppei and Mitchie were just about to get an even bigger 'shock' themselves as they got electrocuted by the intrusion penalty. (Hah, get it, shock, because they got electrocuted, get it? Hahahahaha...I'll shut up now.)

Teppei: 4000-2000 LP

Mitchie: 4000-2000 LP

"My turn, draw!" Mitchie drew his Card.

Mitchie and Teppei managed to pull of an impressive team combo that damaged the Obelisk Force down to 2000 LP, however, they were both defeated by a combo as well with 3 Continuous Traps. They were both Carded, which only fueled Yuto and Yuya's anger. After Mitchie was Carded, Gongenzaka, Shark, and O'Brien left Yuto to go help out. However, Teppei was Carded before they could save him.

Yuto's eyes sparked into a blue light as a dark aura appeared around him as the ground started to shake violently as Yuto and Yuya's rage built up.

Hikage stepped to the edge of the rock, he had nowhere left to run.

"We're done here. I activate Wheel Saw Lion's effect, once per turn, it can destroy an opponent's Monster and deal damage equal to its Attack to my opponent!" Sora explained as Wheel Saw Lion sent saws that destroyed Hikage's Monster, dropping the latter's life to 0 as he yelled out "Regrets!" At that moment, he was sealed into a Card.

That tears it, he had enough. Yuto let enough people lose their lives as it was already, but at least for most of those he wasn't there when it happened. But he just let 3 people lose their lives in front of him, and he just did nothing about it except just stand there and try to talk the bastard out of it. He had enough, he felt something snap inside him.

Yuto clutched his head as he writhed and yelled in pain up into the sky. He dropped down to his knees and agony as more pain surged through him. He heard a voice. It was saying to make him pay...then...destroy him...and then...destroy Academia...and then everything else!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Yuto howled in rage as he made a mad dash and jumped to the edge of and jumped very high, all while yelling out in rage, "SORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"And you're next." Red Obelisk Force told Tsukikage, who grunted at the fact that he couldn't do anything. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Ancient Gear Reborn, I Special Summon Triple Bite Hound Dog from the Grave with 200 more Attack!"

Triple Bite: Level 7, 1800 Atk, 1000 Def

Triple Bite: 1800-2000 Atk

"And I activate the Continuous Trap, Ancient Gear Spark Shot!" Green Obelisk Force assisted.

"Take this! Ancient Revival Howling!" Triple Bite let out a large yellow wave at Tsukikage who looked at the blast, getting ready to accept his fate.

"Wait right there! Action Magic Flame Guard! I negate any effect damage!" A voice quickly activated the Card, saving Tsukikage as the wave disappeared. Everyone looked to where the voice was coming from and saw Sawatari Shingo. "Now that I'm here, we'll have the strength of a hundred more. Akaba Reiji filled me in on the situation!" Suddenly, he heard blinking on his Duel Disk. He looked down to hear a robotic voice say, _Instruction Penalty, 2000 points!_ "Huh?" Sawatari was suddenly screeching out in pain in a humorous way as he managed to say "He didn't f-fiiiiilllll me iiiiin a-about this!" He dropped down to the ground. He slowly pulled himself up and looked at the Obelisk Force. "I'll show you why I'm the greatest man from LDS!"

* * *

Meanwhile

"You brat...you...need to be destroyed...no...that's wrong…" Yuto whispered to himself as he went into a trance as his shadow formed into Yuya's momentarily.

" _We lost it again...kuh...we have to keep on fighting...in order to defeat Academia...and save as many people as we can…"_ Yuya spoke to Yuto in his trance. _"We can do it...we can fight it off...we just need to get a hold of ourselves…"_ The tension in Yuto's fist started to calm down a bit as the dark aura dissipated.

"Shiunin Sora, Duel me." Yuto challenged Sora.

"Fine. I don't like the idea of having a losing record against you anyways." Sora accepted the challenge with a serious expression as he walked over to an opening. "Let's do it where no one will interrupt us. Just us, and no one else." Yuto followed Sora into the opening of the cave as they walked into a Duel Field where there was a long, straight rock which acted as a bridge with multiple platforms floating around above the lava and stalactites on the ceiling. Sora walked to the other side and faced Yuto with a serious expression. Yuto gave a glare back and narrowed his eyes.

"I-no- _we_ will defeat you. And we will move onto Academia." Yuto stated his resolve.

"You can lose the disguise. I know it's that Xyz Loser under there." Sora told Yuto. "Don't worry, There aren't any cameras that are on, so no one in the stadium will see you. Akaba Reiji can probably, but you can worry about him later.

"Hmph...I was going to take them off anyway!" Yuto exclaimed as he threw off the wig and Yuya's clothes to the side, revealing his tattered clothes that he has been wearing ever since the war started, with Yuya's pendant still around his neck as he activated his Duel Disk.

Sora activated his Duel Disk also.

" _Let's go, Yuto!"_ Yuya stared at Sora as his body appeared in a translucent form, however, only Yuto could see him, Sora couldn't. Yuto nodded in response. He can't lose now. He won't lose!

"DUEL!" Both Yuto and Sora shouted as they begun their 3rd Duel.

* * *

 **Finally! I managed to finish this! My internet was acting up for a couple of days so I couldn't work on this chapter and get it over with. It's fixed now, so now I'm back in business.**

 **Anyways, next time, Yuto Duels Sora, here's the preview.**

 **As the team consisting of Serena, Shun, Tsukikage, and the newly joined Sawatari get pushed into a corner once again as the 3 backup Obelisk Force joins the Duel, Shark, O'Brien, and Gongenzaka join the Duel and help out. Meanwhile, as Yuto and Sora's Duel rages on, Yuya tells Yuto that he wants to help defeat Sora, and proceeds to tell Sora that he is inside Yuto and that he wants to regain his smile. As they Duel, it is a test for Yuya...should he continue to follow his father's ideals even after what he has witnessed in Yuto's memories during the whole time he was inside Yuto, or will he have to leave them in the dust and move on?**

 **So, if you're confused on what I mean in the last sentence of the preview, I'll give an explanation.**

 **This is one of the reasons why I had Yuya be absorbed also.**

 **Since Yuya was technically 'unconscious' inside Yuto, he was basically in a coma, except he was basically experiencing all of Yuto's memories of the attack on Heartland, but to a much more horrible scale. He was stuck into a loop of these memories until he woke up and first communicated with Yuto properly, this got worse after the Duel with Kachidoki as going berserk worsened the nightmares.**

 **Because of the loop, it scarred his initial outlook on life and he now questions whether Dueling for smiles like his father taught him to do is the right thing, especially in times of war. So basically, I made a more serious Yuya, who has a more serious outlook on life now, hope you guys don't get mad at this.**

 **Matrixnis: Yeah, Yuya was really too childish in the anime, it's like with Judai/Jaden from Gx, who was a happy-go-lucky fella until Season 3 came along. About more 5ds characters, I don't know, I am considering on adding Aki thanks to Venomous Blade and you. About the prison arc, I don't know about that yet.**

 **Mekyaku: I wasn't even thinking of Power Wall while making instinct, I just wanted Yuri to have a survival Card. Yuto and Yuri will most definitely battle down the road, Reiji vs Yuri is a most likely, unless my sucky memory kicks in and boots it out of my system entirely...just kidding, most likely gonna do a Reiji vs Yuri Duel.**


	49. Rematch! YutoYuya VS Sora

"Come forth, level 9, Ancient Gear Ultimate Hound Dog!" Yellow Obelisk Force Fusion Summoned his mechanical hound made from gears.

Ultimate Hound Dog: Level 9, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def

"When this Card is Fusion Summoned, it halves the LP of all my opponents!" Yellow Obelisk Force exclaimed as Ultimate Hound let out multiple blasts at Sawatari, Serena, Shun, and Tsukikage.

"The heck is that?!" Sawatari widened his eyes and gaped as his team's life points halved.

Tsukikage: 500-250 LP

Serena: 2400-1200 LP

Sawatari: 2000-1000 LP

Shun: 4000-2000 LP

"Damn it!" Sawatari cursed.

"It's my tu-"

"No, it's not!" A voice interrupted Shun as 3 more members of the Obelisk Force appeared and joined the Duel, receiving the Intrusion Penalty, immediately dropping their life to 2000.

"More of them!" Serena clicked her tongue in annoyance. That was just what they needed right now.

"My turn, draw!" Blue Obelisk Force drew his Card and glanced at it, before placing it in his Hand.

"That was the time to interfere." O'Brien said as he, Shark, and Gongenzaka hid down the stairs watching the Duel, trying to find a good time to intrude.

"No, we need to catch them by surprise." Gongenzaka rebutted O'Brien's opinion. "Plus, if we join now, we'll be sitting ducks to anything they throw at us.

"Only intrude when things are starting to look bad for the others." Shark glanced at Shun, who was clutching his chest in pain. "What the hell happened to you, Shun?"

"I activate Fusion and fuse the three Ancient Gear Hound Dog's in my Hand! Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits, flock together and become one with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" Blue Obelisk Force chanted as he Fusion Summoned his Monster with three heads.

Triple Bite: Level 7, 1800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Battle!"

"I use the effect of Barrier Ninjitsu-Technique of Gathering Shadows, I pay half my life and end the Battle Phase." Tsukikage grit his teeth under his mask as he took damage from his Card's effect.

Tsukikage: 250-125 LP

"That guy is very noble. He's willing to risk his life to protect his teammates. I, the man, Gongenzaka, respect that." Gongenzaka stated.

"Kgh, I end my turn."

"Now it's my turn! Draw! I also activate Fusion, I also Fusion Summon Triple Bite Dog using three Ancient Gear Hound Dog's!" White Obelisk Force mimicked his teammates move. "Battle!"

"Once again, I use Technique of Gathering Shadows! Grr…" Tsukikage flinched as he once again took damage.

Tsukikage: 125-62.5 LP (Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you probably the only time you are going to see life points go into the decimal zone…until VRAINS...which has the meter fricking round up, I'm not doing that crap in this fanfic.)

"Damn! I end my turn."

"This will be the end of you, ninja! My turn, draw! I activate Fusion and also Fusion Summon Triple Bite Hound Dog! Unlike the other two, I have a different plan for you. I activate the Magic Card Fusion Bullet! I target a level 7 or lower Fusion Monster I control, I deal halve of its current Attack to you as damage! Take 900 points of damage and die!" Purple Obelisk Force shouted as a bullet was shot towards Tsukikage, who stood there, accepting his fate.

"I don't think so!" A voice shouted, shocking the Duelists as they look to see Shark with his Duel Disk activated skidding to a halt as he took a Card out of his Hand and showed my Hand, I activate the Monster effect of Wall of Sharks! When a player would take damage, I can negate the damage and Special Summon this Card from my Hand. Come forth, Wall of Sharks!" The blast coming towards Tsukikage disappeared as a literal wall of sharks appeared. The Monster was Summoned in Defense, and O'Brien and Gongenzaka was seen walking in between Shun and Sawatari with their Duel Disks activated.

Wall of Sharks: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1400 Def

Because they intruded on the Duel, Shark, O'Brien, and Gongenzaka were all electrocuted by their Duel Disks via the Intrusion Penalty.

Shark: 4000-2000 LP

O'Brien: 4000-2000 LP

Gongenzaka: 4000-2000 LP

"Shark, O'Brien?!" Shun spoke, saying the name of two of the people that intruded.

"Gongenzaka?! What are you doing here?" Sawatari questioned Gongenzaka. This wasn't exactly a safe place, he could get hurt, or Carded, just like those two other guys.

"I'm here to help out. What does it look like? We need to finish this fast! As we speak, Yuya-no, Yuto is Dueling Sora." Gongenzaka told the others.

"Yuto?!" Shun repeated the name of his comrade and friend. He hasn't saw Yuto ever since that one night where Yuto Dueled Sora.

"Battle!"

"Once again, Technique of Gathering Shadows!" Tsukikage yelled out in pain as he took even more damage from his Trap.

Tsukikage: 62.5-31.25 LP

"Damn, I end my turn." Purple Obelisk Force concluded.

"If you don't mind, I'll go first, Shark." O'Brien spoke.

"Go ahead." Shark gave O'Brien permission to go first.

"My turn, draw!"

* * *

With Yuto and Sora

Yuto and Sora faced each other straight into the eyes, not looking away for a second. As they did that, Yuya appeared net to Yuto.

"Careful Yuto, Sora is a dangerous opponent, and now he isn't going to pull any punches. Who knows what he could pull." Yuya warned Yuto, who nodded in response.

"Yeah, I know." Yuto assured Yuya. After all, he's Dueled Sora twice already, and the second time he was being serious, so Yuto already knew what to expect here.

"Just remember, that if something goes wrong, I'm here." Yuya assured Yuto with a half-hearted smile.

"Thanks, Yuya. Oh yeah, if you don't mind, I shuffled our Decks together." Yuto revealed to Yuya.

"Don't worry about it. You can use my power anyway you want."

"Alright. Let's do this, Shiunin Sora!" Yuto called out to his opponent.

"I'll allow you to have the first move." Sora replied simply.

"Very well. My turn! I Summon Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet!" Yuto placed a Card onto his Duel Disk as a ghost with a dirty helmet appeared onto the Field.

Rusty Helmet: Level 3, 400 Atk, 800 Def

"I activate Rusty Helmet's effect! Once per turn, I can discard a Card in my Hand and then, I can Special Summon a Phantom Knights Monster from my Hand, Deck, or Grave. I discard Entermate Springoose in order to Special Summon Phantom Knights Recruiter from my Deck in Defense!" Yuto explained as another Monster appeared on his Field.

Recruiter: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1500 Def

He sent an Entermate Monster to his Grave...but only Yuya has those Cards… Sora thought to himself.

"I activate Recruiter's effect, once per turn, I can target a Monster, then, I declare a level, that Monster's level becomes the declared level. I target Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet and change his level to 4!" Yuto pointed to his chosen Monster as it gained a level.

Rusty Helmet: Level 3-4

"Now he has…" Yuya trailed off as he already knew what Yuto was doing.

"Two level 4 Monsters…" Sora unknowingly finished Yuya's sentence. "It's here." The Monster he hated, the same Monster Yuto could have used to finish him off, just by detaching one more overlay unit from the Monster. But Yuto spared him, even though they were enemies, and the look of the dragon still agitates Sora immensely. He even could have finished Sora off with Dark Rebellion in that one Duel where he and Masumi were teaming up against him. Sure, Sora was holding back, but Yuto could have easily finished him instead of going after Masumi anyway, she was a weak target to deal with, Sora was clearly the bigger threat in that Duel. "Kgh…" Sora formed a fist with his hand and clenched his teeth hardly, with his anger rising. "Bring it out, that Monster...that Monster I hate so much...BRING IT OUT...DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!"

Yuto sharpened his gaze at Sora as he continued with his move. "I, using the level 4 Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet and Phantom Knights Recruiter, overlay! With these two Monsters I construct the overlay network! Dragon with fangs of the pitch black darkness of the night, redeem the fall of your comrades and slash the pall of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Redemption Dragon!" Yuto Xyz Summoned the Monster he used against Yuzu.

Dark Redemption: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Dark...Redemption...Dragon…" Sora repeated the name of the dragon in awe. However, that awe soon turned into anger. That dragon looked just like it, the Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. The green eyes of this dragon that tore into his soul, it was just like those blank yellow eyes that Dark Rebellion has.

"Not a bad start. Dark Redemption's effect, although it's once per turn, can be activated not only on your turn, but during Sora's turn too." Yuya noted.

Yuto took a step forward, a determined look on his face. "This dragon represents the will us soldiers of the Resistance has to avenge our fallen comrades! With this dragon, we will take the next step of defeating Academia!"

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Yuto concluded as two Cards materialized in front of him.

"You...I already lost to you once, and I came close to losing in that battle royal, and you weren't even using your full strength in either of those Duels! How many times are you going to keep mocking me?!" Sora shouted in absolute anger, insulted that Yuto, in both of the other times they Dueled, was hiding a much greater power in his Deck. It was like he was looking down on him, thinking that he wasn't ready for the next step of his Deck. First is the Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, then there is that Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, and when Sora finally thinks that Monster is Yuto's final ace in the hole, he comes with THIS Monster. The feeling of being looked down on was so aggravating to Sora.

"I'll make you regret making fun of me! My turn, draw! I Summon Edge Imp Saw!" Sora slapped the Card onto his Duel Disk as a saw with two purple eyes appeared.

Edge Imp Saw: Level 3, 500 Atk, 1000 Def

"Edge Imp Saw's effect activates, when he is Normal Summoned, I can send Furnimal Sheep to the Grave in order to draw 2 Cards from my Deck!" Sora drew 2 Cards from his Deck with a lot of force. "I activate Fusion, I fuse Edge Imp Saw and Furnimal Lio! Steel blades possessed by demons. Become one with the fanged beast, and show us a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! King of the hundred beasts that tears everything to pieces! Deathtoy Wheel Saw Lio!"

Wheel Saw Lio: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate the effect of Wheel Saw Lio! Once per turn, I can target a Monster you control, destroy the Monster, and then deal damage to you equal to the Attack of the destroyed Monster! I destroy your Dark Redemption!" Sora exclaimed as Wheel Saw Lio threw a saw at Dark Redemption.

"Not so fast! I activate the effect of Dark Redemption Dragon! Once during either player's turn, I can halve the Attack of a Monster on the Field, then, Dark Redemption gains the lost amount until the end of the turn. Furthermore, I can have a Monster on my Field become invulnerable to any kind of destruction! I halve the Attack of Wheel Saw Lio, and make Dark Redemption invulnerable!" Yuto explained as Dark Redemption let out his wings as it he let out electricity at Wheel Saw Lio. "Redemption Recharge!" Wheel Saw Lio slumped down from weakness as Dark Redemption roared in fury as he powered up.

Wheel Saw Lio: 2400-1200 Atk

Dark Redemption: 2500-3700 Atk

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sora concluded. "Now, at this moment, the Attack of our Monsters return to normal, correct?"

"Yes." Yuto confirmed.

Wheel Saw Lio: 1200-2400 Atk

Dark Redemption: 3700-2500 Atk

"My turn, draw! I activate the Trap Card Phantom Knights Dark Gauntlet! With this Card, I send one Phantom Knights Magic or Trap Card to the Grave, I send Phantom Knights Secret Arsenal! Now, the effect of Secret Arsenal activates, when sent to the Grave, I can add any Phantom Knights Card from my Deck to my Hand! I add the Continuous Magic Card Phantom Knights Special Forces, which I will now activate! I use its effect, once per turn, I can banish a Phantom Knights Card from my Grave, and then I can add any Card from my Deck or Grave to the Hand. I banish Phantom Knights Rusty Helmet! With it, I-"

"Wait, Yuto!" Yuya called out to the Phantom Knights user, interrupting the latter's move.

"What is it, Yuya?" Yuto asked as he was then surrounded in a purple void, where he saw Yuya standing in front of him.

"Let me Duel Sora. I'm going to reach out to him!" Yuya revealed his plan to Yuto.

"Wait, you want to Duel, how?" Yuto asked.

"Remember that one time I took control of your body? I was wondering if we could do that again." Yuya said.

"I don't know if it will work. And even if it could, this is my fight, Yuya. I don't want you interfering in this. You had nothing to do with this and you were unfairly dragged into this. I don't want you to be involved more than you already have." Yuto argued.

"I've already been involved in this to the point where there isn't any turning back now. Plus, we still need to get to Yuzu! Not only that, but I could tell that the feelings Sora shared with us with our time together was genuine! Finally, my home is being attacked by invaders from another dimension. The least I could do is help defend instead of just sitting back and watching things happen! Let me take control, Yuto!" Yuya pleaded to Yuto with a determined look on his face.

"I…" Yuto took a moment to think about Yuya's words, before putting a smile on his face, "Alright, I give you permission of control over my body. Remember, if you ever need to rest, I'll be here to take back control. I'm counting on you, Yuya!" Yuto gave Yuya a thumbs up as the purple void around shone a bright white light.

"Oi! What's going on?! Did you get cold feet?! Get on with it!" Sora rushed Yuto, getting impatient.

Suddenly, Yuto's eyes switched from gray to red, as Yuya's image overlapped Yuto's body for a second, before disappearing.

"What the hell were you doing?!" Sora asked in an interested expression.

"Just thinking. It's been a while, Sora." Yuya said.

"What? His voice is slightly different...it almost sounds like…" Sora trailed off in a whisper as Yuya continued with his move.

"Anyways, I add Entermate Call Back to my Hand! Now, I activate Dark Redemption's effect, Redemption Recharge!" Yuya exclaimed.

Wheel Saw Lio: 2400-1200 Atk

Dark Redemption: 2500-3700 Atk

"Now, I make Dark Redemption invulnerable to destruction! From the Grave, I activate Phantom Knights Recruiter's effect! By banishing this Card, I can, once per turn, Special Summon a Phantom Knights Monster from my Hand or Deck! From the Deck, I Special Summon Phantom Knights Paladin!" Yuya took an ejected Card from his Deck and placed it on his Duel Disk.

Phantom Knights Paladin: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def

"I activate Paladin's effect! When this Card is Summoned, I can destroy a Monster on the Field, and then Paladin gains Attack equal to the Attack of the destroyed Monster. Wheel Saw Lio had 1200 Attack, so Paladin gains that amount!" Paladin sent out a wave at Lio.

"I don't think so! Trap Card, Deathtoy Backup! When a Deathtoy Monster I control would be destroyed by Battle or Card effect, the Monster is not destroyed, and then the Monster gains 800 Attack!" Sora countered as he opened his Trap. Paladin's wave struck Lio, but it had no effect. Lio gained a purple aura as it powered up.

Lio: 1200-2000 Atk

"I activate my set Card, Phantom Draw! By banishing 3 Phantom Knights Cards in my Hand, Grave, or Field, I can draw 3 Cards. I banish Phantom Knights secret Arsenal, Phantom Knights Paladin and Phantom Knights Special Forces! I draw 3 Cards and activate the additional effect of Special Forces!" Yuya declared as he raised his hand into the air. "When this Card leaves the Field, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Deck! Appear! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Odd Eyes roared in fury as he appeared onto the Field.

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Odd Eyes...Pendulum Dragon?! Why do you have that Card?! That's Yuya's!" Sora spoke in confusion and shock.

"That's right! I am Yuya! Wake up Sora! Can't you see, it's me, Sakaki Yuya! Don't you see that everything Academia is doing is wrong!" Yuya tried to convince Sora that it was him and that he should defect from Academia, but to no avail.

"No! Academia's goal is noble! Not only that, you're NOT Yuya! You're that Xyz Loser." Sora stated, not knowing that he was wrong.

"If my words won't convince you...the my Dueling will! Battle, go, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Wheel Saw Lio! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya shouted as his ace Monster jumped into the air, letting out a spiral torrent of flames as Wheel Saw.

"Damn." Sora cursed as he jumped to a floating platform, where he saw an Action Card, which he grabbed and activated. "Action Magic, Miracle! The destruction of my Monster is negated, and battle damage is halved!"

"True, but you will still take the damage. And, when Odd Eyes battle a level 5 or higher Monster, the battle damage is doubled, Reaction Force!" Yuya bellowed as Odd Eyes put more force into his attack, which struck Lio. Sora flinched from the damage.

Sora: 4000-3500 LP

"How about this, Dark Redemption Dragon, attack! Siege of Redemption!" Yuya declared as the dragon's fangs glowed a green light, then, a lightning bolt bolted towards Lio from the fangs. Yuya took this time to grab an Action Card. "Action Magic, Flame Chain, I'll have Lio lose 400 Attack!"

Sora grit his teeth out of frustration as he jumped to another platform to grab another Action Card. "Action Magic, No Action! I negate and destroy your Action Card!"

"The attack still continues!" Yuya reminded Sora as the lightning bolt connected, blowing Sora back, who was yelling in pain. He almost plummeted into the lava below, but he managed to grab onto the rocky bridge and lift himself up, saving his life.

Sora: 3500-1800 LP

"You say you want to help him, but you almost killed him." Yuto informed Yuya the obvious.

"Damn it! No, I don't believe this! You're not Yuya! You couldn't be. How would you have Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon? The only way you would have it is if you were to force it away from him, since that idiot is too stubborn to just let someone take his Odd Eyes! Plus, you may have the same face as Yuya, and you may all of a sudden sound like him, but you don't look anything like him." Sora stated his reasons for why he thought Yuya wasn't...well, Yuya.

"I set a Card and end my turn. At this moment, the Attack of Dark Redemption returns to 2500." Yuya concluded as he felt a pain rush through him, Yuto also felt this pain. The next thing they knew, Yuya wasn't in control, Yuto was.

"What the..." Yuya trailed off in awe as he looked at his hands, which were translucent.

"It seems that possession was only for a certain amount of time. Sorry Yuya, but I'll take the rest from here." Yuto told Yuya, who disappeared back into Yuto's body.

"I won't lose, not again! My turn, draw!"

* * *

Meanwhile

"I activate the Magic Card Fusion!"

"What?! Fusion?!" Obelisk Force Yellow exclaimed as he said what was on the other Obelisk Force members' minds.

"I'll fuse Volcanic Doomfire and Volcanic Buckshot! Two sparks of fire burn brightly, now merge into one burst of flames that can never be put out! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, level 7! Volcanic Avenger!" O'Brien chanted as his Fusion Monster appeared.

Volcanic Avenger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 2300 Def

"The effect of Volcanic Buckshot activates, when sent to the Grave, you take 500 points of damage. I inflict 500 damage to you!" O'Brien pointed to Obelisk Force White, who widened his eyes in shock as a portal to the grave opened, out came a fireball which struck the White, making him stumble.

Obelisk Force White: 4000-3500 LP

"I activate the effect of Volcanic Avenger! Once per turn, I can target a Fire-Type Monster in my Grave and deal damage to you equal to the level of the targeted Monster times 200. I target Volcanic Doomfire, who has a level of 8, so I'll inflict 1600 damage to you!" O'Brien pointed to Obelisk Force White, who was knocked back by a fireball coming from Volcanic Avenger.

Obelisk Force White: 3500-1900 LP

"If you think I'm done, you're hardly mistaken. From my Hand, I activate the effect of Volcanic Fusioner, using this Card and another Volcanic Monster as materials, I can Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck. I fuse this Card with Volcanic Avenger. Monster with flames that can't be out, Beast that combines all flames, become one here and now, and create an eternal flame of destruction! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, level 8, Volcanic Eterno!" O'Brien's new Monster appeared to the Field. It had a body formed like a volcano, with a top with a fire burning and two bright orange eyes.

Volcanic Eterno: Level 8, 3200 Atk, 2500 Def

"Eterno's effect activates, when this Card is Fusion Summoned, I can inflict damage to one of you equal to the Attack of one of the Fusion Materials, I use Volcanic Avenger's Attack and inflict 2500 points of damage to you!" O'Brien pointed to Obelisk Force Blue as Eterno punched him with a fist of flames, sending Blue flying back.

Blue: 4000-1500 LP

"Fortunately for you, the turn Eterno uses this effect, his Attack is halved until the end of the turn." O'Brien stated the downside, much to the relief of the Obelisk Force.

Eterno: 3200-1600 Atk

"I end my turn." O'Brien concluded.

Eterno: 1600-3200 Atk

"My turn, draw! I Summon Big Jaws!" Shark Summoned his shark as it swam to the Field...actually, it just kind of floated.

Big Jaws: Level 3, 1800 Atk, 300 Def

"I, using the level 3 Big Jaws and Wall of Sharks overlay! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 3, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!"

Aero Shark: Rank 3, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate Aero Shark's effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can inflict 400 damage to you for each Card in my Hand! I have 4 Cards, so I inflict 1600 points of damage to you!" Shark told Obelisk Force Purple, who jumped at being called. Aero Shark proceeded to shoot the soldier with multiple bullets, causing the soldier to crouch down and groan as pain rushed through his body.

Obelisk Force Purple: 4000-2400 LP

"From my Hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic High Tide Force, using this Card and Aero Shark, I can Xyz Summon a Monster who has 1 Rank higher than Aero Shark! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, unappeased soul of the past that dwells aboard the ARK! Rise from the abyss where there is only darkness, and no light can reach it! Rank 4, Silent Honor ARK!"

ARK: Rank 4, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate Silent Honor's effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, this Card can absorb any Card on the Field, and then, if the Card was a Monster, this Monster the Attack of the absorbed Monster! I absorb...O'Brien's Volcanic Eterno!" Shark revealed, shocking everyone except O'Brien. Why would he take his Monster? O'Brien would be left open. However, no one protested as Eterno was turned into an overlay unit and started to orbit Silent Honor.

ARK: 2100-5300 Atk

"5-5300 Attack?!" Obelisk Force Red gawked a the sight of the powered up Monster.

"Magic Card, Xyz Assault, activate! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can allow Silent Honor ARK to attack twice this turn." Shark said.

Shark: 2000-1000 LP

"Battle! Go, Silent Honor ARK, attack Ancient Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" Shark declared battle against the hound on Obelisk Force Purple's fear, Silent Honor rammed into the hound, destroying it immediately. Obelisk Force Purple yelled in pain as his life dropped to 0. He dropped to the ground unconscious.

Obelisk Force Purple: 2400-0 LP

"I'm not done, attack Ancient Gear Ultimate Hound Dog!" Shark shouted Silent Honor shot Ultimate Hound Dog, destroying the dog, sending Obelisk Force Yellow flying back as he hit the ground, unconscious.

Obelisk Force Yellow: 2000-0 LP

"I end my turn. Your up, Gongenzaka." Shark closed his eyes.

"Right, I won't mess up this opportunity that you gave me, Shark!" Gongenzaka assured Shark. "My turn, draw!"

* * *

Back with Yuto and Sora

"I acitvate Re-Fusion, I pay 800 Life Points in order to revive Wheel Saw Lio." Sora flinched as Lio reappeared.

Sora: 1800-1000 LP

"I activate Wheel Saw Lio's effect, once per turn, I can destroy a Monster you control, and then deal damage to you equal to the Attack of the destroyed Monster. I target that annoying Dark Redemption Dragon!" Wheel Saw Lio threw a saw at said Monster. Yuto spotted an Action Card on a stalagmite above him.

"Dark Redemption!" Yuto called out to his Monster as he jumped on his back. "Up there!" Yuto pointed to the Action Card. Following his command, the dragon flew up into the air towards the Action Card.

"Oh no you don't!" Sora yelled, he pointed to his Monster, and then to where Yuto was. "Send another saw!" Wheel Saw sent out a saw coming towards Yuto, who was caught off guard. Luckily, Dark Redemption flew down just in time. However, the saw continued to the stalagmite, it sliced the Action Card in half, causing it to disperse into little yellow particles.

Wheel Saw Lio sent one more saw, which struck Dark Redemption, causing the dragon to disappear, leaving Yuto to fall into the lava. Fortunately, Odd Eyes held out his tail, Yuto quickly, out of instinct, grabbed the tail. Odd Eyes moved his tail back onto the bridge, where Yuto let go. Sweat started to form on Yuto's brow. That near-death experience frightened him.

Yuto: 4000-1500 LP

Yuto gave Odd Eyes a quick nod of thanks before making his move. "When Dark Redemption Dragon is destroyed, I can destroy all Cards in my Pendulum Zones, there aren't any, so I'll skip that step. I get to place this Card in the Pendulum Zone."'

Dark Redemption appeared to the Field once again as he flew up higher to Yuto's left side as a light blue column enveloped him. The number '2' was shown below him.

Dark Redemption: Scale 2

"Pendulum?! No, I'm not losing! I'm not finished! I Summon Furnimal Owl." Sora showed Yuto the Card before putting it on his Duel Disk with force.

Furnimal Owl: Level 2, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this Card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can add Fusion to my Hand, which I will activate now, I fuse Furnimal Owl with Deathtoy Wheel Saw Lio! Fusion Summon! Come forth, level 8, Deathtoy Sabre Tiger!" Sora Fusion Summoned his Monster.

Sabre Tiger: Level 8, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate the effect of Sabre Tiger, when this Card is Fusion Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Deathtoy Monster in my Graveyard, ignoring its Summoning conditions. Come back, Deathtoy Wheel Saw Lio!" Sora pointed to an empty Monster Zone, which was then filled up with Wheel Saw Lio. "Since Sabre Tooth is on the Field, all Deathtoy Monsters gain 400 Attack for every Deathtoy or Furnimal Monster on the Field. Both of my Monsters gain 800 Attack."

Sabre Tooth: 2400-3200 Atk

Wheel Saw Lio: 2400-3200 Atk

"Since Wheel Saw Lio left the Field, I can use its once per turn effect again! (This ain't cheating, this actually can happen in real life.) I destroy Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Wheel Saw Lio threw a saw at Odd Eyes.

"Like I would let you! I activate my set Card." Yuto threw a hand towards his set Card, which revealed itself to Sora. "Quick-Play, Entermate Call Back!"

"What's this?" Sora muttered in confusion. He had never seen Yuya use that Card before, but this Xyz Loser doesn't use Entermate Monsters, but there was goose thing earlier...could this guy really be Yuya...is Yuya...somehow residing inside him? No, that's impossible. That is what Sora thought, little did he know that he was wrong.

"With Call Back, I can move an Entermate or Odd Eyes Monster to my Extra Deck, then, I can Special Summon a Entermate or Odd Eyes Monster from my Hand, Deck, Extra Deck, or Graveyard whose level is equal to or lower than the moved Monster. I move Odd Eyes to the Extra Deck! Now, from my Deck, I Special Summon Entermate Gumgumouton!"

Gumgumouton: Level 5, 900 Atk, 2400 Def

"Battle! Go, Sabre Tooth, attack Gumgumouton!" Sabre Tooth charged at Yuto's Monster.

"From the Grave, I use Entermate Call Back's additional effect, by banishing it from the Grave, I can negate the destruction of Gumgumouton!" The attack collided with Gumgumouton, splattering itself everywhere. However, the Monster simply regenerated.

"Time to destroy your Monster, go, Wheel Saw Lio!" Wheel Saw Lio jumped on top of Gumgumouton.

"I activate Gumgumouton's Monster effect, if this Card would be destroyed by battle, I can return one Card in the Pendulum Zone to my Hand instead, and then I place this Card in the Pendulum Zone. I return Dark Redemption to my Hand, but since it is an Xyz Monster, it goes back to the Extra Deck." Yuto reminded Sora as he placed the Card in his Extra Deck compartment. Gumgumouton dodged the attack and flew up to the Pendulum Zone as Dark Redemption turned into a purple orb, traveling back into his Card.

Gumgumouton: Scale 1

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sora concluded. Sora gave Yuto a dirty smirk. "Hah, this isn't looking good for you, Mr. Xyz Loser. You may have 4 Cards in your Hand, but I don't see what you can do to get past this. Also, there is no way you are going to trick me into thinking that you are Yuya. Hmm...maybe after all of this is over...I should take a visit to Academia, and visit that person you are fond of…"

Yuto gasped, knowing who Sora was talking about. "You mean...Ruri!"

"Yes. I'll tell her about how you failed to save her, and that he never thought of coming after her." Sora said in a mock tone towards Yuto, trying to anger him.

"Take one step close to her, and I'll make you pay!" Yuto told Sora in an agitated tone, his anger rising.

"Maybe I'll...I don't know...Card her!" Sora exclaimed, getting a sadistic grin on his face.

Something in Yuto snapped. "RAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The next thing he knew, he was in a light blue void, his anger continuing to rise.

"Yuto! Yuto! Yuto!" Yuya called out to the Xyz user, getting his attention. "You're not the only one who is mad...I'm also mad...at how I can't do ANYTHING TO HELP!"

Outside, Yuto's body shone with a bright blue light, making Sora shield his eyes.

"What...is going on here?" Sora questioned. He gasped when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of him. He thought the Xyz Loser had been lying. But he was there. That person he also needed to pay back, since he had a losing streak against him. It was the true owner of the Odd Eyes and Entermate Cards...the green and red hair all but gave it away…

It was Yuya…

"Sora!" Yuya spoke, finally back in his own body. "I will defeat you, with my own hands...and we will save this dimension!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Wall of Sharks Monster, Fish, Water: When a player would take effect damage, you can negate the damage and Special Summon this Card from your Hand.**

 **Phantom Knights Special Forces Magic, Continuous: Once per turn, you can banish a Phantom Knights Monster in your Grave, add any Card from your Deck to your Hand. When this Card leaves the Field, you can Special Summon a Monster from your Deck.**

 **Phantom Draw Magic: Banish 3 Phantom Knights Cards from your Hand, Field, or Grave, draw 3 Cards.**

 **Volcanic Eterno: When this Card is Fusion Summoned, you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Attack of one of this Card's Fusion Materials. If this Card were to be destroyed, you can banish a Volcanic Monster in your Graveyard instead. If this Card is destroyed, you can move all banished Volcanic Monsters back into your Graveyard.**

* * *

 **Ok, so I could have finished both Duels this chapter, but since I haven't updated this story in a million years, I decided to call this a chapter and finish the Duels (Actually the Obelisk Force Duel will have the same ending in the anime so I might skip that, also for the Yuto vs Sora Duel, I feel comfortable stopping there and continuing next chapter) next chapter, and then most likely set up for the Duel in the chapter after that.**

 **I am VERY sorry for the update time.**

 **I was either planning ahead for the story, or I was just forgetting about this chapter. The fact that I forgot is very unfair to you guys, for that I'm sorry.**

 **Since you basically know what's happening next chapter, no preview.**

 **I will try to update faster next time.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: Yeah, I like it when Yuya is serious too, and has a better outlook on life instead of what was shown in the anime.**

 **Rgriffin8999: I prefer the sub names over the dub in Gx. And for 5ds, well, unless I include Aki, the names for the characters are exactly the same. And even if I include Aki/Akiza, there wouldn't be much of a difference. Aki could be a nickname for Akiza, and the last name is similar enough.**

 **Matrixnis: Yeah, I noticed how I haven't used them, especially O'Brien, so I decided to show them off here.**

 **thetiger39: I really didn't like how they treated the bracelet girls, especially the one who has only had one Duel that isn't a flashback, I'm looking at you Rin.**

 **Mekyaku: Well, about Mitchie, Yuya was at the weaker stages of his Deck, he didn't use any Summoning methods except Pendulum. He was still trying to evolve. Yeah, so Yuto vs Sora, I kind of want Yuya to have the spotlight in the Duel instead of Yuto, since I have recently realized how mean I have been to Yuya. I haven't gave him a single win yet.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now.**

 **Again, I am sorry for the VERY late update, I will try to update faster next time.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	50. The End of the Battle

"My turn, draw!" Yuya drew his Card and glanced at it, he held it in front of him as Yuto appeared right next to him. "That's weird, I've never seen this Card in my Deck before. Is this one of your Cards, Yuto?"

" _No. It's not. It's like what happened with Dark Requiem and Dark Redemption…"_ Yuto answered as he sunk into his thoughts.

"This what happened to my Fusion Monsters and my Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon...one moment I don't have them, the next moment, I do." Yuya told Yuto.

" _Well, we have no time to dwell on this now. We have to beat Sora."_ Yuto spoke to Yuya.

"Right! Well then this approach should do! Sora, I'm sure you remember these!" Yuya took two Cards from his Hand and showed them to Sora.

"No, not Pendulum!" Sora widened his eyes as he saw the Cards, much to his dismay.

"I set the Scale 8 Synthesis Magician with the already set Scale 1 Entermate Gumgumouton!" Yuya quickly placed a new Card on the other side of his Duel Disk. The word PENDULUM appeared.

Gumgumouton: Scale 1

Synthesis Magician: Scale 8

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are from 2 to 7! Swing, Pendulum of my Soul, carve an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my Monsters!" Yuya chanted as a blue portal opened up between his two Scales, 3 beams came flying out. "First, from my Extra Deck, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! And now from my Hand, Entermate Longphone Bull, Entermate Whip Viper and Scales Magician!"

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Longphone Bull: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1200 Def

Whip Viper: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 900 Def

"Longphone Bull's effect activates! When this Monster is Special Summoned, I can add an Entermate Monster with 1000 or less Attack from my deck to my Hand. I add Entermate Rain Goat to my Hand!" Yuya showed his desired Card to Sora. At that moment, Yuto appeared next to Yuya.

" _Want to save yourself from some effect damage?" Yuto questioned Yuya just to make sure._

"Yes, who knows what could happen. I've got to stay cautious." Yuya said.

" _Hmm...odd...but from your memories that I have...ahem…'seen…' it looked like you loved taking risks in a Duel."_ Yuto raised an eyebrow at Yuya, surprised at his response.

"I used to...but after looking at your memories...basically experiencing the attack on your homeland, I've decided that taking risks is only going to get in the way. Dueling for smiles...I don't know if that's an ideal goal anymore. I can't forgive Academia now for what they did. Sora...on the other hand...it's only because of the time he spent with the You Show crew, I can tell that the feelings he had with us were genuine. I'm done messing around Yuto, I'm done treating myself like an idiot anymore, making fun of myself so that other people could laugh at me. I'm done with it all!" Yuya exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes.

Yuto stared at his Standard Counterpart. He closed his eyes. This wasn't the time to start arguing now.

" _Let's worry about this later. Of course, my power is at your disposal. Good luck, Yuya."_ Yuto wished the Entermate user luck as he disappeared.

"Alright, Yuto. And I will use some of your power right now! I, using the level 4 Entermate Whip Viper and Entermate Longphone Bull, overlay!" Yuya declared as his two Monsters flew into the portal that appeared in front of him.

"Xyz! Don't tell me...Dark Redemption again!" Sora widened his eyes in fear.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuya Xyz Summoned Yuto's ace Monster as said Monster flew into the air and let out its wings with a roar as a bolt of lightning struck behind him before crashing to the ground behind Yuya.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Sora formed a fist with his hand at the sight of Dark Rebellion. He grit his teeth until they hurt. "That Monster…"

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster you control, and then, until the end of the turn, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount! Treason Discharge!" Dark Rebellion let out its wings and shot towards Sora's Wheel Saw Lio, the Monster slumped from weakness as Dark Rebellion roared.

Wheel Saw Lio: 3200-1600 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-4100 Atk

"No, not again!" Sora growled in anger.

"I'm not done yet, Sora! I once again activate the effect of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Treason Discharge!" What had just occurred was repeated again as Dark Rebellion's second overlay unit was detached. This time however, the selected Monster was Sabre Tooth.

Sabre Tooth: 3200-1600 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 4100-5700 Atk

"Battle! Go, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Attack Deathtoy Wheel Saw Lio! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Yuya declared battle as Dark Rebellion flew towards Wheel Saw Lio with electricity surging through his fangs as he flew upwards, trying to stab Sora's Monster.

"Continuous Trap, activate! Wall of Fusion!" Sora revealed his set Card to Yuya. "When I control 2 or more Fusion Monsters, I can send one of my Monsters to the Grave to negate the battle and end the Battle Phase! I send Sabre Tooth to the Grave!" Wheel Saw Lio jumped over Dark Rebellion, the latter wheeled around and flew back to Yuya. "Since Sabre Tooth is gone, Lio loses the Attack boost!"

Wheel Saw Lio: 1600-800 Atk

"Kgh…I set a Card and end my turn." Yuya concluded as a Card materialized in front of him. "At this moment, Dark Rebellion's effect ends, and the Attack of our Monsters returns to normal."

Wheel Saw Lio: 800-2400 Atk (Umm...so, if you want, you can correct me if I got this wrong, but I think the Attack returns to 2400.)

Dark Rebellion: 5700-2500 Atk

"I won't lose to you again! My turn, draw! I activate Wheel Saw Lio's effect! Once per turn, I can destroy a Monster you control, and then I can inflict damage to you equal to the Attack of the destroyed Monster! I destroy Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Wheel Saw through a saw at Odd Eyes. The saw struck the Monster, destroying him.

"Not so fast, from my Hand, I activate Entermate Rain Coat's effect! When I would take effect damage, I can send this Card to the Grave instead!" Yuya countered.

"Grr! I Summon Edge Imp DT Modoki!" Sora placed the Card onto his Duel Disk.

DT Modoki: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1300 Def

"I will show you my power! I won't lose again! When DT Modoki is on the FIeld, it is treated as a Deathtoy Monster! Now, I activate the Magic Card Deathtoy Fusion! I banish Deathtoy DT Modoki, and the Wheel Saw Lio on my Field with the Sabre Tooth in my Grave! Unusual plaything possessed by demons! Root out and destroy the plebeians who dare rebel against you! Fusion Summon! Come forth and appear, chimeric fusion of all toys! Deathtoy Mad Chimera!" Sora brought his hands together as he widened his eyes. His Monster appeared and destroyed some of the stalactites, which fell into the lava.

Chimera: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def

"Battle! Go, Chimera, destroy Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Sora yelled as he pointed at Dark Rebellion. Chimera shot a rocket at Dark Rebellion.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Entermate Gumgumouton! Once per turn, when a Monster I control would be destroyed, I can have that Monster not be destroyed by that battle!" Yuya lifted his hand up to Gumgumouton as Dark Rebellion and the rocket collided with each other, causing a massive explosion, shaking the area, causing more stalactites to fall. When the smoke cleared, Dark Rebellion was still standing.

Yuya: 1500-1200 LP

Sora jumped to his left and grabbed an Action Card, which he activated. "Action Magic, Single Distraction! When there is one Monster on your Field, I can destroy that Monster. Say goodbye to Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Sora bellowed as a lightning bolt flew towards Dark Rebellion at great speeds, destroying the dragon. Yuya covered his eyes as his Monster was destroyed.

"I end my turn. Face it, it's over! Dark Rebellion is gone! Those two scales are useless, and if Chimera attacks or is attacked, you can't activate any Magic or Trap Cards! And even if you do Pendulum Summon Odd Eyes again, it's only delaying the inevitable!" Sora taunted Yuya.

 _He's right, my set Card is Shuffle Reborn! I can only activate that when I control no Cards. This Phantom Knights Card in my Hand isn't going to do anything for me either! I could Pendulum Summon back Odd Eyes, but Sora is right, he could just destroy it again, and he could just get another Monster to finish me off. This one draw is all I have left._ Yuya thought as he closed his eyes and placed a hand on the top of his Deck. _I need to do this, to keep everyone safe! So please, my Deck, give me the Card I need._

"My turn!" Yuya shot open his eyes. "Draw!" Yuya eyed the Card and widened his eyes with a gasp. He didn't ever have this Card in his Deck either. And even still, he couldn't do anything with this Card. Unless…

"Yuto...I think we should unleash the final plan. When it all goes wrong, we have to give into...that Monster." Yuya said.

" _You're talking about that new Monster we got against the Obelisk Force, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon?"_ Yuto asked with a serious expression, remembering that the Card was still in the Extra Deck. Like he had with Dark Requiem, he didn't trust the Monster. Unlike Dark Requiem, Odd Eyes Rebellion had a never ending anger and darkness to it. It was like an undomesticated animal.

"It's our only chance. If we don't take the chance, we will lose." Yuya told Yuto with determination in his eyes. "We won't be taken over by that darkness! We can fight it. Besides, most of the time the darkness has only been initiated by rage before, if I remember correctly."

" _Hmm…"_ Yuto pondered on Summoning the deadly dragon. It was powerful indeed, but the dragon was dangerous. However, considering the circumstances. _"Do it."_ Yuto sighed in defeat.

Yuya nodded in response.

"Come on, hurry up!" Sora rushed Yuya, getting impatient.

At that moment, Shark, O'Brien, Shun, Sawatari, Tsukikage, Gongenzaka, Dennis, who was carrying Mieru, and Serena walked into the arena, looking at the Duel immediately with interest.

"Shiunin Sora! Yuto! " Shun noted the two Duelists. However, he didn't know Yuto was inside Yuya, and that Yuya was in control.

"Sora! What is the meaning of this?! Are you really ok with siding with Academia?!" Gongenzaka asked the boy who he thought was his friend. "What about the friends back at You Show?!"

"Friends? Ridiculous." Sora whispered, causing Gongenzaka to look on in confusion. "I only faked being your friend. Now, it's time that we end this."

"You're right, Sora." Yuya spoke. It was at this moment that Gongenzaka took note of the voice.

"Yuya! You're alright!" Gongenzaka exclaimed in joy. "Is that actually you?!"

"Yeah." Yuya gave a thumbs up and smile at Gongenzaka, before looking back at Sora. "Sora, I thought you were our friend, but it seems like I was wrong. It's time to end this! From the Grave, I activate Entermate Spring Goose's effect! By banishing this Card from the Grave, I can target two Cards on my Field and return them to the Hand. I return Synthesis Magician and Entermate Gumgumouton!"

"Wait! When did that Monster go into the Grave?!" Sora wondered out loud.

"It was on the very first turn of the game." Yuya reminded Sora.

"Wait, you mean that in the first turn, when you Summoned Rusty Helmet, and you discarded a Card, you mean to tell me the discarded Card was…" Sora trailed off, waiting for Yuya to answer.

"Yes, the discarded Card was Spring Goose." Yuya confirmed.

"On the very first of the game? If that's true...then that was a good thought out plan for the future, being prepared for a situation like this." Serena admitted.

"Anyways, now that I control no Cards, I will activate my set Card Shuffle Reborn! With this, I can Special Summon a Monster in my Grave with its effects negated. Revive, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." A portal to the Grave opened as Dark Rebellion emerged from it like a vampire, roaring as he let out his wings.

"Dark Rebellion?!" Shun gaped at the sight of his best friend's ace a Monster.

" _Together, Yuya!"_ Yuto told his counterpart.

"Let's do this, Yuto." Yuya's red eyes glowed gray for a second, before switching back to red as he showed Sora two Cards. "I, using the Scale 3 Antithesis Magician…"

" _And the Scale 8 Synthesis Magician…"_ Yuto continued.

"Set the Pendulum Scale!" Both counterparts spoke in unison as they threw the Cards on to each side of the Duel Disk as the two magicians flew into the air on both of Yuya's sides.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are from 4 to 7! Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monster!" Yuya lifted his hand into the air at the blue portal that opened as a big beam of red light came out. The Monster revealed himself to be Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"Once again Odd Eyes...I remember that I got done in last time by the fact that Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck when destroyed." Sora informed Yuya with a smirk.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Antithesis Magician! Once per turn, I can target one Xyz Monster to have it gain a level equal to its Rank!" Yuya explained as three beams of blue light came from Antithesis, raining down on Dark Rebellion as the dragon howled to the air.

" _I grant Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon a level of 4!"_ Yuto revealed as he continued Yuya's explanation.

"Giving an Xyz Monster a level?!" Sora froze out of shock and fear.

"Synthesis Magician's Pendulum effect! Once per turn, I can target a Monster to make it the same level as another Monster! I make Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's level the same as Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon's, 7!"

"Now he has two level 7 Monsters…" Sora murmured as the lollipop he had in his mouth almost fell to the ground. The people watching the Duel only looked on in interest.

"Wait! Don't tell me he's going to Summon that Monster!" Gongenzaka realized. "Yuya, don't!"

"I, using the level 7 Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, overlay!" Yuya declared.

" _With these two Monsters, we construct the Overlay Network!"_ Yuto finished.

"Dragon of dual colored eyes. Unleash that black scale of wrath, eradicate all opposing enemies! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! Dragon with eyes of rage! Supreme King Black Dragon - Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" Both boys chanted as Yuya's pendant glowed blue as the infamous Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon took flight.

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon: Level 7, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

While having a look of fear on his face, it quickly disappeared as Sora grinned. "This is fun! This is really fun, Yuya! An Xyz Pendulum Monster?! This is why Duels with you are always exciting!"

"Fun?" Yuya spoke in a questioning manner. Sora gasped as he heard the tone in Yuya's voice. "Ridiculous! With Academia doing horrible things like Carding people and invading a place out of the blue when they did nothing wrong, there IS NO ROOM for fun! Not anymore!" The trauma and pain he experienced when his Dad disappeared, along with the fact that he basically experienced Yuto's memories as if he was there, it changed Yuya, he was no longer the boy who Dueled for smiles. "I hate Academia. But Sora, I could tell that the smile and joy you had with us at You Show, the feelings you had, I could tell they weren't fake. The truth is Sora, even if you don't come back, you still got something from being here!"

"No! You're wrong! I didn't get anything!" Sora denied the fact quickly, a panicked expression on his face.

"If you didn't get anything from your stay here, then why were you using Action Cards this Duel? Why did you even bother to teach Yuzu Fusion Summoning?!" Yuya interrogated, leaving the boy speechless. "Admit it Sora, you must have felt something in your time with us! And I'm going to make you open your eyes! I Summon Phantom Knights Dusty Robe!" The knight in purple and red robes with a ghostly face took to the Field.

Dusty Robe: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Dusty Robe…" Shun whispered to himself so that no one could hear him.

"I activate Dusty Robe's effect, by changing this Card to Defense Position, I can increase the Attack of a Dark Monster I control by 800!" Yuya took the Card of the ghost and switched to the Defense Position. "I increase the Attack of Odd Eyes Rebellion!"

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon: 3000-3800 Atk

"Battle! Go, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack Deathtoy Chimera! Rebellious Wrath Strike Disobey!" Odd Eyes Rebellion dove into the ground as he charged at Sora's Monster.

"I activate Wall of Fusion's additional effect, when I control only 1 Fusion Monster, I can increase the Attack of that Fusion Monster by 1000 by sending this Card to the Grave!" Sora declared as his Trap was sent to the Grave.

Chimera: 2800-3800 Atk

Both Yuya and Sora eyed an Action Card, which got blown onto the ceiling on a stalactite. They made a mad dash for it, Sora could have made it first, but he had to slow down to avoid getting hit by Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon. Both Duelists jumped for the Action, letting out a yell as they reached for it. However…

A bell rang as the Action Card they were reaching for disappeared, much to the shock of everyone in the room. Both Yuya and Sora landed on the ground and quickly turned around to face each other. The next thing everyone knew, the Action Field disappeared.

"The Battle Royale is over!" Nico's voice was heard from afar.

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka called out to his friend.

Yuya turned to the voice and gave a smile, glad to see that his friend was ok. "Gongenzak-" Yuya was cut off by a sharp pain. He crouched down to the ground and panted in pain. He felt very drained now. The next thing Yuya knew, his sight was fading, soon, Yuya blacked out, and Yuto found himself back in control of the body, much to his surprise.

"Yuya?! Yuya?!" Yuto tried to call out to the Odd Eyes user. Yuya appeared next to Yuto with a look of confusion on his face. They didn't have time to talk as Yuto stood up and turned over to the spectators. "Shark! O'Brien! And...Yuzu!"

Dennis heard a sound coming from Mieru. He looked at the girl, who opened her eyes. She gasped out in shock and immediately jumped off Dennis.

"Hiragi Yuzu! You were making moves on another guy while seducing Darling!" Mieru accused Serena, taking notice of her and mistaking her for Yuzu.

"I am not Yuzu." Serena revealed, shocking everyone.

"Wait, then where is Yuzu?" Both Yuya and Yuto unintentionally spoke at the same time, although everyone could only hear Yuto.

"I looked, but all I found was this girl." Dennis answered as he looked at Mieru, who was holding her head in pain.

A realization hit Yuto and Yuya. "Don't tell me!" Yuto turned to Sora, who jumped and pressed a button on his Duel Disk, his body was enveloped with a blue light before disappearing. "Shiunin Sora!"

"I saw all of your Duels." A voice said from above. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw…

" _Akaba Reiji!"_ Yuya exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile-At Academia

Sora returned to Academia in the courtyard. He appeared right in front of a student in a red jacket, who jumped out of fear and ran away. Sora noticed that other than the guy who ran away, there wasn't anyone in the area.

"Damn it! A No Result!" Sora cursed at the fact that he couldn't beat Yuya. "But what was that? One moment, I'm Dueling the Xyz bastard, and then I'm Dueling Yuya...did I really feel something from my time at Standard? And also...Yuya calling having fun in a Duel ridiculous?! He basically threw away his ideals right there...that's nothing Yuya would do. From what I heard, he would keep talking about how his father was his role model and taught him to Duel with smiles and have fun...but then there is Yuzu...was she taken...and what happened to the Xyz guy who looked just like Yuya? After the Duel, Yuya crouched down and he looked like he was in pain...then after when he got up, he started acting like the Xyz guy...what is going on here?"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Wall of Fusion Continuous Trap: When you control two or more Fusion Monsters and an opponent's Monster declares an attack, you can send one of your Monsters to the Grave, negate the Attack and end the Battle Phase. When you control only 1 Fusion Monster, you can send this Card to the Grave, that Fusion Monster gains 1000 Attack.**

 **Also, I changed Shuffle Reborn a bit so that it can only be activated when you control no Cards, and so its second effect where shuffling a Card into the Deck and drawing a**

 **Card was an optional thing.**

 **Finally, I forgot to mention all the other times Dusty Robe was used, but I changed the effect slightly so Dark Monsters could have the Attack increased, not just Phantom Knights Monsters unlike the anime, still not going to have the Grave effect from real life though.**

* * *

 **Here we are!**

 **Finally, a new chapter. So for this, I was debating on whether I should have the Duel be a No Result or in Yuya's win, since I haven't given Yuya a win that he hasn't already gotten in canon. However, I decided to end it in a No Result cause I looked back on the story yesterday and realized that I kind of have been bullying Sora a lot. So, for Sora's Duel ratio, I decided to end a Duel in a No Result instead of him losing.**

 **Next chapter is the end of the Standard arc…(I think)**

 **Here is the preview.**

 **Yuya, who is stricken with anger inside of Yuto, challenges Akaba Reiji to a Duel, claiming that he will make him grovel since Yuzu could have been Carded. As the Duel goes on and Yuya and Yuto repeatingly fight over control of the body, certain things are revealed to everyone present.**

 **Venomous Blade: Glad to have you back, I always wanted Yuya to take the war more seriously, and actually give up the smile thing for a while, kind of like Judai/Jaden in late Season 3 and Season 4 in Gx and Yuma near the end of Zexal.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: The writers definitely could have done more with the fact that Yuya and Yuto were stuck together, and since they are basically each other's foils, but the chance was wasted and the interactions were just meh most of the time.**

 **Bridgey: I'm still debating on if I should include Aki, I'm thinking of something that I could do for her, but it might get some controversy from people, so that's why I'm thinking about it, my plan kind of had to do something with Yugo. (No not a relationship)**

 **Matrixnis: Technically, the lowest life points was Yugi and Dartz in their Duel, where they both had Cards that kept them in the game when they didn't even have any life points.**

 **rgriffin8999: For the sake of removing spoilers, I am not going to state my plan for Ruri here.**

 **That's all for now guys.**


	51. Duel with Reiji

"You came at a good time." Sawatari spoke to Akaba Reiji, who had just made his unexpected and badass entrance. "I chased out that Academia bunch just like you told me to. I guess this makes me one of your Lancers now!"

"Lancers?" Gongenzaka repeated the name in confusion. He had never heard of anything called that before in his life. Was this some new group? "What's that?"

"It's about how this Battle Royale was a selection exam for them." Sawatari answered.

"Exam?" Yuto questioned.

* * *

 **Later**

Reiji told them about the Lancers and how they were basically Duel Warriors.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that the Battle Royale was just a selection exam for these so called Duel Warriors? One more thing, you probably knew about Academia's invasion on this damn dimension, didn't you?" Yuto interrogated Reiji.

"Yes. That is why I turned the original top 16 matches from a tournament into a Battle Royale within the city. I intended to have you lot fend off Academia." Reiji explained.

"Why us? Why not the Pro or Youth Classes?" Gongenzaka asked.

"The Youth Class also fought. However, they were all wiped out by 3 members of the Obelisk Force, only one guy survived." Sawatari revealed to the group, except Akaba Reiji, who already knew. "That's why yours truly was assigned to come out here."

"And just as I had expected, you managed to fight off Academia. You are truly our anti-Academia Duel Warriors! However, being a warrior in a battlefield isn't something new to you, Kurosaki and Yuya-no... Yuto." Reiji said the name of the Xyz Phantom Knights user, causing him to jump out of surprise.

"Wait a minute, this isn't Yuya?" Sawatari asked in shock. Yuto turned to face Sawatari. It was at this moment that he realized who Yuto was. "Wait! You're the guy from that day! You're the guy who pinned me to the wall with a FRICKING SPEAR! Without an Action Field at that!"

"Pff, nice to see you too." Yuto said sarcastically.

"Wait a minute, you were dressed up as Yuya this entire time?!" Shun widened his eyes.

"No, ever since the match with Kachidoki Isao." Yuto told Shun.

"And we talked to each other during the Battle Royale! I even had suspicions about you not being Sakaki Yuya! How could I have been so blind?! You were never a good actor, it should have been obvious to tell it was you, even under the stupid disguise!" Shun exclaimed in awe.

"You were blinded by rage, Shun. Normally, you could have found out it was me." Yuto informed Shun.

"Anyways, I must ask you now. Why were you playing dress up as Sakaki Yuya? And also, where is said boy?" Reiji asked the question that most people were asking themselves.

"You have cameras all over the city, you should know what happened that night after Shun and Sora's Duel. I met with Sora in the hospital to ask some questions, however, we were caught by security and we had to run to the park, where we Dueled. Yuya came eventually, and he left after he saw a green light." Reiji held up his hand to signal Yuto to stop talking.

"That green light is when the camera feed was cut out, so we couldn't see the rest of what happened that night." Reiji told Yuto.

"Well, it turns out the green light was a boy in a white suit on a white motorcycle, he looks just like Yuya and I. His name is Yugo." Yuto called out the name of said boy.

 _Boy on a white motorcycle in a white suit? That's description exactly matches the Duelist from the Synchro Dimension who came here. And he looks like this person and Yuya?_ Reiji thought to himself.

"The damn Pawn of Fusion." Shun cursed at the mere mention of Yugo.

"What happened next?" Ryoga asked, curious at what happened to Yuya.

"Well, I wasn't there when it started. But from what I know, Yugo mistook Yuya for a boy who kidnapped his best friend." Yuto stated as he thought back to what Yugo told him when they first met.

"So what does that have to do with Yuya?" Gongenzaka narrowed his eyebrows in interest.

"Well, the boy who kidnapped Yugo's best friend...he had the same face as the three of us." Yuto revealed.

"What?!" Everyone except Reiji, Serena, and Dennis shouted in unison and shock. Serena's ears perked up when she heard about the boy. Reiji just narrowed his eyes while Dennis just had a neutral expression on his face.

"Yugo and Yuya Dueled. I beat Sora and came in the middle of their Duel. Something...weird happens to them, but I'm not going into much detail about that. Anyway, Yugo beat Yuya. I ran over to Yuya and made sure he was alright. He looked fine, but he gave me his Odd Eyes, and all of a sudden, he just disappeared out of thin air."

"Wait, but I saw Yuya when we went into the cavern!" Gongenzaka rebutted.

"Yeah, I did too." O'Brien agreed with the big guy.

"Well...here is the thing...Yuya...is residing inside of me, and we learned that he can take control of my body temporarily. But as you saw, and as we found out, earlier, Yuya forced a switch, putting me back in control of the body. He looked like he was heavily fatigued." Yuto explained why they saw Yuya.

"I decided that I owed Yuya since I got him into the mess he's in now. So I had Yuzu provide me with a Yuya disguise so I could take his place in the championship and protect his name and make sure that whatever the incident happened 3 years ago didn't happen with Yuya." Yuto disclosed to the others.

"Yuzu knew?!" Gongenzaka repeated in shock. Why didn't they tell him about the fact that Yuya had disappeared?

"Actually, while we are on the topic. I just have to make this one thing clear. 3 years ago, from what I hear, a man named Sakaki Yusho disappeared from this dimension and left his family behind, correct?" Shark asked.

"That is correct." Reiji confirmed.

Yuya appeared next to Yuto and grimaced as he remembered the pain he felt when his father disappeared. The pain he felt right now was so bad that even Yuto could feel it. He then ignored the feeling as he tuned into what Ryoga had to say next.

"Well, it just so happens that 3 years ago, a man named Sakaki Yusho mysteriously appears and starts doing performances around Heartland." Shark blurted out.

" _My Dad went to the Xyz Dimension?!"_ Yuya gaped out of disbelief. He turned to Yuto with an angry expression on his face. _"Why didn't you tell me?!"_

"Why was he in the Xyz Dimension? Surely you must have a part in that, Akaba Reiji." Shun said to the President of LDS.

"No, I don't. How he got there I have no clue about." Reiji lied to Shun right at that moment, making no sign of a fib whatsoever, still keeping the stoic expression on his face that he always has. There was no need to tell them now, it would only just cause even more commotion if he told the truth. "Now, with all of that out of the way. You have shown the power worthy of the title Lancers!"

At that moment, Yuto felt a surge of pain go through his body as Yuya took control.

"Screw that!" Yuya bellowed with his gaze shadowed. "To hell with your Lancers! For something like that, for you...MANIPULATING us, Mitchie and Teppei were…" Yuya revealed his face, it was Yuto's face, but it was Yuya's voice and the eyes were crimson, something everyone took note of. "And everyone else were turned into Cards...Yuzu too…" Yuya started to tear up from the sheer thought of his best friend.

"Darling…" Mieru whispered in concern, knowing that this was actually Yuya, not Yuto.

Serena looked at Yuya with a sympathetic look as tears continued to roll down the boy's face.

"It's your fault everyone was…" Yuya trembled in his place, his sadness and anger rising. "Yuzu was…!"

"It is not Reiji's fault." Serena spoke, causing the group to turn their attention over to her, to see her not looking at them. "If Yuzu was defeated by Academia, then the fault is mine."

"What do you mean it is your fault? And before that, who are you?" Gongenzaka launched two questions at Serena for her to answer.

"As I have already said, I am Serena. A Duelist of Academia." Serena answered. Mieru and Gongenzaka gasped out of worry and shock, and, for Gongenzaka, disbelief after hearing her response, something that the girl expected.

"Academia?! Then doesn't that mean you are the enemy?!" Sawatari enquired Yuzu's lookalike. Unbeknownst to the group, Dennis twitched his eye in a weird way after Sawatari spoke.

 _Ah geez, you went and said it yourself. I was thinking of bringing you back to Academia myself, but...now it looks like that won't be possible._ Dennis thought to himself as he closed his eyes and sighed out of disappointment.

"Why is the enemy here with us?" Sawatari approached Serena with a look of confusion on his face. "And in Hiragi Yuzu's outfit as well. Are you a spy?! Are you gathering information while pretending to be Yuzu!? That's it, that's got to be it!" Tsukikage quickly walked in between both Serena and Sawatari, shocking the latter. "Oi! Why are you getting in my way!? You bastard, are you really going to protect the enemy?"

"This is by orders of my client." Tsukikage simply told Sawatari. He was from the Fuma clan. Once he was given orders by a superior, he would do anything to fulfill that order for that superior, whether he liked it or not.

" _Superior? Don't tell me the superior is…"_ Yuto trailed off as Reiji had said something.

"Serena is not a spy." At that statement, Sawatari stepped back. "She is being chased by Academia."

"That's right." Serena confirmed. "The Obelisk Force came here chasing after me. I'm sure that Yuzu was mistaken for me and was…"

"Mistaken for you?!" Gongenzaka interrupted Serena in disbelief.

"Why did you even change clothes?!" Mieru wondered out loud.

"That was so I could meet with Kurosaki."

" _What? With Shun?"_ Yuto repeated.

"Yuzu told me to go meet Kurosaki and ask him in person what happened in the Xyz Dimension. So we switched clothes and used herself as bait for me! In order to draw the Obelisk Force away from me!"

"No way…" Yuya whispered as he formed a fist with his hands.

"I see. That's what it was." Reiji did his signature adjusting his glasses with a stoic expression thing before continuing on. "You have all won and survived. What we need right now is that strength! Instead of mourning those who were defeated, you should take pride in the fact that you have overcome such strong Duelists." Yuya shook in place as Reiji showed a rare smile.

"Shut up! Screw your pride! If you didn't make us fight...Yuzu...and the others...THEY WOULD STILL BE HERE!" Both Yuya and Yuto shouted in unison as they both had equal control over the body. They threw a punch at Reiji's face, only for the President of LDS to catch the fist in his open hand effortlessly. Yuya gasped as he saw what happened while the others stood in silence.

"If you call yourself a Duelist, express your anger through your Duel, not your fists!" Reiji told Yuya as he threw the boy back, who landed on his feet and held out a fist at Reiji.

"I will! In place of Yuzu and all of our Carded comrades, I'll make you grovel before me!" Yuya exclaimed in rage.

"Fine with me. If I lose, I'll repent until you're satisfied." Reiji accepted Yuya's challenge with a smile. "You are all not aware of your mission yet, or of why I decided to create the Lancers. And that is to save our home world from the tragedy that befell the Xyz Dimension." Yuto, who was inside Yuya, Shun, and Shark all flinched at the mention of what happened to the Xyz Dimension. They had almost forgot about they had left their to come to this Dimension. For all they know, their comrades could be in danger, and they weren't there to help.

Reiji lifted his hand to the sky. "Action Field, on! City of the Future-Heartland activate!"

"What?!" The three residents from the Xyz Dimension exclaimed in unison. The Field formed as the lamppost glowed purple. The same Field from Shark and Shun's Duel along with Shun and Sora's Duel appeared.

"Heartland! From the Xyz Dimension!" Serena pointed out.

"That's right." Shark spoke suddenly.

"My...no...our...homeland!" Shark and Shun bellowed in unison as they both widened their eyes.

Yuya looked at Kurosaki with a look of sympathy. After being absorbed by Yuto, he was thrown into a loop of Yuto's memories during the war, he knew what Shun was suffering, it was like he was there with him. Yuya grit his teeth in anger.

"Kurosaki. Accept Hiragi Yuzu's wish and tell us. Just what happened in Heartland." Reiji commanded with a knowing tone in his voice, already aware of what transpired in Heartland.

" _Akaba Reiji…"_ Yuto growled as his anger rose.

"..." Shun shut his eyes as he thought about the attack.

"It seems I've stirred up some indescribable disgrace. Then I will say it. In the midst of the Battle Royale, Academia attacked you, and they did the same to-"

"Shut up!" Yuya cut Reiji off as he clutched his head in pain, walking slowly towards Reiji as his eyes flickered from red to gray, as him and Yuto fought for control out of rage.

"Before they came here…"

"Stop!" Yuya pleaded to Reiji, having the feeling to drop down to his knees to further emphazise his pleas.

"They had already finished off with the Xyz Dimension." Reiji finished.

"SHUT UP! I WON'T LET YOU SAY ANOTHER WORD!" Yuto took control as he shouted at Reiji. "I'll beat you and make you repent!" Yuto activated his Duel Disk, while Reiji did the same calmly.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll go first! My turn! I, using the Scale 1 Phantom Knights Cavalier and the Scale 8 Phantom Knights Paladin, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto placed both Cards on either side of his Duel Disk as the word PENDULUM was spelled across the Disk.

"What?! Yuto can Pendulum Summon?!" Shun blurted out the question that was in Shark's, O'Brien's, and everyone else's head except Gongenzaka and Mieru.

The two Monsters flew up into two columns as a large pendulum swung above Yuto, who was standing between the columns. "With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters between levels 2 to 7! Swing! Pendulum of my soul, Carve an arc of hope across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monsters!" Yuto lifted his hand towards the pendulum, as a portal opened up as two beams of light flew out of the portal. "Phantom Knights Sorcerer, and Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade!" Yuto's Monsters appeared in Defense Position.

 **Phantom Knights Sorcerer: Level 3, 1600 Atk, 1700 Def**

 **Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate Phantom Knights Cavalier's Pendulum effect! When I Pendulum Summon two or more Monsters, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Deck whose level is equal to or lower than the combined levels of the Summoned Monsters! Appear! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuto chanted as Yuya's ace Monster appeared, roaring in fury.

 **Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuto concluded with a serious face.

"What did you hear from Hiragi Yuzu? What would a person of Academia want to know?" Shun calmly asked Serena, who just stared at him as Reiji made his move.

"My turn, draw! With the effect of D/D Swirl Slime in my Hand, I can fuse it with another Monster in my Hand! I fuse it with D/D Berfomet. Arcane swirl that takes in all forms! Engulf the grotesque God, and now become one and give birth to a new king! Fusion Summon! Be born! D/D/D Raging Inferno King - Temujin!" Reiji Fusion Summoned as a familiar looking Monster appeared.

 **Temujin: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Temujin…" O'Brien whispered the name, remembering the Monster. Shark, Shun, and Yuto flinched at the sight of the Monster.

"The Fusion Monster he used the time Yuya and Reiji fought at You Show Duel School." Gongenzaka stated.

"Wait, who won their Duel?" Dennis asked Gongenzaka, curious to hear the result.

"The match was interrupted before it could end." Gongenzaka closed his eyes, replaying the memory in his head. "But the Duel played out…"

"Additionally, I Summon the Tuner Monster D/D Night Howling!" Reiji showed Yuto the Card before placing it on his Duel Disk.

 **Night Howling: Level 3, 300 Atk, 600 Def**

"When this Card is successfully Summoned, I am able to Special Summon one D/D Monster from my Grave and make its Attack and Defense 0! Be reborn, D/D Berfomet!" Reiji thrusted his hand towards Night Howling, who opened its mouth, which is where D/D Berfomet flew out of.

 **D/D Berfomet: Level 4, 1400-0 Atk, 1800 Def**

"I tune my level 4 D/D Berfomet with my level 3 D/D Night Howling! Howls that tear through the night. Gain the swiftness of a gale and become the cries of a newborn king! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 7! DDD Gale King - Alexander!" Reiji chanted as his Monster did a pose as he appeared to the Field.

 **Alexander: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate Temujin's effect, once per turn, when another D/D Monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a D/D Monster in my Grave! Revive, D/D Swirl Slime!" A portal to the Grave opened as Reiji's desired Monster appeared.

 **Swirl Slime: Level 2, 200 Atk, 200 Def**

"Furthermore, I activate Alexander's effect, when another D/D Monster is Special Summoned, I can once per turn revive a D/D Monster from my Graveyard!" Reiji showed Yuto a rare smile. "Be reborn again! D/D Berfomet! I double D/D Swirl Slime's level using D/D Berfomet's effect!"

"Don't tell me that he's going to…" Dennis trailed off.

"I overlay my level 4 D/D Berfomet and Swirl Slime!" Reiji declared as his two Monsters flew into the Overlay Network. "In order to subjugate all that resides in this world, now, descend onto the peak of the world! Xyz Summon! Be born! Rank 4! D/D/D Surging Waves King - Caesar!"

 **Caesar: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def**

Dennis gulped in fear as he witnessed Reiji's Field. "Fusion...Synchro...and then Xyz!"

"Wait, you're from LDS and you didn't know that much?" Sawatari asked Dennis with interest. "Akaba Reiji is famous for mastering three different Summoning methods!"

"You knew?"

"Well. this is my first time seeing it."

"It's not just three." Gongenzaka suddenly said.

"Huh?"

Yuya took control of Yuto's body with a frown on his face, his eyes switching from gray to red. "Akaba Reiji can use Pendulum as well."

"Well even I didn't know that much!" Sawatari exclaimed with an impressed look on his face, currently finding a new respect for the D/D/D user.

"And most likely what lies beyond that…" Yuya added.

"What lies beyond that?" Sawatari repeated.

A cold tension filled the gap between Yuya and Reiji as they stared at each other dead in the eye.

Meanwhile, while this was happening, Serena and Shun were having their own conversation.

"You came here to fight me?" Shun asked.

"Correct." Serena confirmed as she closed her eyes and begun to explain. "If I could defeat the Xyz remnants in Standard, I thought I would be able to prove my abilities to the Professor Akaba Leo, who hadn't sent me to the front lines. That was what drove me to this dimension. I believe that Academia's fight to unite the dimensions is justice." Serena opened her eyes and continued her monologue. "And I was proud to be able to fight for that cause. But, Yuzu told me my comrades who went to the Xyz Dimension did not act like they were preserving justice." Serena stopped for a moment to look around the Action Field, before continuing. "Instead, they acted as if it was a hunting game, smiling and laughing as they attacked people! Is that the truth?" Serena turned to Shun with a expectant look on her face.

"It is." Shun said as he thought back to the horrible attack. "They continued to hunt defenseless people as if it were a game!" Shun grit his teeth as growled in anger. "Even now their faces and laughter are carved into my eyes and ears...I won't be able to forget it...ever!" Shun closed his eyes and gave a pained expression.

Serena, after hearing Shun, started trembling out of horror in her spot.

"I activate the Equip Card D/D Potion! I equip this Card to Alexander. This Card increases the Attack by 400, and, when the equipped Monster destroys a Monster in battle, you are dealt damage equal to halve of the destroyed Monster's Attack!" Reiji explained.

 **Alexander: 2500-2900 Atk**

"I attack Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade with Caesar!" Reiji declared as Caesar threw down his sword towards the ground, releasing a wave at Deceased Comrade, who was swept away by the wave and destroyed as the wave continued on and rushed through the streets of Heartland. The waves were so strong, they managed to make some buildings collapse.

"Go, Temujin! Attack Phantom Knights Sorcerer!" Temujin held out its weapon at Sorcerer, a large flame sprout from the tip of the sword and burned Sorcerer, destroying the ghost.

"Now, Alexander, destroy Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Temujin let out a gust of waves at the dragon, destroying him.

Yuya covered his face as he took damage, taking a step back to avoid falling.

 **Yuya: 4000-3600 LP**

"Now, due to the effect of D/D Potion, you take 1250 damage!" Reiji explained. Yuya winced in pain as he took damage.

 **Yuya: 3700-2450 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn. I suspect that everything that has happened so far is just as you expected. 'From here on out it is the real deal.' You're thinking that, aren't you? You've already found what lies beyond Pendulum Summoning! Now use that on me! The new power you have acquired.

"You see through everything, don't you?" Yuya started as he looked down at the ground. "As expected of a prodigy Duelist. Akaba Reiji! Did you foresee the outcome of the Battle Royale with that brain of yours too? How many would fall, how many would survive...are you satisfied that it ended just as you had expected?"

Reiji just continued to stare at Yuya.

"We are not your puppets!" Yuya and Yuto shouted. Mitchie and Teppei...everyone who was turned into Cards...they were all humans with their own hearts! And Yuzu too!"

Yuya, at this point, started to talk alone as he shut his eyes. "Yuzu was...always by my side and encouraging me! When I would be mocked for my father and bullied, she was always there for me. Because Yuzu was there I…! The reason I found what was beyond Pendulum was because I saw Yuzu trying her hardest to become stronger!" Yuya grit his teeth. "And now she's gone! Which is why I also…" Yuya placed a Card on the top of his Duel Disk. "My turn!" Yuya eyed the Card he drew, Entermate Mammosplash, a Card he could use to get one of his Fusion Monsters out. However, the next thing he knew, Yuya couldn't move his hand. "What the hell?!" Yuya felt a sharp pain as Yuto was trying to take control. "Yuto, what are you doing!?"

" _I refuse to use a Card that will resort to us using Fusion! I refuse!"_ Yuto told Yuya as they both struggled for control of the body.

"But if we don't use this Card, we could very easily lose the Duel!" Yuya rebutted.

" _I'm not going to use that Card, even for the sake of winning! Even if I'm not the one using it! You are, and you are hijacking my body! I want control back, now!"_ Yuto argued with Yuya, refusing to use the method that caused him so much pain.

"Yuto! You're going to have to let go of this dislike to Fusion Summoning! I have experienced your memories as if I was there, and you don't see me denying this Card!"

" _My emotions go deeper than what you experienced in those memories Yuya! Fusion is the method that took my father away, Fusion is the method that took innocent lives away, Fusion is the method that took Ruri away, Fusion is the method that took my old friend away from me and turned him into a Fusion hunting Monster!"_ Yuto stated his reasons while progressively raising his voice. _"Fusion is the method that took my home away, Fusion is the method that took my life away! Fusion is the method that destroyed my dreams! FUSION IS THE METHOD THAT TOOK AWAY THE REST OF THE TIME I HAD NOT AS AN ADULT! Ever since that accursed method came into my life, I've had to man up and leave my childhood in the dust! Everyone else had to also, Yuya! You may forgive Fusion for what they did Yuya, but I don't! And that's because I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!"_ Yuto stopped to take a breath, before uttering out one last statement. _"Oh, and don't forget about how_ _Fusion is the method that took your friend Yuzu away!"_

Yuya widened his eyes at those words.

Reiji looked at the look on Yuya's face. _The red eyes, and the voice, there is no doubt that this is Yuya. So why is he hesitating...wait, the Xyz boy is in his body...could it be that he is holding Yuya back, reluctant to use Fusion._

"No! Yuzu wanted to learn Fusion! And after she learned about what Academia did, she still didn't stop using Fusion! The truth is Yuto, Fusion isn't the thing that took of everything away! It's those bastards at Academia that did! I don't forgive them for what they did! And if you're not going to use some stupid Summoning method because of what other people did while using it, then I WILL!" Yuya forced Yuto's hold away as for a second he gained a dark aura.

"Are you going to keep hesitating? I thought you said you wanted to make me grovel!" Reiji taunted Yuya.

"Shut up, Reiji! I'm not listening to any of this bullshit!" Yuya spat

"He's being very harsh!" Mieru noted.

"That's Yuya in control, I can tell...just what happened to him while he was stuck inside Yuto's mind?" Gongenzaka wondered out loud.

"With the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be reborn from the Extra Deck! Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade, and Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Finally from my Hand, Entermate Mammo Splash!"

 **Mammo Splash: Level 6, 1900 Atk, 2300 Def**

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Phantom Knights Cavalier. From my Deck, I Special Summon Entermate Hammer Mammo!"

 **Hammer Mammo: Level 6, 2600 Atk, 1800 Def**

"I activate the Monster effect of Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade! When this Card is Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon a Monster in my Grave. Revive, Phantom Knights Sorcerer!" Yuya pointed to a blank zone, which was then replaced by Sorcerer. "I activate Mammo Splash's effect. I can Fusion Summon a Monster without a Fusion Magic Card using this Card and other Cards as material! I fuse this Card with Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Dual-colored eyed dragon! Become one with the blizzard behemoth, and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Ferocious dragon with luminous feral eyes! Level 8! Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

 **Beast Eyes: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def**

Shark and Shun grit their teeth and made an angry expression while tightening their fists, actions that didn't go unnoticed by Serena.

"When this effect is used, Mammo Splash is banished. Now, during the turn I Special Summon Phantom Knights Sorcerer from the Grave while I control a Phantom Knights Monster, I can release this Card and Special Summon a Monster who has left the Field this turn, I Special Summon Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! And now for the next part of Sorcerer's effect, a Phantom Knights Monster on the Field gets a level equal to the level of the Special Summoned Monster. Odd Eyes' level is 7, so Phantom Knight Deceased Comrade's level becomes 7!"

 **Deceased Comrade: Level 4-7**

"Two level 7 Monsters." Sawatari noted.

"Could it be that Monster from that Duel in the Ruins?!" Mieru guessed, referring to Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon.

"I, using the level 7 Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Phantom Knights Sorcerer, overlay! Dragon with dual-colored eyes, step into a brand new stage of ice and snow, and show your absolute powers to the world! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 7, Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya's Monster let out a roar as cold breezy winds were lashing out at everyone except Reiji and Yuya.

 **Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon: Rank 7, 2800 Atk, 2300 Def**

"What is this?" Mieru covered her eyes against the cold winds.

"Isn't that…" Gongenzaka murmured.

"That's the Monster Yuya used in his first Duel with Akaba Reiji!" Shark revealed to everyone who didn't know, raising his voice so they could hear him over the wind.

"I thought Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon was Yuya's first Xyz Monster!" Dennis yelled over the screeching sounds of the wind.

"It's not! This was his very first Xyz Monster!" O'Brien informed Dennis.

As the wind died down, the Duelists paid attention back to the Duel.

"When the Monster Special Summoned by Sorcerer's effect is used as Xyz Material, the Xyz Summoned Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn."

 **Odd Eyes Absolute: 2800-3800 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Entermate Hammer Mammo, attack Caesar!" Yuya pointed towards Reiji's Monster as the elephant charged. "I activate Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate a declared attack. Then, I will chain the effect of Hammer Mammo, when this Card attacks, I can return all Magic and Trap Cards on your Field to your Hand!" Reiji's set Card disappeared as he put the Card back into his Hand while Hammer Mammo stopped charging.

"There is more to Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon's effect! Now, I can Special Summon an Odd Eyes Monster from my Hand or Grave, I Special Summon Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon from my Grave!"

"Battle! Go, Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Attack Alexander!" Yuya declared as Beast Eyes let out a fireball at Reiji's Monster, destroyed him. Reiji didn't move as he took damage.

 **Reiji: 4000-3900 LP**

"I activate Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect, when this Card destroys a Monster by Battle, I can inflict damage to you equal to the original Attack of the Beast-Type Monster used for this Card. Mammo Splash's Attack was 1900, so you take 1900 points of damage!" Beast Eyes sent out a storm of fire on Reiji, who grunted in pain as he covered himself.

 **Reiji: 3900-2000 LP**

"Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon! Attack Caesar! Absolute Force!" Yuya thrusted his hand forward as Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon let out a blue stream of water from its mouth at Caesar, destroying the Monster. Reiji stumbled backwards as he took damage, but he managed to stand his ground.

 **Reiji: 2000-600 LP**

"This is the end!" Yuya proclaimed. "Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Temujin! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd Eyes let out a stream of fire from its mouth at Temujin, colliding with the Monster. "When Odd Eyes battles a level 5 or higher Monster, the damage is doubled! REACTION FORCE!" Odd Eyes put more force into his Attack as a gigantic explosion occurred, causing a big smoke cloud to form, keeping it unknown if Reiji lost the Duel.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Sorcerer Dark, Warrior: When this Card is on the Field or in your Grave, you can treat this Card as a Spellcaster. During the turn this Card is Special Summoned while you control a Phantom Knights Monster, you can send this banish this Card, Special Summon one Monster who leaves the Field this turn, except "Phantom Knights Sorcerer," then, if you do Special Summon a Monster this way, you can make the level of a Phantom Knights Monster you control the same as the Special Summoned Monster. When the Special Summoned Monster is used as Xyz Material, the Xyz Summoned Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn.**

 **D/D Potion Equip, Magic: The equipped Monster gains 400 Attack. When the equipped Monster destroys a Monster in Battle, you can inflict damage equal halve the Attack of the destroyed Monster.**

* * *

 **Whew! Has it been a while! Sorry for the late update, I was deciding on whether to finish the Duel or just leave it on a tone of suspense, although what happens next chapter might just be predictable.**

 **On a side note, it seems that I have made an error in the effect of Phantom Knights Cavalier's effect when writing its description on accident last chapter. If you guys look back at chapter 37, you will see that I will have changed the Pendulum effect of Cavalier slightly. Don't worry, it won't effect the Duel in that chapter too much.**

 **Since you guys will most likely know what will happen next chapter, there will be no preview next chapter.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: It seems like a good idea, I might use it in the future, but not right now.**

 **Matrixnis: I've already made the cast stupid enough, making them more stupid is just going to push it. I'll try to update next chapter a little bit faster, since I already have what I am going to write down in my head.**

 **That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care goodbye!**


	52. Reiji's Overwhelming Power

"It's over." Yuya said in a low tone. The others looked on in awe, waiting for the smoke to clear.

"Is that all?" A voice was heard from the smoke, much to everyone's shock, especially Yuya.'

"What?! How did you…?"

"It's simple. Before the attack connected, I activated the effect of D/D Guard from my Hand. By sending the Card to my Grave, I can negate the damage to 0." Reiji explained why he survived the attack. "That is not all, I can now draw a Card for every D/D Monster destroyed this."

"Wait, but no D/D Monster was destroyed this turn." Gongenzaka spoke.

"For effects that include D/D, D/D/D Monsters are included." Reiji revealed as he drew 3 Cards.

"Damn it." Yuya cursed under his breath. "He survived! Not much I can do now. I end my turn. At this moment, the effect if Phantom Knights Sorcerer ends, and Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon's Attack returns to normal."

Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon: 3800-2800 Atk

"It seems that Sakaki Yuya is in control of the body. And you stalled at the Card in your hand, Entermate Mammo Splash. If I'm not mistaken, the other soul, Yuto, the Xyz boy, is reluctant to use Fusion, because of the trauma he experienced during the invasion the Fusion Dimension performed on Heartland. Is that wrong?" Reiji asked Yuya, or Yuto, in particular.

" _Damn it, Akaba Reiji!"_ Yuto mused in sheer anger as he appeared next to Yuya. However, Yuya didn't bother to even notice Yuto.

"You have done well up until now. However, even that will not be enough, for it is now my turn." Reiji showed Yuya a smile as he put a Card on the top of his Deck. "Draw! I, using the Scale 1 D/D Savant Galilei and Scale 8 D/D Savant Kepler, set the Pendulum Scale!

Everyone gasped in shock as Gongenzaka spoke. "There it is, Akaba Reiji's Pendulum Summon."

"Grand power that shakes my very soul, arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monster! D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok!"

Abyss Ragnarok: Level 8, 2200 Atk, 3000 Def

"I activate the effect of Abyss Ragnarok! If this Card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a D/D/D Monster in my Graveyard. Come back to me, D/D/D Surging Waves King-Caesar!" Reiji pointed to an empty zone which was soon filled with Caesar.

Caesar: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

 _Abyss Ragnarok has 2200 Attack, meanwhile Caesar only has 2400. With my 2500 Attack Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, 2600 Entermate Hammer Mammo, 2800 Absolute Dragon, along with my 3000 Beast Eyes, his Monsters won't have the power to beat them._ Yuya thought to himself.

"I'm not done. Next, from my Hand I Summon D/D Necro Slime." Reiji calmly announced as he placed the Card of Necro Slime on his Duel Disk.

Necro Slime: Level 1, 300 Atk, 300 Def

"I activate Abyss Ragnarok's effect, once per turn, by releasing one other D/D Monster I control, I can banish a Monster you control. I banish that pesky Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Reiji pointed to the ice dragon.

"No!" Yuya shouted as Necro Slime disappeared and Abyss Ragnarok simply thrusted his hand at Absolute, causing the dragon to roar in pain and disappear. "Odd Eyes!"

"But he still has his other Monsters!" Gongenzaka reminded Reiji.

"I activate the effect of Necro Slime in my Grave. By banishing this Card, i can Fusion Summon a D/D/D Monster." Reiji revealed.

"What?!" Mieru exclaimed in surprise.

"You mean that Akaba Reiji can also…" Sawatari trailed off as Yuya finished his sentence.

"Pendulum Fusion, too?"

"I fuse Abyss Ragnarok with Caesar." Reiji put his hand up to the air and started a chant. "Crush the twilight of gods, and with the force of your surging wave open up a new world! Fusion Summon! Come before me, autocratic god of limits! DDD Wave Destruction King - Kaiser Ragnarok!"

Kaiser Ragnarok: Level 10, 3200 Atk, 3000 Def

Shark narrowed his eyes at the Fusion Monster, his anger building up. Meanwhile Shun gave Reiji a dirty look. Yuto on the other hand simply flinched and shivered at the sight of the Fusion Monster.

"3200 Attack!" Yuya bellowed.

"Now I activate the effect of Caesar, when sent to the Graveyard, i can add a Dark Contract Card to my Hand from my Deck." Reiji explained as he took an ejected Card from his Duel Disk. "Battle! I attack Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Kaiser Ragnarok!" Kaiser Ragnarok jumped into the air and charged up an attack with 6 spherical blue lights as a big blue beam shot from the middle at Beast Eyes. "The End of Judgement!" Beast Eyes was destroyed.

"Beast Eyes!" Yuya yelled in concern as he covered his face from the smoke.

Yuya: 2450-2250 LP

"Is this all you've got?" Reiji asked.

"What?!" Yuya questioned.

"You haven't given it your all yet." This statement from Reiji got a gasp from Yuya in response. "I haven't gone all out either. Obviously. I set two Cards and end my turn. Now, it's your turn. If you want me to go all out, I'm sure you won't be unwilling to show me your all."

" _Something seems off here."_ Yuto muttered to himself. _"There is one thing to do."_ Yuto disappeared. The next moment, Yuya felt a pain rush through his body-or, Yuto's body. He shut his eyes as he crouched down.

"What's wrong with Darling?" Mieru asked in concern.

"I don't know." Gongenzaka admitted. "He's done something similar to this earlier."

When Yuya opened his eyes, well, it wasn't Yuya, the eyes were gray, and it was Yuto opening his eyes, not Yuya.

"Those eyes! It's Yuto in control now." Gongenzaka noted.

"Akaba Reiji, there's something wrong here. You have cameras all over the city, constantly under surveillance. You should have been able to see everything, including where Yuzu was. So don't give us the bullshit about you not knowing. You saw something, now tell us what it is!" Yuto demanded. "Don't tell me, that you lied about Academia Carding Yuzu. I've been thinking, Ruri was kidnapped by Academia, from what we know, she hasn't been Carded. Academia is chasing Serena around like she has to be a guarded princess. They want her back, they don't want her Carded. From what I heard from Yugo, it sounds like his childhood friend Rin was kidnapped by an Academia soldier who looked just like me! Yuzu wasn't in any of the areas we looked, and Academia attacked. That boy could have been looking for Yuzu, and he could have kidnapped her, you could have saw that! You know something, Akaba Reiji. So answer me this, Yuzu is in Academia's clutches, right?"

"If you want an answer, then defeat me." Reiji said nonchalantly.

"What?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.

"You claimed that you will make me grovel. And by the way you and Yuya talk of her, you sound like you are saying that as long as Hiragi Yuzu is alright, whatever happens to your other Carded comrades doesn't matter." Reiji deduced.

A look of horror came across Yuto and Yuya's faces as they thought back to Mitchie and Teppei being Carded. They hadn't realized how selfish they had been, especially Yuya. This entire time, he has only wanted Yuzu, he barely ushered about the others. Yuto clutched his head in pain as his blood started to boil.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The screams of that very day came back to him. The burning city, the look on those bastards faces.

"GRAAAAAAAGH-ACK!" Yuto choked as he entered his berserk state.

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka glanced at Akaba Reiji.

 _Why? Why is Akaba Reiji provoking Yuya this much?_

"RAGH!" Yuto snapped out of his berserk state. He mustn't falter now to the darkness, he must fight! "My turn!" Yuto drew his Card with force. Reiji let out a smirk as he looked at Yuto. "Once again swing, Pendulum of my Soul! Carve an arc of hope across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Show yourself, my Monster! From my Hand, Phantom Knights Secret Spy!"

Secret Spy: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 200 Def

"When this Card is Special Summoned, I can release a Monster I control and Special Summon a Monster from my Deck whose level is lower than or equal to the released Monster's level! I release Entermate Hammer Mammo and Special Summon Phantom Knights Fragile Armor from my Deck!"

Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"I, using the level 4 Phantom Knights Secret Spy and Fragile Armor, overlay!" Yuto declared as his Monsters flew into the Overlay Network. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Dark Rebellion rose to the Field as he whipped his tail around before letting out a roar of fury.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Dark Rebellion!" Shun took notice of Yuto's dragon.

"There it is." Reiji murmured so that no one could hear him.

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, until the end of the turn I can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster, and then Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount. Treason Discharge!" Dark Rebellion let out his wings as electricity shocked Kaiser Ragnarok, weakening the Monster.

Kaiser Ragnarok: 3200-1600 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-4100 Atk

"I detach the remaining overlay unit, Treason Discharge!"

Kaiser Ragnarok: 1600-800 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 4100-4900 Atk

"4-4900 Attack...that's even more than what happened the last time I saw that Monster!" Sawatari exclaimed in shock.

"A 4100 Attack difference!" Gongenzaka pointed out.

"This will definitely end it!" Mieru declared.

"Battle! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Kaiser Ragnarok!" Yuto declared battle as Dark Rebellion's fangs started surging with electricity as the dragon took flight and flew towards Kaiser Ragnarok. "Rebellious Lightning Disobey!"

"I activate Kaiser Ragnarok's effect, by returning Kepler to my Hand, I can now equip one of my opponent's Monsters to Kaiser Ragnarok and increase its Attack by that Monster's Attack. I equip Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon to Kaiser!" Kaiser thrusted out its hands as chains erupted from his body, wrapping them around Odd Eyes, causing the dragon to roar in pain as he disappeared.

Kaiser Ragnarok: 800-3300 Atk

"It's no use! Your current life point count is currently 600! Even with that Attack increase, the difference between our Monsters' Attack is 1600! This is the end, Akaba Reiji!" Yuto shouted as the attack connected, causing a large dust cloud to form.

"Is it over?" Mieru asked.

Tsukikage sharpened his gaze at the dust cloud, Yuto closed his eyes and turned around and started to walk away.

"Where do you think your going? We're still not done yet." Reiji spoke in the dust cloud, shocking everyone except Tsukikage, who simply closed his eyes.

"How?!" Yuto questioned.

"Before the attack connected, I activated my Trap Card, D/D/D Contract Change, by banishing the D/D/D Monster in my Grave with the highest Attack, I can make the damage from this battle 0. I banished Alexander." Reiji replied with an explanation. "Anyways, Contract Change isn't done, once the first effect resolves, I can add a level 4 or lower D/D Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my Hand. I add D/D Savant Copernicus, however, I doubt that I will need to use this Monster." Reiji closed his eyes, cleary holding back his power.

"Wait, so what was the point of using Kaiser Ragnarok's effect?" Sawatari asked. "Although you got rid of Odd Eyes, Yuto can just Pendulum Summon the Monster next turn!" This was something that everyone else had on their mind.

"I end my turn." Yuto concluded. "At this moment, Dark Rebellion's Attack returns to normal."

Dark Rebellion: 4900-2500 Atk

"That was impressive. Once again, I've seen what's beyond your Pendulum. However, there is some things that are off. If Pendulum Fusion as born from your bonds with Hiragi Yuzu, then was it your bond with Sakaki Yuya that made Pendulum Xyz to be born?" Reiji asked a rhetorical question. "From what I saw on the turn before this one, you seemed to argue with Yuya about using Mammo Splash, hence why you took so long to make a move. Now, it's my turn."

"The tides seem even." Dennis whispered to himself.

"My turn, draw!" Reiji eyed the Card he drew and made his move. "Through the Pendulum effect of the already set D/D Savant Galilei, I increase the Scale from 1 to 3."

Galilei: Scale 1-3

At that moment, a memory sprouted in Yuya's head, who was watching the Duel unfold. The memory was that Reiji was going to make his move, but something went wrong with his Scales, they changed, and his Monsters were destroyed _"So that's why he broke his Scales when Dark Rebellion attacked. He wanted to prevent the thing from that time happening again. So, the thing that happened from that time were the Pendulum effects of his Cards, it wasn't just a malfunction in the system."_

"Once again. I set the Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler that was returned to my Hand. With this, I can simultaneously Summon Monsters from level 4 to 9 at one. Grand power that shakes my very soul, arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters! D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok! And from my Hand, D/D/D CEO Hell Armageddon!" Reiji placed his two desired Monsters onto his Duel Disk.

Hell Armageddon: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 1000 Def

"That's the Monster that cornered Yuya in their other match!" O'Brien realized.

"Trap Card, Wings of Misdirection, activate! Until the end of the turn, the activation of all of the opponent's Monster effects, Magic, and Traps are negated. Also, one Monster on my Field has its Attack increased by 800!" Yuto opened his only face down Card.

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3300 Atk

"Dark Rebellion's Attack is now higher than Hell Armageddon's!" Mieru smiled in joy.

"Not only that, but he's sealed the opponent's set Cards!" Gongenzaka added.

"Something doesn't add up here, this seems to easy…" Shark scanned the Field for anything unusual, that's when it hit him. "He has two level 8 Monsters!"

"From here on out, I will have you in my hands. I overlay the level 8 Abyss Ragnarok and Hell Armageddon!" Reiji announced as his two Monsters turned into materials.

"What?!" Shun widened his eyes.

"He can do a Pendulum Xyz also!?" Sawatari gaped at the sight of the Overlay network, while Serena simply looked on in interest.

"When two suns rise, the horizon of a new world shall open up! Xyz Summon! Appear and come forth, Rank 8! DDD Twin Dawn King Kali Yuga!" Reiji widened his eyes as his Monster appeared, laughing out loud on his throne.

Kali Yuga: Rank 8, 3500 Atk, 3000 Def

"3500 Attack…" Yuto mused in awe.

"When this Card is Special Summoned successfully, until the end of the turn, all Card effects aside from Kali Yuga are negated." Reiji said.

"No way!" Yuto gasped in shock as his Trap Card gained a purple aura as Dark Rebellion hunched down from the power decrease.

Dark Rebellion: 3300-2500 Atk

"Dark Rebellion's Attack is normal!" Mieru yelped.

"Battle! I attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with Kali Yuga. Twin Break Shot!" Reiji declared as Kali Yuga struck Dark Rebellion with two lightning bolts.

"Not so fast, when a Monster that has been Xyz Summoned by using Phantom Knights Secret Spy as Material would be destroyed, I can negate the destruction only once!" Yuto countered.

"But you'll still take the damage!" Reiji called out the classic Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V meme as the attack continued. Yuto was thrown flying back as he yelled in pain, he was thrown down the stairs until he hit the bottom where he laid.

Yuto: 2250-1250 LP

Reiji slowly walked over to the top of the stairs. "I end my turn."

"Yuto!" Shark, Shun, and O'Brien yelled in concern as they started to make a run for their comrades. (Bet you didn't expect that, huh.)

"What's the matter? Are you done already? Where did that conviction to make me grovel go?" Reiji questioned Yuto, who was grimacing on the floor as he looked at Reiji, with bruises on his face from falling down the stairs.

"This has gone long enough!" O'Brien exclaimed as he ran towards Yuto.

"I'm not having my best friend lose like this!" Shun yelled.

"You'll pay for this, Akaba Reiji!" Shark called out Reiji as the trio ran to Yuto.

"Stay out of the way!" Yuto shouted at the trio, who stopped looking at their friend in shock. Yuto wasn't one to lose his cool like that and lash out. Yuto slowly stood up, his left eye changing its color to red. "This is my Duel...and Yuya's also!"

"I will…" Yuto trailed off, letting Yuya continue.

"Save Yuzu no matter the cost!" Yuya's voice could actually be heard.

"Darling…" Mieru whispered. Yuya cared about Yuzu that much? To the point where he would sacrifice everything to make sure she was safe?

"And..." Yuto spoke, his voice being heard now, "I will save Ruri from Academia's dirty hands, and defeat the Fusion Dimension!"

"Ruri…" Shun repeated the name of his dear sister. Dennis narrowed his eyes at the mention of Ruri.

"That's why we can't afford to lose!" Both Yuya and Yuto shouted out their resolve in unison. "To those who try to make us fight and hurt people...those who hurt people through Dueling themselves...THERE'S NO WAY WE'LL LOSE TO THEM! MY TURN!" Yuto and Yuya drew the top Card of their Deck with a lot of force, their blood starting to boil. "We will win! With the new power that we have achieved together, we will defeat you! With the already set Pendulum Scale, we Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Odd Eyes appeared to the Field, roaring out in rage at Reiji.

"Odd Eyes is back!" Mieru cried out in excitement.

"We activate the Magic Card Scale Switch! With this Card, we can shuffle two Cards in our Pendulum Zones to our Deck, then, we reset the Pendulum Scale with two Monsters from our Deck!" Yuto and Yuya shuffled both Phantom Knights Cavalier and Phantom Knights Paladin into the Deck, before taking two ejected Cards out of their Deck.

"I, using the Scale 3 Antithesis Magician…" Yuto revealed the two Cards to Reiji.

"And the Scale 8 Synthesis Magician…" Yuya continued.

"Set the Pendulum Scale!" Both finished in unison.

"It's those Cards!" O'Brien flashed back to the Duel with Yuto and Sora.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Antithesis Magician!" Yuya held up his hand to said Monster. "Once per turn, I can make an Xyz Monster gain a level equal to its Rank!" Blue circles of light flew over to Dark Rebellion, before crashing to the ground, engulfing the dragon in blue light. "I grant the Rank 4 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon a level of 4!"

"This again." Gongenzaka said, knowing what was going to happen next.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Synthesis Magician!" Yuto declared. "I can give a Monster the same level as another Monster." Synthesis Magician shot an arrow towards both dragons, which exploded in between the two as the dragons were covered in an aura of their respective colors "I make Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's level the same as Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, 7!"

"Now he has two level 7 Monsters…" Serena mumbled.

Reiji showed a rare smile of anticipation that couldn't be seen by anyone. "It's here…"

"I overlay my level 7 Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuya declared as the two dragons turned into materials.

"With these two Monsters I build the Overlay Network!" Yuto spoke.

"Dragon of dual colored eyes," Yuya started the chant.

"Unleash that black scale of wrath, eradicate all opposing enemies!" Yuto continued.

"Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! Dragon with eyes of rage! Supreme King Black Dragon - Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" Both counterparts completed the chant as their dragon flew to the Field, letting out a powerful roar that released shockwaves.

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon: Rank 7, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

Reiji started to laugh as he held up his hand. "This is it. This is what I wanted to see."

"From the Grave, I activate the Trap, Wings of Misdirection! By banishing this Card, Antithesis Magician along with Synthesis Magician in order to increase Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon's Attack by 800 until the end of the turn!" Yuto explained as the three said Cards were banished as Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon gained a purple aura.

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon: 3000-3800 Atk

"Also, until the end of the turn, all the effects of my opponent's Monsters and the activation of their set Cards are negated!" Yuya added to Yuto's explanation.

"I activate Kali Yuga's Monster effect! This Monster's effects can't be negated by the effects of other Cards." Reiji countered.

"It doesn't matter if you do!" Both Yuya and Yuto exclaimed. "Kali Yuga's Attack is 3500, while Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon's Attack is 3800! Your set Cards are sealed, and after this you won't be left with any Monsters! Battle! Go, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" The dragon flew into the air as electricity surged through his fangs. The dragon dug his fangs into the ground as he flew up the stairs to Kali Yuga. "Rebellious Wrath Strike Disobey!"

Reiji thrusted his hand forward, making his move. "I activate Kali Yuga's effect! By using one overlay unit, I can destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on the Field!" Kali Yuga swatted his hand at the Cards, immediately destroying them with a gust of wind."I use the remaining overlay unit to return my destroyed Cards back to where they were!" Kali Yuga raised his hands, and the Cards returned to where they were before destruction. "Wings of Misdirection only works on Cards that were on the Field when it was activated. I can activate my Cards now. Trap activate! Dark Contract with Errors! I can negate the effects of Trap Cards in activation. I negate Wings of Misdirection." Yuto's Trap turned completely gray, signifying that the effect was negated.

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon: 3800-3000 Atk

Yuto gasped in shock as he saw Odd Eyes Rebellion lose Attack points, and he couldn't call off the attack.

"Next I activate another Trap Card! Dark Contract with Renewal! Now, with this Card, I can use the effects of the negated Wings of Misdirection." Reiji's activated Card was replaced with Wings of Misdirection.

"Wait, so that means…" Yuto looked on in horror, so did Yuya.

"With Wings of Misdirection's effect, I increase Kali Yuga's Attack by 800!"

Kali Yuga: 3500-4300 Atk

"The battle resumes! Now, Kali Yuga, beat Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon at its own game!" Kali Yuga pointed its hand at Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, a purple beam was shot towards the dragon. Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon quickly swerved upwards to collide with the attack. There was a struggle between the two attacks, however, Kali Yuga's attack was too much for Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, and the dragon gave up and was destroyed, causing an explosion to occur. Yuto was thrown back by the force of the explosion as he yelled out in pain, his left eye returning to the color gray. Yuto dropped to the ground as he was defeated, and the Action Field started to disappear.

Yuto: 1250-0 LP

"Yuto…lost…." Shun looked on in shock. Ever since the war began, he hasn't seen his friend lose a Duel, so to see him lose now was just shocking.

"You still have doubts. You still hold onto the pain and trauma you experienced during the attack on the Xyz Dimension. It may never be erased from your head ever, but you must come to terms with it. Next time you hesitate to use the Fusion Summoning method like this, it could very well cost you. You're lucky Yuya stepped in, it made you last longer, and even still, I was holding back in the end. But I still have hopes for you, the same goes to all of you who survived the Battle Royale. You all, with your knowledge of Pendulum Summoning, have surpassed LDS' top team." Reiji told everyone present. "That's why I've decided to choose you all to be Lancers and cross dimensions with me."

"Cross dimensions?" Gongenzaka repeated in confusion.

Reiji didn't answer and just walked away. "The data from the Duel?"

"Everything has been recorded." Nakajima responded through Reiji's earpiece.

"I see. Good work."

Yuto formed a fist while on the ground. "I'm sorry, Yuya."

Yuya merely scoffed in anger as he disappeared into Yuto's body to think on some things. Looks like the argument they had done a number on their partnership. They had both gotten pretty angry, and with the changes Yuya had to his personality, it's not as easy to forgive.

"This isn't enough...I need to get stronger...more stronger...in order to save everyone from Academia's clutches...as I am now...I will fail…kgh…" Yuto rose up and yelled to the skies, "DAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **D/D Guard: When you would take damage, you can send this Card to the Grave, make that damage 0, and if you do, draw 1 Card for every D/D Monster destroyed this turn.**

 **Phantom Knights Secret Spy, Dark, Warrior: When this Card is Special Summoned, you can release a Monster, then, Special Summon a Monster from your Deck whose level is lower than or equal to the released Monster's. Once, when a Monster Xyz Summoned by using this Card as material would be destroyed, you can negate the destruction.**

 **Scale Switch, Magic: You can shuffle two Cards in your Pendulum Zones into your Deck, then, reset the Pendulum Scale with two Pendulum Cards from your Deck.**

* * *

 **Finished. Sorry that the Duel ended in the same way. Also, sorry if you didn't want Yuto to lose, other than this Duel, Yuto hasn't lost a Duel yet, like, a literal loss. So, this was the perfect Duel to have him lose.**

 **Anyways, a present for all of you patient people out there, an early update! One in which I actually didn't rush.**

 **If you're wondering why I made a new Card named Scale Switch for Yuto on his last turn instead of using Possession is because of the Grave effect I used for Possession. I'm pretty sure Yuto wouldn't lose if I used Possession.  
**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **After Yuto and Reiji's Duel, the Lancers arrive to Miami Stadium, where Himeka makes the announcement that the Miami Championship is going to be cancelled. After the announcement, Yoko decides to give Yuto a pep talk before he goes to cross dimensions.**

 **No Duel next chapter, sorry about that, I wanted to skip the Duel between Yuya and Yoko. No, don't think Smile World won't make an appearance.**

 **Well, here we go with the reviews, and boy was I not surprised to see people throw rocks at Yuya, though I can understand why though.**

 **Guest: Yuya has bascially experienced Yuto's memories, however, what Yuya doesn't realize is that experiencing a memory and actually being there are two different things (Thank you Yuka Kuroshiro for that saying.)**

 **Cybresamurai: One will come in the future, it won't actually be called Phantom Knights *Insert the rest of name here***

 **rgriffin8999: I'll take that into consideration, but Yuzu doesn't need to learn Synchro Summoning from Yugo, she already knows how to do from seeing other people do it, like Yaiba and Gongenzaka, she just doesn't have any Synchro related Cards.**

 **Guest: Dang, I didn't think people would take it this far when it comes to throwing rocks at Yuya. My answer here is the same as the first Guest review, unless you're the same person who is just posting two different reviews saying similar things.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: As you said, Yuya isn't being considerate of Yuto's feelings, Yuto also doesn't know how to let go of his hatred, and his hatred for Fusion blinds him in the fact that the method isn't bad, it's the people who use it, as you said. I mean, look at Yuzu! She is FAR from a bad person...unless you make her mad.**

 **Unknowndez: Just temporarily...just temporarily.**

 **Matrixnis: Thank you for reminding me. I actually did put in the reactions, but I think I accidentally deleted them while proofreading last chapter. I will add them in alongside this chapter. Yeah, I decided to be cruel with the cliffhanger. What do you mean, make Yuto and Yuya lose again? Do you mean like they did in the anime? Sorry, if so, but I needed to have them lose so Yuto won't go through the first arc flawless with no losses, also as a reminder that he still has a way to go, and he can still improve and get stronger, nothing against Yuya, he just had to get dragged into it.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	53. Before the Departure

At the stadium, the audience was roaring with excitement. The Battle Royale was finally over! Since the cameras had gone out, they couldn't watch the Duel to see who moved on, so now they could.

"The victors of the intense 24-hour battle royale now return to the LDS centre court!" Nico Smiley spoke through his microphone. "Please welcome them with a rousing round of applause!" The audience cheered and clapped as the victors came into view, not bothering notice that there were 10 people instead of what should be 8. Yuto, Serena, Gongenzaka, Tsukikage, Dennis, Mieru, Sawatari, Shun, Shark, and O'Brien walked into the stadium.

"That's Yuya-oniichan!" Tatsuya pointed out, mistaking Yuto for Yuya.

"Yuzu-oneechan's there too!" Ayu added with a smile.

Shuzo looked at the victors, but immediately noticed a few things off. The 10 people walked to Nico.

"Yuya and Yuzu both look as tired as you'd expect." Shuzo faked a statement, still noticing that something was off.

"Wait, I count 10 people, weren't there supposed to be 8?" Futoshi questioned.

"Also, what's with Yuya-oniichan's clothes?" Tatsuya added another question. "They are tattered, and they are also different color, so is his hair! Was he wearing a wig the entire time earlier?"

 _So he took off the disguise._ Yoko thought to herself. She then noticed the 3 elephants of the 10.

"What is Sawatari doing there? He lost to Yuya-oniichan in the first round, so why…?" Ayu asked in confusion as she looked at Sawatari, who was waving towards the audience with a smile on his face.

"Speaking of which, that girl Mieru should have lost to that ninja, Tsukikage. Also, Shark lost to Kurosaki Shun in the second round, and O'Brien didn't even participate in the championship at all." Yoko informed the others.

"I noticed that also." Shuzo spoke.

The audience paid no attention to O'Brien and Mieru in the slightest, however, they did take notice of Shark and Sawatari, who had lost to Yuya (before being absorbed by Yuto) and Shun respectively.

"Isn't Sawatari a politician's son?" A man asked from the audience.

"Oh, the city councilman?" Another woman asked the same man to be sure.

Sawatari's ears perked up as he grit his teeth and looked in the direction of the voices. When he did, he heard "Using your father's influence? How dirty!" and "He must have stopped the live recording with some underhanded trick!" One more comment was said, but it was directed towards Ryoga. "Shark probably did the same thing!"

"Grrr…" Sawatari growled while Shark just stayed calm.

"Yeah, that's right! I don't care if you're a councilman's son, don't think you can get away with this!"

Nico looked around nervously at the audience as they continued to egg on Sawatari. The latter snatched the microphone out of the former's hands, and spoke into it in a loud voice. "ALL OF YOU SHUT UP! I don't know about Shark boy here but I didn't cheat my way here! I got a pass to participate in a revival round by going straight to Akaba Reiji! I'm standing here right now as a Lancer because I won and advanced!" Sawatari forgot that the audience didn't know what the Lancers were.

Looks of confusion appeared on many of the faces in the audience, most people saying "Lancers?"

Mieru put her hands in front of Sawatari, much to his surprise. "Mi-Mieru's not part of that."

Then, the camera showing Sawatari and Mieru changed, showing Akaba Himeka, making an announcement.

"This may be sudden, but as a representative of the organizer of this tournament, I have an important announcement for everyone. As of noon today, the Miami Championship…will be discontinued." Himeka got yells and jeers of surprise from the audience. "The reason for discontinuing the Championship: In the midst of the Battle Royale, an opposing force invaded our world. These invaders come from a dimension beyond our imagination and intend to wage war against our home. Their vanguard has advanced upon us. They use the game Duel Monsters as a weapon, and they attacked us with Monsters Summoned through Real Solid Vision. We did not broadcast the Battle Royale in real time so that the people of Miami City-no, so that the people of the world would not panic unnecessarily. Please understand."

Many questions came through the audience. "Other Dimensions?" "Invaders?" "Using Duel Monsters as a weapon?" were of the many things said from the audience.

"In case you think what I say is nonsense, then please warch the following segment of the live footage." Himeka told the audience.

The screen in the stadium showed a member of the Obelisk Force Carding a Knight of Duels.

"NO!" Multiple people cried. Moms were covering their children's eyes so they wouldn't see. "Wh-what was that?" "Turned into a Card in an instant?"

"Don't tell me that's why Hokuto's been missing?" Yaiba, who was in the audience, thought out loud.

"Turned into a Card, just like that?" Masumi asked in concern.

"That's correct. Academia defeats their opponent in a Duel. And then turn the defeated into Cards without mercy." Himeka informed the audience.

Yuto, Shark, and Shun had a reaction from that statement, one of anger because off their experiences with people being turned into Cards, however, they controlled themselves from snapping.

"Turning people into Cards when defeated? Something as ridiculous as that-" Shuzo trailed off, lost for words.

The 3 kids looked on in worry.

"However, please out your worries to rest. Those cruel invaders have been repelled by the brave Duelists who participated in the Battle Royale, no stone left unturned!" Himeka was replaced with Shun declaring an attack on the remaining Obelisk Force members with Revolution Falcon from the Duel earlier. Revolution Falcon let out a shriek as the bird bombed the Obelisk Force's Monsters, showing said soldiers being defeated.

"Alright!" "Great!" and "The enemy was annihilated!" was heard from the audience. The clip then switches to Yuto Summoning Dusty Robe and using the effect, along with declaring an attack on Sora.

"No way! That's-"

"Sora?!" The 3 kids finished Shuzo's sentence in disbelief. The boy didn't seem like he was with the enemy. He seemed like just some ordinary kid. Was Sora deceiving them the whole time he was with them?

"They are the heroes who protected Miami City! I wish to grant upon them the honorary title of Lance Defense Soldiers-the Lancers!" The audience erupted in cheers at the statement. They soon began cheering "Lancers!" multiple times.

"Repel the enemy...so that means Sora is the enemy?" Shuzo asked in shock.

"It has to be fake! Something like that can't be true!" Ayu denied the harsh reality.

"That's right! Sora's one of us!" Tatsuya backed up Ayu's statement.

"But Sora wasn't in the Battle Royale…" Futoshi murmured.

"Maybe, just like Sawatari, he was part of a revival round." Ayu proposed.

"But then why did Sora Duel Yuya-oniichan?" Futoshi threw another question out of his mouth. "The others were fighting the enemy…"

But why were Shark and O'Brien there? Shuzo thought to himself in confusion.

"Thanks to the efforts of our esteemed Lancers, we have averted a crisis for now. However, we do not know when the enemy will attack again." As Himeka talked, Yoko continued to stare at Yuto, who had a grim and serious expression on his face. "In preparation for that, from now on I encourage all of you to hone your Dueling skills even further in order to protect yourselves. We at LDS will provide the premises as well as the curriculum for you to do so. The next Lancer may be one of you." The LDS tower appeared on screen with the silhouettes of multiple Monsters.

The audience pondered on the thought of becoming a Lancer for a bit, until…

"The world has gone through a complete change." A voice spoke, the screen changed to Akaba Reiji. This sudden appearance immediately caused the crowd to shut up. If the CEO of LDS was speaking, then it had to be very important.

"The peace we knew yesterday is now a thing of the past. Be aware that we are now entering an era of battle. The Leo Duel Schools of the world, LDS...from this day onwards, they will be the Lance Defense Soldiers, the front lines of our defense." Akaba Reiji halted and stood up from the chair he was sitting on and formed a fist. "And I, Akaba Reiji, will be fighting alongside the Lancers you see before you. A Lancer wields their lance on horseback to break through enemy lines." A Knight with a spear on a galloping horse wa shown on screen. "We will eliminate the enemy at all costs. This is a promise to the entire world." The audience all clapped and resumed to cheer "Lancers!" numerous times.

* * *

 **Later-Outside the Stadium**

The You Show crew was together, except for Serena, who was disguised as Yuzu, O'Brien, Shark, and Yuya, who was inside Yuto, so the latter was there instead.

"Where is Yuzu-oneechan?" Ayu asked in a worried tone.

"Why isn't she here?" Futoshi also questioned.

"You were together earlier…" Tatsuya trailed off, waiting for an answer from Yuto.

Yuto closed his eyes and held up Yuzu's clothes. This action shocked Shuzo.

"That's...Yuzu's…" Shuzo looked at the clothes. Yuto grit his teeth as his grip on the clothes tightened. "Yuya, where is Yuzu?"

"Sorry...I...I couldn't protect your daughter." Yuto apologized. He had failed to protect another person who he cared for. This was exactly the feeling he had when Ruri was kidnapped. Sorrow. Despair. Pain. Loss. Inside, deep inside, he could feel Yuya's depressed and angered soul, hiding himself from looking at anyone. Shuzo gaped at Yuto, confused by what he meant, worrying about his daughter.

"Couldn't protect her? But wasn't she there? At the center court, right Yuya-oniichan?" Futoshi asked.

"You're wrong. That wasn't Yuzu...and you're also wrong on thing. I'm not Yuya." Yuto revealed with a grief-stricken look on his face.

The news hit Shuzo and the 3 kids really hard. Both Yuya and Yuzu were gone!

"Wait! That explains why you were acting weird before your match with Kachidoki...along with the fact that you're wearing different clothes!" Shuzo connected the dots. "But you look so much like him! Of you aren't Yuya, then who are you?"

"I am Yuto." Yuto quietly introduced himself, composing himself. "I am a resident of the Xyz Dimension, the place where Academia started their ruthless reign of terror. For reasons I don't know, Yuya and I have the same face. Anyways, Yuya and Yuzu aren't here."

"What?!" Shuzo exclaimed in shock. He took of the fact that Yoko wasn't making any reaction.

"What do you mean?" Ayu asked,

"That girl you saw was someone who had Yuzu's face, her name was Serena." Mieru informed.

This info shocked Shuzo, the 3 kids, and even Yoko.

"During the Battle Royale, they switched clothes and swapped places." Gongenzaka said.

"Switched clothes? Why?" Tatsuya asked.

Yuto had a flashback to when Serena gave him back Yuzu's clothes. (I'm skipping the flashback, it's the exact same except Yuto replaces Yuya.)

Shuzo took the clothes in anger and lifted them up. "I'll go too! Where is it?! This Academia! Tell me! Tell me now!"

"That's impossible." Yuto spoke in a somber and depressed manner.

"What's impossible? I used to be a Pro Duelist. I'll go to Academia, beat the culprit, and save Yuzu-and save Yuzu…" Shuzo broke down in tears as he held the clothes closely to his chest.

"Yuzu is in another dimension." Yuto revealed. Shuzo dried his tears and looked at Yuto. "That's why us Lancers are going."

"You also said that Yuya was in another dimension." Yoko said.

"Both in other dimensions?" Shuzo widened his eyes.

"Wait, I thought Yuya resided inside of you!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Wait! You lied about Yuya being in another dimension! So that means Yuya is…" Yoko trailed off, hoping for the worst not to happen, hurt that Yuto would lie to her.

"No, Yuya has not been Carded. It is something else. It is...complicated."

"Wait, why do you have Odd Eyes then? And Yuya's Monsters?" Shuzo interrogated Yuto. He was interested to see why he was using Yuya's Deck.

"He trusted both his Deck and Odd Eyes to me. Anyways, sadly, there isn't much we can do about Yuya, us Lancers are going to stop Academia, so things like this doesn't continue. So everyone else won't have to suffer like the people in the Xyz Dimension did."

"Who cares about the Lancers, you couldn't protect Yuya-oniichan OR Yuzu-oneechan!" Futoshi exclaimed as he and Ayu started crying. Futoshi ran up to Yuto and began to pound on his waist, although it didn't cause any pain to Yuto.

"Wait, Yuto didn't know what was going to happen to Yuzu, and Yuya...is just another story!" Mieru defended Yuto.

"So what did happened to my son?" Yoko demanded for an answer.

"Huh?" Yuto looked at the mother of Yuya.

"You lied! But from the sound of it, you know what happened to him! I've already lost my husband 3 years ago! And now I've lost my son! I deserve to know what happened to him!" Yoko exclaimed.

"Your husband, Sakaki Yusho, correct?" Yuto asked. He already knew the answer, but he had to be sure.

"Yes." Yoko confirmed.

"Well, 3 years ago, a man named Sakaki Yusho mysteriously appeared in Heartland, the Xyz Dimension." Yuto revealed.

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock. They always knew Yusho disappeared from Miami completely, but to think that he went to another dimension is unreal.

"What happened to him? That's probably what you're going to ask next, right? Well, I don't know. When the Fusion Dimension attacked the Xyz Dimension, Sakaki Yusho mysteriously disappeared. It hasn't been confirmed if he was sealed into a Card, but most people think he just ran away." Yuto explained.

"And what about Yuya?" Shuzo asked the next question Yoko wanted to say.

"Days earlier, the night after the first round of the Championship concluded, I entered the hospital to interrogate Shiunin Sora, who had came out of his Duel with Kurosaki Shun, my comrade. Anyways, we got caught, and we met up in the park to Duel, Yuya came in the middle. Eventually, a green light came, and he went off to where it came from. He found a boy named Yugo, a person who has the same face as me. A misunderstanding occurred, and a Duel commenced between the two." Yuto paused and closed his eyes, letting what he has said so far sink in before continuing, knowing that the next part would hurt them. "Yuya lost the Duel, and he disappeared into thin air while laying in my arms, he entrusted me his Odd Eyes and Entermate Deck. For all I know, Yuya IS in fact in another dimension. I decided to fill in for him in the Championship, so people wouldn't make fun of him for his absence." Well, most of that explanation wasn't a lie. The only part that was a lie was that Yuya was in another dimension. Yuto gave Gongenzaka a look that said keep quiet.

Inside Yuto, Yuya was listening. He was looking down at his feet, tears dropping from his eyes as he formed a fist. He wanted to be with his mom and the others so much, he wanted Yuzu with him, he just wanted to hold her in his hands and tell her how much he cared for her. However, neither of those things can happen. He could just hijack Yuto's body again, but last time that happened, a big argument occurred between him and Yuto. He seemed like he was really mad at Yuto, but in reality, he felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, guys…" Yuya whispered to himself as he let his mind sleep in the empty landscape of darkness so he could sooth his pain a little bit. "Father...he left me...for three years...Yuzu's gone...I don't even have my body, and my friends are right here and I can't tell them how I feel right now...I want to tell my Mom how much I miss her, that I am fine. But that would be a lie, I don't feel fine really." Yuya pondered in his thoughts, his anger raising. "Academia...I hate you...and I will do at nothing to destroy you! Father, you left me, you didn't even tell me and Mom. The least you could do was leave on some other day and not on such an important day! You could have brought us with you! Yet you just head to some other Dimension for no other reason at all without telling us! You just left your family like that! With me gone, Mom has no one." Yuya's eyes turned up with a lighter shade of red. "If you had at least stayed, Mom would have had you! No, too much has happened, I hate you father...I hate you!"

Yuya gasped as he realized what he was saying. His eyes returned to their normal eye color. "What did I just say?!" He said he hated his father. No, he didn't. He couldn't. His father was the figure of his life. His father WAS his life.

"You knew that and didn't bother to tell me!" Yoko yelled.

"No, it's just that…" Yuto stopped himself. He knew ever since Yuzu told him that day that Yuya was the son of Sakaki Yusho. He never did tell Yoko. Great, just another thing he messed up. He failed to make sure Yuya and other people wouldn't get included in this war, he failed to save Yuzu, or anyone else during the Battle Royale for that matter, and he failed in Heartland.

"One second, Yuto-" Mieru was cut off by Gongenzaka.

"Stop. Understand how Yuto must feel, he has to harbor all of this failure on his shoulders." Gongenzaka paused as he and Mieru turned around. When they did, Gongenzaka saw a familiar man a little bit in front of him. The man was staring at him dead in the eyes. "Father." Gongenzaka walked over to the man he called father.

"I'm sorry. Really. But, I will save Yuzu, and I will find Yuya along with Yusho! And I will stop this war! As much as I don't want to, I will fight as a Lancer with Akaba Reiji." Yuto declared with determination in his eyes.

Yoko stares at Yuto for a while. She softened her gaze slightly. "Come with me." She grabbed Yuto by the wrist and started to walk away. "We're going home, I'll be seeing you!" Yoko called out to the others.

"Wait, What is this for?" Yuto asked.

"Just follow me." Yoko commanded in a strict manner, as if Yoko was his own mother.

Damn it! She is just like my Mother. Oh crap, my mother! I just left her at Xyz. She's in danger! Maybe she is already a-No! I must not think like that! Mother has the protection of the others. So does my little brothers. I will get home, soon. Yuto thought to himself.

Shuzo and the others merely looked on as Yuto was being dragged by Yoko.

* * *

 **Later-At Yuya's house-Night**

"Why the hell did she drag me all the way here?" Yuto asked himself. Yuto heard a drawer close nearby. He then saw Yoko walk towards him with a Card in her hand.

"What is this?" Yuto asked.

"For you. I was going to give it to Yuya when he was older, and when he started to reach for his goal of making people smile, but now it seems like a good time for this Card. Take it." Yoko held out the Card for Yuto.

Yuto gently took the Card and looked at it. The Card was called Smile World.

"Now, Yuya and I will be fighting with you. Look, I don't know how I feel about you not telling me about Yusho. But you can do good things for the world. Just like Yuya wanted to do." Yoko smiled as she glanced at a picture of a young Yuya and Yusho smiling together. "Anyways, Yusho always Dueled to make people smile, Yuya wanted to follow in his footsteps. Don't blame yourself about Yuya or Yuzu. Keep in fighting the good fight. 'Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.' Yoko unknowingly quoted Charles R. Swindoll. "When life beats you up, you get back up and take a step forward with courage. You'll be crossing dimensions, so you have a long way ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck."

"I-I'm sorry." Yuto apologized once more.

"You don't need to say sorry." Yoko quietly laughed. "You are a lot like him, Yuya I mean. You know that, right?"

"No, I didn't know Yuya that much."

"Yuya wouldn't give up no matter what life throws at him. You are like that, too. And I can see that you are considerate and kind. Now, when you travel dimensions to fight Academia, give them one for me and the others!" Yoko told Yuto.

Yuto looked at the woman in shock. He thought she would be pissed at him, after he lied and didn't say anything about Yusho. He gave Yoko a small smile. "All right! I'll do it! I'll carve a better future for all of us, no matter what! And I'll fulfill my promise to Yuya"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Gongenzaka Dojo**

"UAAAAAAH!" Gongenzaka yelled in pain as his life dropped to 100, he had multiple bruises on his face from his serious Steadfast Duel with his father.

"What's wrong Noboru! You don't have the strength to face me like a man! If you are going to cross the dimensions, you are going to have to prove yourself to me that you are ready to go out on your own! So far, this won't do! Prove your resolve to me in this Duel, Noboru!" Gongenzaka's father shouted at his son. Who was slowly getting up from the ground.

"Yes, father! I, the man, Gongenzaka, will show you an iron-steeled resolve in this Duel! My turn, draw!" Gongenzaka drew his Card with much Force as he faces his father.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-At Sawatari's house**

"You're what?!" Sawatari's father shouted in shock. They were in Sawatari's room...which was, interesting to say the least. I won't bother to describe Sawatari's room, who knows what he would have in it!

"I'm crossing dimensions as a Lancer." Sawatari said again.

"No! I refuse it! Unacceptable, I will not allow you to go!" The future Mayor denied Sawatari's request at going.

"But father! Akaba Reiji has put his trust in me and the other Lancers to fight with him against Academia!" Sawatari rebutted at his father.

"No!"

"Pop! Sawatari pleaded.

"I said NO!" The short man named shouted. "Son, you are my only child, I cannot afford to lose you, not like your mother."

"Don't you mention her!" Sawatari snapped at his father. "If she were here, she would let me go!"

"Your Mother was many things! An easygoing person she was not! If you told her that you were going to travel the dimensions, she would never let you hear the end of it!" Furio scolded his son.

"Pop! I have the rest of my comrades if anything goes wrong! I will be fine! Now will you stop being an overprotective parent and LET ME DO WHAT I WANT TO DO!" Sawatari raised his voice on his father, leaving the man speechless. "If the Lancers lose, Academia could attack this place, and this dimension could end up in shambles!" The normally cocky and egotistical Sawatari finally started to say some real things that was unlike him.

"I-I...ugh...as much as I don't want to...I'll let you go...be careful, my son." Furio proceeded to give his son a hug, however, it was a little weird since his son was like two times taller than him.

"Uhh...Dad, that's really awkward when you do that, please don't." Sawatari spoke as he struggled to push his father away.

"Don't you dare lose son, if you do, then I swear with all of my power that I will not let Academia hear the end of it!" Furio turned FURIOus (Haha, see what I did there, actually more like see what the dub did there since Furio is the dub name and Sawatari's father's first name isn't known in the subbed. I'll shut up now.)

* * *

 **Later-The Sakaki Residence-Yuya's Bedroom**

Yuto was lying in Yuya's bed, pondering on what has happened today. He suddenly remembered his argument with Yuya. Damn, did he let out his anger at that time.

"Yuya. Yuya. Can you hear me?" Yuto asked the kindred spirit slumbering in his body.

 _"Yeah, with you constantly calling out my name."_ Yuya spoke to Yuto.

"I only said it twice." Yuto said with a smirk.

 _"Still..."_ Yuya trailed off, with nothing more to say. Then, the air around them turned cold, with tension building up.

"So…"

 _"So..."_

"About today...in the Duel with Reiji…" Yuto started.

 _"Don't say you're sorry!_ _If anything, I should be the one saying sorry._ _I thought that my experiences in your memories sparked something in me, and I was blinded by rage. I forgot that you and I are different people, despite our...similarities. We feel differently, we think differently, we act differently in many situations_. _I should have realized that. And I shouldn't have forced you to use Fusion."_

"It's ok. That encounter has taught me something. I shouldn't hate the Summoning Method, it didn't do anything to the Xyz Dimension. It was the people who used Fusion, they are the ones to blame. I should have realized. I don't think I will use Fusion...but...of I am ever in a bad spot, then...maybe, I'll use it." Yuto told Yuya.

 _"Hmph, maybe you should rest. Tomorrow is a big day."_ Yuya said.

"Yeah, I know." Yuto replied to his Standard Counterpart as he dozed off to sleep.

* * *

 **The Next Day-LDS Building**

Yuto and Gongenzaka were being escorted by Nakajima to the room with the rest of the Lancers.

"Gongenzaka, your face…" Yuto muttered to the giant, who had multiple bandages on his face.

"I had a serious Duel with my father. It was to test my resolve." Gongenzaka explained the reason for the bandages on his face.

They stopped at a door, which opened automatically. They found Dennis, Sawatari, Tsukikage, Serena, Shun, Shark, and O'Brien. Shark and O'Brien had reluctantly stayed at LDS for the night, preparing themselves for what was to come. Shun had to stay at LDS to be watched, much to his distaste.

"You're late, Yuto." Sawatari spoke first. "It's a 100,000 years too early for you to make me wait!"

"I don't really know whether you're getting at early or late with that analogy." Dennis murmured to Sawatari.

"Shut up! No one asked you!" Sawatari muttered.

"You're all gathered?" The voice of Akaba Reiji asked. Both Yuto and Yuya, who was inside the former, looked at Akaba Reiji with distaste as he walked down the stairs to the Lancers.

"So Mr. President shows up last." Sawatari grinned.

As Reiji reached the bottom, Dennis ran in front of him and saluted him. "All 9 members of the Lancers have been gathered, Captain!"

"It's not 9." Reiji spoke.

"Oh, 10 if we include you." Dennis said.

"It's eleven." Akaba Reiji corrected Dennis' error. "Reira will come along, too." Everyone looked up to the girl at the top of the stairs.

"We're not going to play games. A kid like that, fighting Academia with us? He'll just get in the way!" Shun dislikes Reiji's idea.

"Shun-"

"Reira's ability is equivalent to any of yours." Reiji interrupted Yuto from saying something. "He will absolutely not be a hindrance."

"Equivalent to us? A Junior Class kid with strength that matches that of Sawatari's era, the masters of Pendulum!" Sawatari boasted at himself. Reira closed her eyes and turned her back.

"What is the Sawatari's era? The first one to create Pendulum was Yuya." Gongenzaka stated. "Don't act as if you're the one who came up with it."

"In any case, I won't accept this! A kid like that marching into Academia with us?"

"We're not going to Academia." Reiji informed Shun, shocking the people in the room. "What did you say!?

"Our destination is the Synchro Dimension."

"Synchro...Yugo's home...why?!" Yuto questioned Reiji's decision.

"The Synchro Dimension has not been dragged into the war between the dimensions as of now. We'll recruit comrades there. Our foremost motive is to have them bind with Standard and form an alliance to take in the Fusion Dimension together."

"But what about Xyz?" Shark asked with worry.

"They will have to fend for themselves." Reiji answered simply, shocking the Xyz residents in the room.

"Cut the bullshit Reiji! We shouldn't waste our time before entering the Fusion Dimension to crush Academia! Isn't that what the Lancers are for?!" Shun demanded for an answer.

"I only play games I can win. Expansive preparations are necessary to aim for victory. At this stage, we have no chance of defeating Academia if we challenge them in battle."

"Joining forces with you was a mistake. I'll march into Academia myself and save Ruri."

"There is no way you can do it alone. Academia assembles Duelists from all over the Fusion Dimension and provides them with a top-tier education. Every day, it produces tough Duel Soldiers trained in endurance. What can you accomplish by marching in their alone?" Shun glances at Serena. "I approve of Reiji's plans. For now we have to be ready for the threat of war and make preparations for the sake of victory. It's okay, the Professor will treat Ruri kindly. You'd know if you saw how he treated me. I look like a Ruri, right? And Yuzu too. Why does Professor want to gather those who look like me? Academia capturing Ruri and trying to bring me back...those were his orders. It's most likely like that with Yuzu. I don't know what he's planning to do by gathering us. But we seem important to him. That's why Ruri must be treated with care."

"What about Yuzu?" Yuto asked, knowing that Yuya wanted to know.

"She is not with Academia. Reiji should know. It looks like he saw it." Serena said, making the group look at Reiji. "That Yuzu disappeared with a Duelist if the Synchro Dimension.

"Ehhhhhhh!" Dennis quickly covered his mouth after realizing the noise he made, which could raise suspicion.

 _A Duelist from Synchro?! So Yuri didn't succeed in capturing Hiragi Yuzu!_ Dennis panicked in his thoughts.

"Wait, Duelist from Synchro, maybe Yugo...is that true?"

"Yes. That a Duelist also took out 3 members of the Obelisk Force in one turn. It was then that I was convinced. We will ally with the Synchro Dimension." Reiji responded to Yuto.

"Yuzu is in Synchro, no doubt about it. Yuzu helped me. I won't let her fall into Academia's clutches!" Serena told Yuto. "To make sure that we can save Ruri, we have to form an alliance with Synchro."

"I still don't like the sound of that, but...I'll do it." Reiji nodded as all of the Duelists strapped in their Duelists, except Shark and O'Brien.

"Something the matter?" Reiji asked.

"I cannot leave Xyz alone. I want to go there." Shark told Reiji, O'Brien nodded in agreement.

"O'Brien, Shark, as much as Shun and I don't like it, we have to go to Synchro. The Resistance is strong, they won't fall!" Yuto assured his friends. They hesitated for a moment, but they closed their eyes and strapped on their Disks as well.

"This is a Duel Disk equipped with a newly invented dimensional transportation device. I took Kurosaki's Duel Disk as a reference one night." Reiji revealed.

"Wait, What?" Shun widened his eyes in shock. "You stole my Duel Disk from me while I was sleeping?! You bastard!"

"Geez, something is wrong with Akaba Reiji." Dennis whispered to himself.

"Let us continue. This Duel Disk is also fitted with a function that allows the activation of an Action Field. We have also made the same modifications on Serena's Duel Disk, and Kurosaki's."

"You bastard!" Shun yelled.

"The Pendulum Summon and Action Cards are our greatest weapons." Reiji continued, ignoring Shun. "Use those to your heart's content. Now, please prepare the Cards that were distributed to you." Reiji held up the Card, while everyone else did the same. "We've inputted the Synchro Dimension's coordinates in them. Set them and activate them at my signal." Everyone did so. "Now, it's time to depart." Reiji clicked a button on his Duel Disk. "Onwards to the Synchro Dimension, Dimensional Mover, activate!" All of the Lancers dissolved into blue particles as they started to go to Synchro. (Reira is included.)

* * *

 **You Show Duel School-Ryo's Room-Fusion Dimension**

"Good job." Ryo congratulated his Solid Vision Monster that was on his computer. With some luck, he managed to hack some Academia files, and he found out that two girls are being held captive at Academia. Ryo already knew this before leaving Academia, but for some reason, they weren't Carded, which perked Ryo's interests. Normally, Academia just Card people who disobey the rules or people who are enemies, they don't lock them up. In fact, in the file he saw, it said that the two girls were being held captive in two different towers. "Maybe a rescue mission is in order. I can't go alone. Too many people will attract attention, so one other person will do. I have to sneak away though, Yusho will most definitely say no to the mission. I know the perfect person. Oi! Tenjoin Asuka, I know you are out there hiding. Come out already."

The girl, Asuka, gasped in shock at how Ryo knew where she was. She entered the room, making her presence known.

"You're going back to Academia?" Asuka asked.

"For a rescue mission, I need help though. I was wondering if you could lend me your assistance?"

Asuka pondered in her thoughts about it for a bit. There is a chance of getting captured and Carded, but it was also a chance to get more comrades. "I'll do it."

"Don't tell Yusho, he will override the mission, we have to sneak out. Those girls are being held captive, we have to save them."

* * *

 **A no Duel chapter, sorry about that.**

 **So, about Sawatari's Mum, well, she's dead. She died to a sickness. Kind of cliche but, it will work.**

 **Here is the preview.**

 **Ryo and Asuka head to Academia to go the East and West towers to rescue Ruri and Rin. There, they split up to both towers, where they Duel the guardian.**

 **So, before we head to Synchro, we will focus a bit on the other characters. But other than that, yay, the Standard Arc thing is over!**

 **rgriffin8999: If Yuzu were to get Synchro, which she most likely will, she will probably get it by a similar way that Yuya gets his new Monsters in the anime.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: #Reiji's an ass**

 **Bridgey: Glad you understand why I had them lose. I'm kind of excited for the Synchro arc.**

 **Matrixnis: Some of the scenes from here actually were created thanks to your review, mostly with Sawatari. The next chapter was my idea though, I know that I have been focusing on Yuto and Yuya specifically so far.**

 **Ok, so, now that the Standard Arc is over, I guess I will ask you guys a question for you to answer. So far, what is one thing that I have done good with this fic, and something that could improve, AND IT CANNOT BE GRAMMAR OR SPELLING, I'm not perfect.**

 **See you guys next chapter, hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	54. Return to Academia

Ryo and Asuka managed to sneak away without being seen by anyone. They got a small boat and started to ride away to Academia on it. While on the boat, they laid out their plan.

"Ok, apparently, the two girls are in the two big towers. You can't miss them. I'll take the East Tower (the one Rin is in) and you take the West Tower." Ryo told Asuka.

"What about the guards? Surely the towers will be guarded." Asuka said.

"Sneak past them. If you have to, Duel them." Ryo told Asuka. "We will stop at the docks and go our separate ways. Once both girls are safe, we meet up, taking this boat back is too risky. We might have to take a teleporter. Except instead of going to another dimension, we teleport back to the You Show Duel School (the one in Fusion.)"

Asuka nodded her head. Ryo narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"Didn't you have a brother who used to go to Academia?" Ryo asked Asuka in interest.

"Yes. But that was before Akaba Leo came. He disappeared soon after he did. I haven't heard anything from him since." Asuka replied in a sad tone.

"So it seems we have both lost a brother."

"Poor Sho, he didn't deserve to be Carded." Asuka spoke.

Ryo made a fist. "I'll make sure Academia pays for that. But I must not let anger cloud my judgement. The path of a Duelist comes with sacrifices. Unfortunately, Sho was one of them. It all just comes down to shrugging it off and going on."

"You do miss him though, right?"

"Of course, what sort of brother would I be if I didn't?" Ryo threw out a rhetorical question. "Sho was an interesting person to have as a brother. He was very timid, but he stuck up to his beliefs, whatever they were. Sho and I were never close. I mean, we were as brothers but, not like brothers usually are. Despite that, we still look out for each other, well, it's only me who is looking out for him. Sho was really the only person I communicated with during my time in Academia. I was the best Duelist there, so people learned to either fear me, respect me, or stay away from me. The first and third choices were normally the ones. Because of this, I didn't really have any friends, Sho was the only one who I talked to, and even still, Sho just hid behind me, he never forged his own identity, he always looked up to me for the answers to a situation, never tried to get out himself. Sho never did get the time to prove himself as a real Duelist."

Asuka pointed behind Ryo as she saw the island. "Over there!"

"It seems that no one is there. That's odd." Ryo sharpened his gaze. Something was wrong here.

"Maybe most of the soldiers are in Xyz, and the others are just inexperienced." Asuka proposed. It was a long shot, but that could have been the case.

"Either that or Academia wants to give us a false sense of relief. And then, when we least expect it, they come out of nowhere and attack us full on."

The boat reached the docks. Both Duelists jumped out.

"All right. Let's do it. Take this." Ryo handed Asuka an earpiece, which the latter accepted. "Use that to communicate with me. Let's go!" With that, Ryo turned to the right and ran towards the East Tower, leaving Asuka to herself.

Asuka placed on her Duel Disk and went her own way to the West Tower.

* * *

Meanwhile

Leo looked at the camera, seeing Asuka and Ryo. "So the traitors return. Where would they be going?" The camera switched, he saw both running off towards the towers. Akaba Leo's usually stoic face twitched in annoyance. "Damn it. They are going after Rin and Ruri. I don't think Diana and Apollo can handle this. I should send it backup."

Leo pressed a button on his chair as he spoke. "Sent backup to the towers. Send anyone, I don't care. Barrett is busy preparing to go to Synchro at some point and Yuri is somewhere on the island."

"Yes sir." An old man saluted the Professor through the communicator as the com turned off, leaving Leo to talk to himself.

"I will not lose those girls, we are almost there." Leo stood up and walked behind his throne, looking at the Arc-V Reactor. "Almost there...you will be back soon."

At that moment, a door to the Professor's room slid open, a student in blue walked in and took a knee down to the Professor.

"What do you want?" Leo asked with disinterest as he sat back down on his throne.

"Word from Dennis Mackfield. He has the trust of something called the Lancers. Apparently, they are going to be traveling to the Synchro Dimension. He's going to work undercover. But that's not the only thing, it's the leader of the Lancers. It's your son." The blue student reported to Leo.

"Reiji is not my son!" Leo scolded the student for saying such a thing. "As far as I'm concerned, the only child I had was…" The Professor stopped himself before finishing. "I thought I told Reiji to stay put in Standard. Well, it looks he didn't take my advice. Your presence has been appreciated."

"Th-thank you s-sir." The student stuttered as he waltzed out of the room.

"To think that this is the only way to get her back…" Leo muttered to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile-With the Doktor-In his lab

The Doktor was in his lab, he was holding his Deck. And he was rubbing it, as if he was trying to calm it. "Don't worry my precious little things, you'll have your time to strike soon."

At that moment, an alarm went off, the Doktor looked at the cameras next to the alarm, and saw Ryo and Asuka, scaling up the East and West towers respectively.

"Hoh, it seems that help has arrived for my little experiments. Hmm…maybe I should do _that thing_...on second thought, I want to see how this plays out, and just enjoy watching those two suffer. Hohohohohohohoho!" The Doktor cackled maniacally.

* * *

With Ryo

Kaiser reached the top of the tower, where he saw flat ground. He saw a man in front of him. The man wore a long red robe under a short white toga. He also wears brown sandals, and an elaborate maroon collar lined with gold and with attached orange shoulder page. He has a large golden pendant around his neck with the design of the sun, and and orange helmet and greaves, both lined with gold; the helmet obscures his eyes.

"Apollo…" Ryo mused at the sight of the man as he walked towards him.

"Yes...me, Kaiser Ryo." The man now known as Apollo replied. "So you have betrayed Academia and its noble cause."

"Pff, to hell with your so called noble cause." Ryo scoffed. "I'm here for the prisoner in the tower. You can either leave me to my business, or you could try and defeat me. However, I don't think you will be able to."

"Of course I will Duel you! The Professor has entrusted me the duty of guarding this tower! I won't go against him!" Apollo exclaimed as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Fine." Ryo activated his Duel Disk as well, accepting

the challenge.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted in unison.

* * *

Meanwhile-With Asuka

As she reached the top of the tower, Asuka noticed a woman standing a couple of feet away from her. The woman gave Asuka a dirty look.

"So the traitor returns, and what do we owe this visit?" The woman asked in a sarcastic tone.

"As you probably know, I came here to save the girl in this tower." Asuka responded in a serious tone.

"Well, as _you_ should know, I'm not going to let you pass without a Duel." The woman proclaimed as she activated her Duel Disk.

"I'm not going to lose, Diana!" Asuka activated her Duel Disk in response to the woman now known as Diana.

"DUEL!"

* * *

With Ryo and Apollo

"I'll take the first move." Apollo told Ryo. "I activate the Magic Card Fusion! From my Hand, I fuse Guardian Tryce with Sun Soldier! When the radiant sunlight hits the twin blades, the two warriors become one! Fusion Summon! Sun Protector! Descend!"

Sun Protector: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2100 Def

"I activate Sun Protector's effect, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Keeper Shield Token." Apollo explained as a token appeared right in front of him.

Keeper Shield Token: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Apollo concluded.

"My turn!" Ryo put a hand on the top of his Deck.

* * *

At the same time-With Asuka

"My turn!" Diana declared. "I activate the Magic Card Fusion! I fuse Guardian Baou and Moon Soldier Lady! When the shining moonlight hits the Flamberge, the two warriors become one! Fusion Summon! Moon Protector! Descend!"

Moon Protector: Level 7, 2100 Atk, 2400 Def

"I activate Moon Protector's effect, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Keeper Shield Token! I set two Cards and end my turn." Two Cards materialized in front of Diana as she ended her turn.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Machine Angel Ritual!" Asuka placed her Card into her Duel Disk as the Card appeared in front of her. "I can Ritual Summon any Cyber Angel Ritual Monster using Monsters on my Field or in my Hand whose levels are exactly equal to the Monster I desire to Summon. I release the Cyber Prima in my Hand! Ritual Summon! Show yourself, level 6, Cyber Angel Benten!"

Benten: Level 6, 1800 Atk, 1500 Def

"I activate the Continuous Trap Admiration of Keepers! I can target a Special Summoned Monster, when this Card is activated, I can Special Summon two Keeper Shield Tokens! Now, the targeted Monster's effects are now negated, however, your Monster can now Attack all of my Shield Tokens at least once, but if it doesn't attack all of them, the targeted Monster is destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase."

"I activate the Equip Magic Card Ritual Weapon! I can only equip this Card to a level 6 or lower Monster, the equipped Monster gains 1500 Attack and 1500 Defense!" Asuka told Diana as Benten grabbed a new weapon.

Benten: 1800-3300 Atk, 1500-3000 Atk

"Battle!" Asuka shouted as she pointed at Moon Protector.

"Not so fast, you can't declare an attack on Moon Protector while a Keeper Shield Token is on the Field.

"Then how about this! Benten, attack Keeper Shield Token!" Asuka attacked Diana's Monster.

"I activate my other Continuous Trap, Moon's Radiance!" Diana clicked a button on her Duel Disk as her remaining set Card was revealed, a Card with a full moon in the picture. "When I gain Life Points, you take damage equal to the amount that I gained!"

"The attack still continues!" Asuka reminded Diana as the Benten's attack connected with Keeper Shield Token, destroying Diana's token.

"Moon Protector's effect activates, when a Monster you control destroys a Keeper Shield Token I control, your Monster loses 800 Attack, and I gain 800 Life Points!"

Benten: 3300-2500 Atk

Diana: 4000-4800 LP

"The effect of Moon's Radiance activates now, since I gained 800 Life Points, you take 800 points of damage!" Diana thrusted her hand towards her opponent as her Trap glowed with a yellow light. A blue ball of light came flying towards Asuka, enveloping her as she screamed in pain. She crouched down and clutched her chest in pain as she closed one eye and looked at Diana.

Asuka: 4000-3200 LP

Asuka stood up and opened her eye. _If I destroy those other tokens, I will take 1600 damage in total, leaving me with 1600 Life Points. And my Monster will lose 1600 points. However, I can then attack her Monster. In that case…_

"Benten, attack the second token!" Benten swung her weapon at the Shield Token, destroying it.

"Once again, Moon Protector's effect activates!" Diana exclaimed.

Benten: 2500-1700 Atk

Diana: 4800-5600 LP

Diana's Trap shot a blue ball of light at Asuka again. The ball hit Asuka in the stomach, causing her to grimace in response.

Asuka: 3200-2400 LP

"One more time. Attack, Benten!" Benten destroyed the last Shield Token, the same process repeated as it did twice before.

Benten: 1700-900 Atk

Diana: 5600-6400 LP

Once more, Diana's trap let out a ball of blue energy at Asuka. Asuka was blown back as she rolled across the ground, face down.

Asuka: 2400-1600 LP

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Asuka ended her turn.

* * *

With Ryo and Apollo

"Draw!" Ryo drew his Card and glanced at it. "When my opponent controls a Monster and I don't, I can Special Summon this Card. Show yourself, Cyber Dragon!"

Cyber Dragon: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 1600 Def

"If I Normal or Special Summon Cyber Dragon, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand in Defense Position, appear, Cyber Dragon Vier!" Ryo slammed his Monster onto his Duel Disk, a machine showing a resemblance to Cyber Dragon appeared and took a defensive stance.

Cyber Dragon Vier: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1600 Def

"This Card's name becomes 'Cyber Dragon' when on the Field or in the Graveyard. Also, every Cyber Dragon I control gains 500 Attack and Defense." Ryo spoke as both of his Monsters gained a yellow aura.

Cyber Dragon: 2100-2600 Atk, 1600-2100 Def

Cyber Dragon Vier (Cyber Dragon): 1100-1600 Atk, 1600-2100 Def

"Continuous Trap, activate! Admiration of the Keepers, I can target a Special Summoned Monster you control and then Special Summon two Keeper Shield Tokens, your Monster's effect is negated and you can attack all Keeper Shield Tokens, at the end of the Battle Phase, if the targeted Monster doesn't attack all of the Keeper Shield Tokens, that Monster is destroyed. Also, you can't attack Sun Protector when a Keeper Shield Token is on the Field. Next I chain the Continuous Trap Sun's Rays! When you take damage, I gain Life Points equal to the amount you took." Apollo chained his Trap.

"It doesn't matter! You'll still fall here! Battle! Go, Cyber Dragon, destroy the Keeper Shield Token!" Ryo yelled. "Evolution Burst!" Cyber Dragon let out a fireball at Shield Token, destroying it.

"I activate Sun Protector's effect, if a Monster you control destroys a Token, I can decrease the Attack of that Monster by 800, and then inflict 800 points of damage!" Apollo revealed. A scorching fire came out of his Card as it burned Ryo, causing him to wince. Meanwhile, Cyber Dragon slumped slightly from weakness.

Cyber Dragon: 2600-1800 Atk

Ryo: 4000-3200 LP

"Due to Sun's Rays, I gain 800 Life Points." A yellow aura appeared around Apollo.

Apollo: 4000-4800 LP

"Attack the other Tokens!" Cyber Dragon ate a Token and hit the other one with its tail, destroying them. The same process happened again. The fire torches Kaiser, causing him to clutch his chest in pain.

Cyber Dragon: 1800-200 Atk

Ryo: 3200-1600 LP

Apollo: 4800-6400 LP

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ryo closed his eyes as he took his hand of his chest.

"My turn, draw! Now this is the end! Go, attack Cyber Dragon!" Sun Protector threw its spear at Cyber Dragon.

"Not so fast! Trap activate, Cyber Resort Fusion! When a Machine Type Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck by fusing the Materials that are in my Hand or on my Field! I fuse the Cyber Dragon Vier treated as Cyber Dragon along with the Cyber Dragon on my Field! Two dragons of evolution form their power into one, to give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear, Cyber Twin Dragon!" Ryo Fusion Summoned his Monster.

Twin Dragon: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2100 Def

"Damn it, I call off the attack! Also, " The spear disappeared and reappeared in front of Sun Protector.

"I activate the effect of Sun Protector, I Special Summon a Keeper Shield Token. I end my turn."

"Hmph, it will be over this turn." Ryo told Apollo.

"What the hell are you talking about! You can only attack the Shield Token, then, I will gain Life, you lose Life, and your Monster loses Attack, as far as I'm concerned, I'm in control of this Duel!"

"Are you sure? I have two Cards that I can use to beat you, and that's not even including the Card that I can draw next. If you won't believe me, then I will have to show you, my turn, draw!"

* * *

Meanwhile

"My turn, draw! Battle, go, Moon Protector, destroy Cyber Angel Benten!" Moon Protector threw its spear at Benten.

"Trap activate, Doble Passe, when an attack is declared on an Attack Position Monster, the attack is changed to a direct attack, then, the Monster who was originally targeted for an attack can attack you directly! Next, I chain the Continuous Trap Spirit Barrier, when I control a Monster, I don't take any damage!"

"What?!" Diana exclaimed in shock as Moon Protector jumped over Benten and threw its weapon, Asuka jumped to her right to dodge it, taking no damage.

"Now, Benten, attack her directly!" Benten jumped over Moon Protector and hit Diana with her weapon. The woman yelped as she took a step backward.

Diana: 6400 LP-5500 LP

"I activate the effect of Moon Protector, a Keeper Shield Token is now Special Summoned. I end my turn." Diana wiped the annoyed look on her face off and smirked. "You've finally done damage to me, and you kept your Monster, but with it only at 900 Attack, is there even a point in keeping it?"

"Yes! Now, you only have one Keeper Shield Token! And now, I can win this, my turn, draw!" Asuka glanced at her Card and let out a smile. "I activate the Magic Card Pot of Greed in order to draw 2 Cards! Perfect! I Summon Cyber Angel Sorceress!" Asuka quickly Summoned her Monster to the Field, which was a girl with a purple hat and black robes with blue hair.

Angel Sorceress: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 400 Def

"When Angel Sorceress is Summoned, I can add any Ritual Magic Card in my Grave to my Hand, I add Machine Angel Ritual, which I will now activate! I use Angel Sorceress and Cyber Angel Benten as sacrifices! Angel of light hiding eternal power. Now show your form to this vast world, and illuminate all creation! Descend, Level 10! Cyber Angel - Vishnu!" Asuka Ritual Summoned her Monster.

Vishnu: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

"When Vishnu is Special Summoned, I can destroy all Special Summoned Monsters you control, excluding Tokens, and then I can deal 1000 points of damage to you for each one destroyed! Say goodbye to Moon Protector!" Vishnu brought her hands together and charged a ball of yellow energy as she sent it towards Moon Protector, destroying the Monster. Diana covered her eyes and grit her teeth.

Diana: 5500-4500 LP

"Battle, I attack your Defense Position Token!"

"But even if you do that, I won't take any damage!" Diana reminded Asuka.

"Are you sure about that?" Asuka questioned, causing Diana to have a confused look on her face. "A Ritual Monster Ritual Summoned using Cyber Angel Sorceress as a sacrifice can inflict piercing damage, along with that, when the Monster deals damage, it is doubled! So with 3000 piercing damage doubled, you will be taking 6000 points of damage!"

"No way!" Diana took a step back out of fear as she trembled. Vishnu destroyed the Keeper Shield Token, sending Diana flying backwards while screaming, she dropped to the ground unconscious.

Diana: 4500-0 LP

Asuka deactivated her Duel Disk and ran past Diana's body, to the entrance to the tower.

* * *

With Ryo

"I activate the Quick-Play Card De-Fusion, I return Cyber Twin Dragon to my Extra Deck and Special Summon its Materials! Revive, Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon Vier! Due to Vier's effect, the Attack and Defense of all Cyber Dragons increase by 500!" Both of Kaiser's dragons gained a yellow aura, roaring as they got powered up.

Cyber Dragon: 2100-2600 Atk, 1600-2100 Def

Cyber Dragon Vier (Cyber Dragon): 1100-1600 Atk, 1600-2100 Def

"Next, I Summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!" Ryo slapped his desired Monster onto his Duel Disk.

Proto-Cyber Dragon: Level 3, 1100 Atk, 600 Def

"When on the Field, Proto-Cyber Dragon's name becomes Cyber Dragon! And since it is named Cyber Dragon, it gains 500 Attack and Defense because of Vier." Ryo explained.

Proto-Cyber Dragon (Cyber Dragon): 1100-1600 Atk, 600-1100 Def

"Next, I activate the Magic Card Power Bond! I send all 3 of my Monsters to my Graveyard! 3 powerful dragons, merge their power into one as they form a new stage of evolution! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Cyber End Dragon!" Ryo Fusion Summoned his ace Monster as it roared behind him in glory.

Cyber End Dragon: Level 10, 4000 Atk, 2800 Def

"4-4000 Attack?!" Under his helmet, Apollo widened his eyes. His shock soon turned into cockiness. "But even still, you can't attack my Monster! You have to attack the Token!"

"Although I had the option to, I'm not going to destroy your Monster. Due to the effect of Power Bond, the Fusion Summoned Monster's Attack is doubled!" Ryo revealed.

Cyber End Dragon: 4000-8000 Atk

"From what the records say about you, it says that your famous Card, Power Bond, comes with a very big risk. You take damage equal to the original Attack of the Special Summoned Monster. You can't finish me, so at the end of the turn you will take 4000 points of damage!"

"Cyber End Dragon can deal piercing damage to a Defense Position Monster it attacks!" Kaiser closed his eyes, knowing that the match was now over.

"What?!" Apollo shook in his place as he dropped his hands in defeat. "I played right into your hands...what are you?:

"I'm the one who is going to save the one in that tower and avenge my brother's fall, and with Cyber End and my other Monsters by my side, I won't fail! Battle, go, Cyber End Dragon, attack the Keeper Shield Token and finish this! Eternal Evolution Burst!" All three heads of Cyber End Dragon charged up their attack as they let out three streaks of light at Apollo, engulfing him, causing the man to yell in pain and drop to the ground unconscious.

Apollo: 6400-0 LP

Ryo walked over to the man and put a hand to his Duel Disk, ready to Card him. He stood their for a good couple of seconds, contemplating. This guy was part of the same society that took this brother and many other people's lives, why shouldn't he get what he deserved? But to be fair, Ryo AND Asuka used to be in the same society themselves. Plus, what would Sho think of him if he did this? He put his Duel Disk down, and walked past Apollo's unconscious body alone, and to the entrance of the tower.

* * *

In the Tower

Rin sat on her bed, with a sad look on her face, while looking at the wall, wondering when she would get out. During her time at Academia, she was tortured, beaten, and held captive. Rin didn't know how she was holding on, but she could only think of one thing during her stay. Yugo.

The idiot must be worried sick since she's not there. However, the thing Rin is worried about most, is what Yugo might be doing to find her. Yugo was a reckless idiot, he could do something bad looking for her, if he was looking for her that is. Yugo might accidentally hurt someone. That and Rin is just worried sick about him. Yugo was her only friend, she didn't want to never see him again.

That's not all, Rin felt scared at Academia, and wanted Yugo to be there to protect her. A day or two ago, she was forced into a lab, and she was knocked out, ever since she woke up, she had a bad feeling Academia did something bad to her.

Lastly, Rin was going through a living hell! She wanted to get out, but even if she did, she can't forget the things she experienced, it would stick with her for the rest of her life.

Rin sighed. "Yugo...where could you be?"

At that moment, Rin heard the door to her room getting hit once. She looked at the door with a confused look on her face. The door was hit again, Rin was very scared now. It was probably an Academia Soldier trying to scare her and put her through another torture session, or maybe to beat, or maybe even to experiment on her. The very thought of it brought to tears. The door was hit a third time, and this time, it was pried wide open. Rin saw a man in a blue uniform looking at her with a serious face. The man had dark blue hair and looked like he was a couple of years older than her.

"Let's go." The man commanded Rin.

Seeing the Obelisk Force uniform, Rin panicked. "NO! Don't put me through that again! I refuse!"

"What? No, I'm here to break you out!" The man raised his voice so Rin could hear him over her own panicking. Rin stopped and took a look at the man, she wiped her tears.

"Wait, but you're wearing the uniform!" Rin spoke in a more calm, nervous manner.

"I recently defected from Academia. I'm here to break you out. We have to hurry, so it's either you come with me or I leave you here!" The man rushed Rin.

"I'll go! I'll go!" Rin quickly stood up from her bed. She was having some suspicions, this guy didn't really seem like the trustworthy type.

"Now we need to find your Duel Disk so you won't be some damsel in distress who can't defend herself." The man said calmly.

"I have my Duel Disk and my Deck with me. For some reason, Academia gave it back to me a couple of days ago. I didn't search through it though, I was scared of what I would find, if Academia did anything that is."

"Good, now we just need to find something that could zap us back to where I came from, as in, safety." The man started to walk out of the room. "Let's go, Academia might send reinforcements!" Rin hurried after him when he said that.

"What's your name?" Rin asked.

"Ryo, Marufuji Ryo, at my time at Academia, people called me 'Kaiser,' because of my skill." Kaiser introduced himself. "What about you?"

"I am Rin, I come from the Synchro Dimension, one night, I was suddenly kidnapped by someone from Academia."

"Synchro Dimension? Kidnapped?" Ryo whispered to himself in interest.

"Yes, the shocking thing was the person who abducted me had the same face as my best-no, my only friend, Yugo." Rin said.

"Wait! Once, when Academia forced me out of the tower, I saw another girl, she had the same face as me, and she was captured also. Academia left us for a bit, so we had time to talk to each other. Her name is Kurosaki Ruri! She's in the other tower, we have to save her!" Rin exclaimed, not wanting to leave Ruri.

"A person with the same face as you? Interesting...anyways, I have a comrade breaking her out of the tower as we speak. Anyways, enough chit chat, we need to hurry!" Ryo started to run as Rin also picked up her pace to follow Ryo.

* * *

In the West Tower

"Yuto...Shun..." Ruri mused the name of her boyfriend and her brother respectively. She had missed them so much, during the war, they had made her feel safe, it made her have hope that they could win the war. However, when she was abducted by that mysterious boy who looked like Yuto, that hope was snatched away from her. During her time at Academia, she was beaten, tortured, basically everything Rin experienced.

Ruri's moping was interrupted by a bang on the door. She looked at the door in shock, an Academia Soldier? Maybe it was Shun or Yuto, or someone from Xyz who came to save her! Regardless, Ruri had to stay strong, despite the pain she might experience from the person who comes through.

The door was hit four more times, each time raising Ruri's anxiety. After the 6th time, the door finally opened (hey, don't judge me that it took Asuka 6 hits to open the door, I am pretty sure Ryo is physically stronger than Asuka,) Ruri saw a girl with dark blond hair, who was wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform that was short, who also sported a black sleeveless tank top.

"So you're the girl I'm here to save. Don't worry, I defected from Academia a while ago, I'm here to help save you. I'm Tenjouin Asuka, what about you?" Asuka questioned the girl with a soft voice, knowing that she went through a lot based on the look on her face.

"I am Kurosaki Ruri." Ruri tried her best to be polite, she took a bow of respect. "Thank you, Asuka-san."

"Please, just call me Asuka, we need to hurry out of here, let's go!" Asuka told the Xyz user as she ran, Ruri quickly followed, the girl seemed trustworthy, so she decided to follow her.

"So how did you get here?" Asuka asked with interest.

"I was abducted by a boy who looked like my best friend. I was taken from the Xyz Dimension, my home, to here. For some reason, Academia gave me back my Duel Disk a couple of days ago, but I decided not to check my Deck in the case that Academia did something to it...well...I guess I was just scared on what I would find." Ruri admitted as they left the tower and ran down the stairs, Ruri was lagging slightly behind thanks to fatigue and the pain she was feeling throughout her body, but she wanted to book it from Academia.

"I have a friend here, saving another girl from the other tower, we are going to meet up with them and find a way to get out of here, the boat we took was only for two people. We couldn't get one that could hold more without the risk of being caught by someone." Asuka explained.

"Wait, another girl from another tower, you mean Rin! She has the same face as me, we met at one point in our stay here. I'm glad she's okay, hopefully she can reunite with that Yugo guy I heard about." Ruri let out a smile, hoping the best for Rin.

* * *

Later

They four met up, and Rin and Ruri were overjoyed at the sight of each other. However, the four had to move quickly. Ryo knew exactly where the teleportation room in Academia was, it was a room where there was teleporters that weren't on Duel Disk's were. It was not in the actual school building of Academia, it was outside on the island, as its own small building.

They made it to the building. There were multiple pods to travel to a random place in the other Dimension. Then, there was a custom pod where you could teleport to a specific area in the Fusion Dimension itself.

"We're almost there." Ryo spoke as they walked into the building. They made their way over to the custom pod. All of the pods were on, they had a button right next to them to send the user to where they want to go.

Suddenly, Asuka's ears perked up. "Wait, I hear something!" The four looked towards the doorway to hear multiple footsteps from the outside, he saw a figure in the doorway.

"So, you thought you could escape Academia that easily?" The voice questioned as Ruri and Rin shuddered at the familiar sound of the voice. As the man came into view, Ruri and Rin grew terrified, it was the man who was the cause of most of their suffering at Academia. The man was middle aged, fair-skinned, and he sports a large messy mustache. He wears a black military outfit with a red lining and cuffs over a close-collared white shirt that has a green pattern below the collar, giving the white beneath it the shape of battlements, and he also wears a maroon belt with a gold-plated buckle.

"You..." Asuka trailed off.

"Sanders!" Ryo narrowed his eyes at the man.

"That's not all." Sanders said with a serious expression on his face. From behind him, a large man walked into the room, a man no one recognized. The man was young, yet tall and muscular and he had a sort of roman gladiator style for his clothes. His hair was very long and it was colored reddish-brown. "I introduce you to Battle Beast! You won't be making it out of Academia! We will stop you, ANY. MEANS. NECESSARY."

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Moon's Radiance, Continuous, Trap: When you gain Life Points, you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the amount that you gained.**

 **Sun's Rays, Continuous, Trap: When you inflict damage to your opponent, you can gain Life Points equal to the damage given.**

 **Cyber Resort Fusion, Trap: When a Machine-Type Monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can Fusion Summon a Monster from your Extra Deck using Monster's from your Hand or Field as Materials.**

 **Cyber Angel Sorceress: When this Card is Summoned, you can add any Ritual Magic Card from your Grave to your Hand. When this Card is used as a sacrifice for the Ritual Summon of a Monster, the Summoned Monster can deal piercing damage, and, any damage the Monster deals is doubled.**

 **I made a change to the effect of Admiration of the Keepers, I made it so the target can be any Monster, not just Monsters Special Summoned from the Extra Deck.**

 **I also made a change to Vishnu, so it can destroy any Special Summoned Monster, except tokens. I always found it stupid how the effect could only destroy Fusion Monsters and not others.**

* * *

 **And here we go! I'm gonna be honest, I thought this chapter would be much shorter than it really was, like maybe only like 3000-4000 words or something like that.**

 **Here is the preview.  
**

 **Sanders and Battle Beast appear. Asuka and Ryo step up to Duel them, however, Ruri and Rin tell them to get the custom teleporter ready, while the two of them Duel Sanders and Battle Beast.**

 **Ok, now here is something that I will do. On my Profile, soon after this chapter is uploaded, there will be a poll. You guys can vote on whether, A. Ruri and Rin do a tag Duel against Sanders and Battle Beast, or B. They will do 1v1 Duels against the two. No matter what the outcome of the poll, it won't change the story too much. This will be the first time I will be uploading a poll onto my profile, so bare with me, since I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. If you guys just don't care about voting with the poll, you can just PM me, leave it in a review, or not even vote at all!**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: It isn't Zarc, but is related to him.**

 **Bridgey: Asuka won't play much of a role for now, but I'm going to try something with Ryo, you'll see what is in either next chapter or the chapter after that.**

 **Matrixnis: Yuri won't appear right now, however, next time he does, oh the heel faces will come.**

 **Guest: Thanks.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: That's kind of funny. I agree with you on the Synchro arc, if it wasn't being dragged on, it could have been a much better arc. However, another reason the arc was mediocre was because Dark Side of Dimensions was in production at time I believe, I'm not complaining since Dark Side of Dimensions was a really great movie, but I agree the Synchro arc could have been better.**

 **Thetiger39: Thank you, just gonna let you know, I have a plan for Ruri next chapter, I don't know how you will react to it though.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	55. Xyz and Synchro VS Fusion

**Warning: There is minor violence in this chapter. Nothing too major.**

* * *

"You won't be stopping us." Ryo stepped forward as he held out his Duel Disk towards both Sanders and Battle Beast.

"I'll help." Asuka offered as she stepped forward also, making sure Ruri and Rin were behind her.

"No." Ruri suddenly spoke. Both Ryo and Asuka turned to look at the girl, who had a determined look in her eyes.

"We want to Duel! We won't be two damsels in distress! Sanders made both of us suffer at our time here we need to get payback! Plus, you two need to enter the coordinates." Rin added to Ruri's statement.

"But…"

"But no, we can handle this!" Rin interrupted Asuka. "You guys got us out, you guys should enter the coordinates and leave it to us. Besides, I don't know how to use this thing, and I'm sure Ruri doesn't either."

Ryo closed his eyes and gave a smile as put his Duel Disk down. "Fine, be careful you two."

"Hurry it up and choose who's Dueling! It doesn't matter who, no matter who's Dueling first, you still won't make it out!" Sanders proclaimed as Battle Beast stared at Ruri and Rin with a blank expression on his face. "This will be a Tag Duel! No one can battle until the last person begins his turn." Ruri and Rin nodded and stepped up as they activated their Duel Disks. Sanders activated his also. "Battle Beast, activate your Disk!" A sudden change occurred in the man, he activated his Duel Disk as he sharpened his gaze at Ruri and Rin.

"DUEL!" The 4 Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll go first!" Ruri offered, Rin gave her a nod as she began. "When there are no Monsters on the Field, I can Special Summon Lyrilusc-Turquoise Warbler!"

Turquoise Warbler: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"When Turquoise Warbler is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 1 Lyrilusc Monster from my Hand, show yourself, I Special Summon Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri placed her desired Monster onto her Duel Disk as the bird appeared.

Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"What is this Deck? Ruri never did tell me anything about her Deck." Rin realized. "Could she be doing what she told me about…?"

"When Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I can add another one to my Hand." Ruri took an ejected Card out of her Deck and showed it to her opponents. "Now, when I control a Lyrilusc Monster, I can Special Summon this Card and another level 1 Lyrilusc Monster, appear, Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow!"

Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def

"When Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned I can add another one, I add my final Cobalt Sparrow to my Hand. This one I will Normal Summon!" The third Cobalt Sparrow took to the Field as Ruri's wall of Monsters floated down in front of her.

"Hah, so you have 5 level 1 wall Monsters, what are those going to do? Oh shit, they're level 1!" Sanders widened his eyes.

"That's right! With my 3 level 1 Cobalt Sparrows, Sapphire Swallow, and Turquoise Warbler, I construct the overlay network!" Ruri declared as her Monsters flew into the overlay network. "Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilusc - Assembly Nightingale!"

Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"What is this Monster?" Rin questioned in a quiet manner. "Xyz Summon…"

"For every overlay unit attached to Assembly Nightingale, she gains 100 Attack, she has 5 overlay units, so she now gains 500 Attack!" Ruri explained as her Monster powered up.

Assembly Nightingale: 0-500 Atk

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ruri concluded.

"So that's an Xyz Summon…" Asuka whispered to herself in awe.

"Not bad. I've heard that the residents of the Xyz Dimension and some people in the Standard Dimension use Xyz Summoning, this is the first time I've seen Xyz Summoning up close though." Ryo said calmly as he glanced at the Duel.

"I will make sure you won't escape! My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Test Fusion! I can Fusion Summon a Gladiator Beast Monster ignoring its Summoning conditions using Monsters from my Hand as Materials! I fuse both the Test Ape and the Test Tiger! Captive ape, invite your master to whip the fierce tiger! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor!" Sanders chanted as he Fusion Summoned his Monster.

Tamer Editor: Level 8, 2400 Atk, 3000 Def

"I activate the effect of Tamer Editor, once per turn, I can reveal a Gladiator Beast Monster i either player's Extra Deck and Special Summon it to their side of the Field, ignoring the Summoning conditions." Sanders explained.

"Wait, any players!" Rin repeated in shock.

"So that means he can…" Ruri trailed off and looked at Battle Beast.

"I reveal Gladiator Beast Heraklinos in Battle Beast's Extra Deck, now he is Special Summoned to Battle Beast's Field!" Sanders spoke as Battle Beast simply opened his Extra Deck compartment and placed said Card onto his Duel Disk, summoning the Monster. Battle Beast still had a look devoid of emotion on his face.

Heraklinos: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2800 Def

"They're using the same Deck?!" Asuka noted in surprise as she looked at the Field while Ryo was typing in coordinates.

"Sanders trained Battle Beast...well, I don't know if you would call it training, but they use the same Deck, and they are a forced to be reckoned with." Ryo informed the former female Obelisk Blue student.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sanders ended his turn a Card materialized in front of him.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Wind-Calling Bell Chime, I can reveal a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster, then I can Special Summon a Monster from my Deck with the same name!" Rin's Magic Card appeared in front of her as a hologram.

"Battle Beast!" Sanders shouted at his teammate.

At that shout, life sprouted in Battle Beast's eyes and he made his move.

"During either player's turn, when a Magic or Trap Card is activated, I can send a Card in my Hand to the Grave, then, I can negate the activation of that Card and destroy it!" Battle Beast took a Card and sent it to the Grave, Rin gasped as her Card disappeared.

"I still can do more than just that! When I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon this Card, show yourself, Windwitch-Frozen Bell!"

Frozen Bell: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can reveal a Synchro Monster in my Extra Deck, I can now Special Summon a Monster whose level is lower than or equal to the level of the Synchro Monster subtracted by Frozen Bell's level from my Deck, I reveal Winter Bell, who has a level of 7, while Frozen Bell's level is 3, so, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Monster. Appear, now, the Tuner Monster Windwitch-Glass Bell!" In a breeze of wind, Rin's desired Monster appeared with a smile.

Glass Bell: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1500 Def

"Tuner Monster?" Ruri questioned as Asuka looked on in interest. Ryo meerily listened on.

"When she is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can add a Windwitch Monster from my Deck to my Hand, I add Windwitch-Snow Bell to my Hand! I will now activate Snow Bell's effect, when there are two or more Wind Attribute Monsters on the Field, I can Special Summon her!"

Snow Bell: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"Now, I tune the level 3 Windwitch-Frozen Bell with the level 4 Windwitch-Glass Bell! Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" Rin chanted as her ace Monster appeared.

Winter Bell: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"So this is Synchro Summon...hmph, interesting." Ryo smirked.

"This is Rin's ace Monster?" Ruri asked herself in a hushed tone.

"When Frozen Bell is used as Material for a Synchro Summon I can inflict 500 points of damage to you!" Rin pointed at Sanders. Winter Bell chimed as a breeze of wind struck Sanders, causing him to shield himself and shiver in place.

Sanders: 4000-3500 LP

"I now Summon Windwitch-Ice Bell!" Rin quickly placed the Card onto her Duel Disk as her Monster appeared.

Ice Bell: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate Ice Bell's effect, once per turn, if this Card was Normal Summoned or Special Summoned this turn, I can inflict 500 damage to you! I inflict 500 damage to Battle Beast!" A breeze struck Battle Beast, but he just stood there, taking the damage.

Battle Beast: 4000-3500 LP

"I'm not done, I tune the level 3 Windwitch-Ice Bell with the level 1 Windwitch-Snow Bell! Oh shining crystals of midwinter sky, make Ice and Snow my power and breeze through! Synchro Summon, show yourself, Level 4, Windwitch-Clear Bell!"

Clear Bell: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1600 Def

"Now, when this Card is Synchro Summoned, I can immediately deal damage to one of you equal to the level of the Tuner Monster times 200! Snow Bell's level was 1, so take 200 points of damage, Sanders, this is for all of the torture you put me through!" Rin spat with venom clear in her voice. Sanders let out a yell of pain as he dropped to the ground.

Sanders: 3500-3300 LP

"You little bit-"

"Stop right there! It hurts, doesn't it! Well this is nothing compared to what you made Ruri and I go through, when we did absolutely nothing wrong at all!" Rin screeched.

"What do you mean by that, Rin?" Asuka asked in concern. Ruri shuddered in her place as she recalled her memories.

"During at our stay at Academia here, and this was both before and after Ruri and I met each other, Sanders would sometimes force us out of ourselves. He would either one, interrogate us about info about or home dimensions, or two, he would put us to work and would beat us if we didn't what he said. I remember the first day all too well…" Rin trailed off as she thought back.

* * *

Flashback-Sometime after Ruri and Rin's kidnapping (This is only going to be Rin because 1, Ruri experienced basically the same thing, so there isn't a point in making a second flashback to this, and 2, I already hesitated to put this here, mostly cause I would never want this to happen to anyone in real life, so I think 1 flashback with ONLY Rin is fine.)

Rin was sitting her tower, she didn't know how long she was in the tower for, but it felt like a year, although Rin knew that if definitely was MUCH less than a year.

So far, Rin was really only wanting to get out and find Yugo, they didn't do anything to her, the society that kidnapped her. Unfortunately, that would soon change for Rin.

A knock on her door frightened Rin, in came some random soldier, who had a sadistic smile on his face. "You're coming with me!"

"Hell no!" Rin refused to go.

"I had a feeling you would say that." The soldier snapped his fingers, and in came even more soldiers, who surrounded Rin, one of them activated their Duel Disk and used it as a blade and they held close to Rin's throat. "Don't come with us and we'll cut off your head."

Sweat started to fall down Rin's face as she looked in fear. _No, I can't let them control me like this!_ Rin, out of instinct, kicked the guy in abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. Rin attempted to fight her way out of the crowd, throwing as many punches and kicks as she could, however, soon, she began to get tired. A soldier impolitely punched Rin in the face, causing her to fall to the ground unconscious because of her fatigue.

"Why do we have to do this?" The soldier who knocked Rin out asked.

"Sanders wanted to put her to work, he said that since she is here why not have her do something. Plus, we need to tire her out so she will retaliate less AND so the Doktor can do whatever he wanted to do." The other soldier answered simply.

* * *

Later

When Rin opened her eyes, she was met with Sanders. Rin was had her arms lifted up and tied together, so she couldn't escape.

"Good, you're awake. Now, I just need you to cooperate with me, the more you do, the less painful it will be for you." Sanders spoke in a menacing tone.

"If you're going to try to interrogate me, you'll never get your way." Rin said.

"I knew you would say that." Sanders snapped his fingers, at that moment, Rin felt a shock go through her body. Rin let out a scream as she was shocked. The electricity stopped, and Rin started to gasp for air. It was at this moment that Rin noticed that she had something on her wrist, the one that didn't have her bracelet, she looked up at her wrist to see that it was some kind of device that was probably causing the shocks. "Do you see what I mean, cooperate, and you get hurt less."

"Damn you, I'm still not going to answer anything you ask me!"

"Ok, we're not going anywhere at the rate this is at, let me just ask you the first question. Do you have any knowledge of the other dimensions?" Sanders interrogated Rin for answers as he got close to Rin.

"Other dimensions? What kind of bullshit are you spouting?! And even if I did know anything, there is no way I'm telling you anything!" Rin exclaimed as she spat on Sanders face and proceeded to kick him in the shin, causing him back up and crouch down as grit his teeth. (Hey, this may be showing Rin being tortured if you would call it that, but Rin should at least do something cool.)

"God damn, you sure kick hard for a girl, a very young one at that." Sanders rubbed his shin in the exact place where Rin had kicked him.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Rin quipped in a serious manner.

"Alright, so it seems you don't know anything. Let's see…" Suddenly, Sanders punched Rin in the stomach, hard.

"AHH!" Rin cried out in pain as she closed her eyes.

"Hopefully you will be useful to us in some way. How about this, I'll give you a spot as one of my subordinates, kind of like a right hand man of sorts, well, in this case, you're a girl but I digress. You won't be able to escape, but it beats being stuck in a tower." Sanders proposed.

"I won't be working for you, I'd rather die!" Rin replied in a harsh manner.

"Grr…" Sanders reached for his back pocket and he pulled out a whip. He whipped Rin on the cheek, causing the girl to wince as a little bit of blood rolled down Rin's face.

"Please...just take me back home...I didn't do anything to you…" Rin ushered in a soft manner.

"You won't be returning home!" Sanders shouted as he continued to punch, shock, and whip Rin repeatedly to consciousness. This often repeated for days, the process got even more painful for Rin, and Ruri, who was subjected to the same things, until Sanders just stopped one day, for unknown reasons. He then made both Ruri and Rin work their tails off, and if they didn't listen, they would be punished. And they didn't listen much, particularly Ruri, since she wouldn't want to work for Academia, it would mean going against her friends back at the Xyz Dimension.

* * *

Now

"I activate the effect of Winter Bell, once per turn, I can target a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster in my Grave, this Card then gains one of the effects of that Monster until the end of the turn. I choose Ice Bell, so now I use Winter Bell's copied effect. Sanders, take 500 points of damage!" Rin let out her anger at Sanders through the damage as Winter Bell proceeded to envelop Sanders in snow, causing him to growl and cover his face.

Sanders: 3300-2800 LP

"I set a Card and end my turn." Rin ended her turn.

Battle Beast looked on into space, like he wasn't in the Duel at all.

"Battle Beast! Start your turn!" Sanders commanded.

No response.

"You insignificant cockroach!" Sanders insulted BB as he threw out his whip and struck BB in the back with it. Rin and Ruri gasped in horror as Sanders continued to whip BB, who get yelling out in pain.

"Stop!" Ruri pleaded. "Can't you see you're hurting him?!" Although BB was against them, he didn't deserve to be whipped, he looked like someone who just needed help. Also, why is Sanders whipping his own comrade? Is Academia that cruel, that they would punish even their allies?!

"How horrible?" Asuka gasped as she looked on.

"That's what Sanders is, horrible." Ryo commented in distaste while mentioning the man from Academia.

BB roared out in rage as he glared at Sanders, a look that said 'back off or I'm going to do something that you're not going to like in the slightest.'

"MY TURN, DRAW!" BB drew his Card with a lot of force, causing a gust of wind to blow on Ruri and Rin, who shielded their eyes.

"Since it is BB's turn, he can attack!" Sanders reminded Ruri and Rin.

"I Summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari!" Battle Beast slammed the Card onto his Duel Disk as his Monster was Summoned.

Bestiari: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 800 Def

"Battle!" Battle Beast lifted up his arms in fury. "Go, Heraklinos, attack Windwitch-Winter Bell!" Heraklinos jumped towards Winter Bell.

While the attack came closer, Rin thought to herself. _He can just negate the activation of this Card, but he needs a Card in his Hand, if that's the case then…_

"Continuous Trap, Shield of Wind! When a Wind Attribute Monster I control would leave the Field, I can shuffle a Wind Monster in my Graveyard into my Deck instead!"

"I activate Heraklinos' effect, I send a Card to my Grave to negate the activation of your Card and destroy it!"

"Not so fast! From my Hand, I activate Lyrilusc-Diamond Sparrow, when a Monster effect is activated, I can negate the activation, then I can attach this Card to an Xyz Monster on the Field as Material! I attach the Card to Assembly Nightingale."

Assembly Nightingale: 500-600 Atk

"Thank you, Ruri!" Ruri nodded in response to Rin. "Now, I shuffle Glass Bell into the Deck so Winter Bell can survive." The attack connected, Rin flinched as she took damage.

Rin: 4000-3400 LP

"I'm not done,Bestiari, attack Clear Bell" Battle Beast declared. Bestiari flew towards Rin's Monster.

"I activate Shield of Wind's effect, I shuffle Frozen Bell into my Deck!" Rin stood in her place as her Monster was punched.

Rin: 3400-3300 LP

"Grr...I activate the effect of Bestiari, at the end of the Battle Phase, if this Card battled, I can shuffle into the Deck, then, I can Special Summon any Gladiator Beast Monster from my Deck! I Special Summon Gladiator Beast Augustus!" Bestiari disappeared as Augustus took his place.

Augustus: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 1000 Def

"What?! They tagged out!" Ruri pointed out in surprise.

"That's the purpose of the Gladiator Beasts." Ryo explained. "After battle, they tag out with another one to take their place, and they also have special effects when Summoned by a Gladiator Beasts' effect."

"When Augustus is Special Summoned due to the effect of a Gladiator Beast Monster, I can Special Summon a Gladiator Beast Monster from my Hand in Defense Position! I Special Summon Gladiator Beast Murmillo!" Battle Beast explained.

Murmillo: Level 3, 800 Atk, 400 Def

"When this Card is Special Summoned by the effect of a Gladiator Beast Monster, I can destroy a faceup Monster on the Field!" Battle Beast thrusted his hand at Assembly Nightingale, Murillo released a stream of water from its hand at Ruri's ace.

"I activate the effect of Assembly Nightingale, when this Card would be destroyed, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card instead." Ruri countered as an overlay unit was detached, the stream hit Nightingale, however, the Monster stood strong.

Assembly Nightingale: 600-500 Atk

"That's it! I will show you a power used only by the Gladiator Beasts! I shuffle both Gladiator Beast Augustus and Gladiator Beast back into my Deck!"

"What?! Shuffling his Monsters into the Deck!" Asuka, Ruri, and Rin exclaimed in shock while Ryo looked on in shock.

"Is this...Contact Fusion?" Ryo asked himself.

"Fighting bird of prey that lived in ancient times! Merge with the souls of gladiators and become a warrior of legend! Contact Fusion! Come! Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!" Battle Beast chanted as he Summoned his Monster.

Gyzarus: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1500 Def

"When this Card is Special Summoned, I can target up to two Cards on the Field, I can then destroy them! I destroy Shield of Wind and Assembly Nightingale!" Gyzarus let out two gusts of wind at the declared Cards, Shield of Wind was immediately destroyed.

"Once again, I detach an overlay unit from Assembly Nightingale to negate her destruction!" Ruri bellowed as one of the five overlay units orbiting Assembly Nightingale shattered, Assembly Nightingale stood in place, avoiding destruction.

Assembly Nightingale: 500-400 Atk

"I end my turn." BB concluded as he calmed down.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Lyrilusc-Strike, for the rest of the turn, when a Lyrilusc Monster I control deals damage, I can destroy a Card on the Field."

"I activate Heraklinos' effect, I discard the last Card in my Hand to negate your Card and destroy it!"

"Counter Trap activate, Lyrilusc-Wind, when a Card effect is activated, I can pay 500 life points, negate the activation, and destroy the Card!" Ruri countered as she pressed a button on her Duel Disk. Heraklinos was destroyed after Ruri's statement.

Ruri: 4000-3500 LP

"Assembly Nightingale can bypass all of your Monsters and attack you directly!"

"What?!" Sanders widened his eyes in shock.

"Battle! Assembly Nightingale, attack Sanders directly!" Ruri pointed at Sanders as Assembly Nightingale flew towards Sanders.

"Trap activate, Negate Attack, the attack is negated and the Battle Phase immediately ends!" Sanders dodged Nightingale as the bird flew back to Ruri.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ruri concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the effect of Tamer Editor! I reveal Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz, and now I Special Summon Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz."

Gaiodiaz: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 1500 Def

"Now I equip Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor with the equip Magic Card Gladiator Beast's Battle Archfiend Shield!" A shield appeared next to Tamer Editor, who grabbed it. "Battle! Go, Tamer Editor, attack Windwitch-Winter Bell!" Tamer Editor charged at Winter Bell with its shield.

"But they both have the same Attack, they will both be destroyed!" Ruri exclaimed in confusion.

"Mine won't! When Battle Archfiend Shield is equipped to a Monster, it can destroy itself to stop the destruction of the equipped Monster. So, I send Archfiend Shield to do just that! Now, only Winter Bell will be destroyed!"

"From the Grave, I activate the effect of Shield of Wind, by banishing it from the Grave, I can either Special Summon a Wind Monster from my Hand or Grave or I can target a Wind Monster on my Field and have it be invincible to destruction, and I don't take battle damage for any battle involving the targeted Monster." Rin explained as Winter Bell and Tamer Editor clashed, the shield disappeared and a barrier formed around Winter Bell, protecting the Monster.

"But what was the point of that?" Asuka questioned.

"Sanders was trying to get rid of Rin's Monster while keeping his own, I think he wants to do damage with the other Monster, maybe it has a hidden ability?" Ryo assumed, hoping that wouldn't be the case while he continued to do what he was doing.

"Now, I attack Windwitch-Clear Bell with Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!" Sanders quickly set his eyes on Rin's weaker Monster. Gaiodiaz easily destroyed the Monster, causing a shockwave that caused Rin to step backwards.

Rin: 3300-2100 LP

"I now activate the effect of Gaiodiaz, when this Card destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Grave, I can inflict damage to you equal to the Defense of the destroyed Monster. Your Monster had 1600 Defense points, so you take 1600 points of damage!" Sanders revealed.

"No way!" Rin cried out in shock. Gaiodiaz charged a red energy beam and shot it at Rin, who was enveloped in the beam as she screamed in pain. She crouched down to the ground, her body steaming.

Rin: 2100-500 LP

"Rin!" Ruri yelled in concern for her lookalike.

"I'm fine." Rin gave Ruri a weak smile to assure her as she stood up again once more.

"So Sanders was just being careful, that's why he didn't take the opportunity to drop Rin's life to 0, so he could make sure nothing like Rin's Trap from the Grave would interfere, and it still went into his favor!" Asuka deduced from what she saw. Had Sanders really planned this far ahead?

"It's nothing like that, when we took her Deck, we simply took a look through some of the Cards, some of them, and that was one of them. I was aware of the Grave effect, so I played it out like this to deal as much damage as possible." Sanders informed the 4.

"You snake! Looking through my Deck like that!" Rin hissed.

"Stop whining, you're lucky we didn't look through all of your Deck. I end my turn. So, show me something that will surprise me!" Sanders challenged Rin.

"Gladly! During the End Phase of the turn when Clear Bell is destroyed, I can revive a Wind Monster in my Grave, come back to me, Windwitch-Snow Bell!" A portal to the Grave opened as Rin's desired Monster was revived. "My turn, draw! I tune the level 7 Windwitch-Winter Bell with the level 1 tuner Monster Windwitch-Snow Bell! Witch of midwinter wind, glide through the clouds and bring forth a new storm! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, level 8, Windwitch-Storm Bell!"

Storm Bell: Level 8, 2900 Atk, 2450 Def

"I activate Storm Bell's effect, when this Card is Synchro Summoned, I can target a Windwitch Monster in my Graveyard and return it to my Hand! Next, you take damage equal to the Monster's level times 200! I return Winter Bell to my Hand, or in this case, the Extra Deck, Winter Bell's level is 7, so you take 1400 points of damage!" Rin shouted as Storm Bell blasted Sanders with a blue beam.

Sanders: 2800-1400 LP

"I activate the Magic Card Frost of the Windwitches! When I control a Windwitch Monster, I can decrease the Attack of a Monster on the Field by half the Attack of one Windwitch Monster I control. Half of my Monster's Attack is 1450, so, I decrease the Attack of Gaiodiaz Monster by 1450!"

Gaiodiaz: 2600-1150 Atk

"This is the end of you Sanders! Go, Windwitch-Storm Bell, attack Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!" Rin called an attack as Storm Bell rammed into Gaiodiaz, destroying the Monster. Sanders yelled in pain as he was thrown to the ground unconscious. Tamer Editor disappeared from the Field.

Sanders: 1400-0 LP

"I end my turn." Rin concluded as she took a deep breath. "That's for what you did to Ruri and I."

"My turn, draw!" Battle Beast shouted.

"Battle Beast, you don't have to work for Academia, we both saw how they treat you. They treat you like some kind of animal! You don't deserve that!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Rrrr…" BB's glare softened.

"O-oh no yo-you don't…*cough*...you disgrace of a-a so-soldier…" Sanders stuttered weakly before, trying not to lose consciousness again.

At those words, BB snapped and roared in rage. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"I activate the equip Magic Card Gladiator Overrule! I equip it to Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz. Now, when Gaiodiaz attacks a Monster, it negates the effect of that Monster, and no Cards can be activated in response to it. Battle! Go, Gaiodiaz, attack and destroy Assembly Nightingale!" Gaiodiaz swung its weapon at Assembly Nightingale. Ruri gasped, knowing she couldn't do anything to protect her Monster. The attack connected, Assembly Nightingale was destroyed, Ruri was thrown back screaming in pain as she fell to the ground.

Ruri: 3500-1500 LP

"Ruri!" Rin and Asuka exclaimed. Rin ran over to Ruri and helped her up to her feet. Ruri gave Rin a nod of thanks before making a move.

"I activate my set Card, the Quick-Play Magic Card, Rank-Up-Magic Lyrical Force! When a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon it back to the Field, then, I can Special Summon a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than the Special Summoned Monster, using this Card and the Special Summoned Monsters as Materials! Bird with wonderous and beautiful wings! Evolve into a new bird and go on the path to victory! Rank-Up-Xyz Change! Fly onto the Field before us, Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale!"

Evolved Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 100 Def

"Also, when the Monster is Summoned, I can attach as many overlay units to the Monster as long as it doesn't surpass the number of overlay units the destroyed Monster had. There was 4 overlay units on Assembly Nightingale, so I can attach 4 overlay units to Evolved Nightingale, I attach 3 Cobalt Sparrows and 1 Sapphire Swallow to this Card." Ruri told BB as 4 overlay units began to orbit Ruri's new Monster. "Evolved Nightingle gains 200 Attack for every overlay unit she has."

Evolved Nightingale: 0-1200 Atk

"I end my turn." BB concluded.

"My turn, draw! I will end it this turn! Evolved Nightingale can attack you directly when you have a Monster on the Field, however the damage from the direct attack is halved. Battle, attack directly, Evolved Nightingale!" Evolved Nightingale flew over Gaiodiaz and hit Battle Beast.

BB: 2800-2200 LP

"All right, Ruri!" Rin cheered for her teammate.

"This will end it! I activate Evolved Nightingale's effect, when it deals damage to you from a direct attack, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card in order to destroy a Monster you control, then, you take damage equal to the Attack of the destroyed Monster. Of course, I do that to destroy Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!" Ruri declared as Evolved Nightingale crashed into Gaiodiaz, destroying the Monster, BB was sent flying back as he yelled in pain, he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

BB: 2200-0 LP

Rin and Ruri's Monster disappeared from the Field.

"They won!" Asuka exclaimed out of joy. Ryo nodded in agreement with a smile.

* * *

Meanwhile

"Oh, it seems that they have won, well, we can't have that now can we." The Doktor grinned maliciously as he watched through a camera at what was happening. The Doktor picked a two Cards, they were two copies of the same Card.

* * *

Back to Ruri, Rin, Asuka, and Ryo

"Nice job you too." Asuka congratulated the girls.

"Now to open the portal." Ryo said calmly.

Ruri and Rin gasped suddenly, catching the attention of Asuka and Ryo. Asuka and Ryo saw that Ruri and Rin's eyes lost their life, they were now dull. It was as if they had lost control of their body. Unfortunately, that was the case.

"Hahahaha! I feel great!" Both girls laughed in unison.

"Time to take out the trash!" Rin grinned as she held out her Duel Disk.

"I'm with you!" Ruri also held out her Duel Disk.

"It seems that they want to Duel us." Ryo sharpened his gaze at the girls as he readied his Duel Disk.

"Then we will have to fight them? Great, as if things weren't risky enough. Ruri, Rin, what happened to you?" Asuka asked the girls.

"Nothing, we just changed, for the good!"

"Academia must have done something to them. They're probably being mind controlled." Ryo guessed.

"Mind controlled?" Asuka repeated. Ryo nodded in confirmation.

"The only way to get them back is probably by beating them in a Duel." Ryo told Asuka. Asuka, with hesitation, lifted up her Duel Disk.

At that moment, Ruri and Rin lost their grins, they started to grimace as they clutched their heads, clearly fighting off the control.

Meanwhile, with the Doktor, he was shocked. "What?! Are they fighting off my control over them!"

"AHHHHGH!" Both girls screamed as they fought the control.

Rin and Ruri's bracelets suddenly started to glow.

" _Open a portal to a different dimension, it might cut off the connection of the mind control."_ A mysterious female voice told the two. Only they could hear the voice.

"Why are their bracelets shining?" Asuka noticed the bracelets and got a confused look on her face.

"I have no clue." Ryo replied as he looked at the girls, he saw that they were reaching for the dimensional transporters. "What the hell are they doing?!"

Both Rin and Ruri reached for different transporters, still trying to get control back, however, it was too strong to fight off by pure determination. Without knowing which dimension they were going to, they turned on the portals, and they fell in.

"No!" Asuka screamed as she saw the girls fall in.

"Damn! I'm going after one of them. You stay in this dimension. Take this." Ryo reached into his pocket and put a bomb onto the custom teleporter, he timed it for a minute.

"Why do you have a bomb?!" Asuka screeched in surprise.

Ryo ignored her and turned on the custom portal. He turned on the bomb, it started to countdown from 1 minute. "So they can't follow you, the blast will only destroy the portal, it won't do much damage to the other teleporters. I'm going after one of the girls. You have to go back to You Show and tell Yusho what happened."

"But-"

"But no! Just do what I say!" Ryo commanded Asuka.

"Ryo, but isn't it better for me to go after one also?!"

"Don't worry. It'll be fine with just me, you need to go tell Yusho, that will most likely be better." Ryo told Asuka. "And if you won't listen to me, then I'll make you!" Ryo pushed Asuka, who gasped in shock as she fell into the custom portal. Ryo turned off the portal and looked to the bomb. It was at 40 seconds before KABOOM! Ryo quickly turned around and looked at the two portals the girls jumped in. Both of the labels for the portals were faded out for some reason, so he couldn't tell which portal went to which dimension. He went on instinct, he turned off the portal Ruri jumped into and jumped into the one Rin fell into. He didn't no where he was, but all he knew was that Rin was in the dimension he was going to.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Windwitch-Frozen Bell, Spellcaster, Wind: When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can reveal a Synchro Monster in your Extra Deck, you can Special Summon a Monster from your Deck whose level is less than or equal to the level of the Synchro Monster subtracted by this Card's level. When this Card is used as Synchro Material, you can inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.**

 **Windwitch-Clear Bell, Spellcaster, Wind: When this Card is Synchro Summoned, you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the level of the Tuner Monster used to Summon this Card times 200. During the End Phase of the turn when this Card is destroyed, you can Special Summon a Wind Attribute Monster from your Grave.**

 **Lyrilusc-Diamond Sparrow, Level 1, 0 Atk, 200 Def, Wind, Winged-Beast: When a Monster effect is activated, you can negate the activation, then attach this Card to an Xyz Monster on the Field as an overlay unit.**

 **Frost of the Windwitches, Magic: When you control a Windwitch Monster, you can decrease the Attack of a Monster on the Field by half the Attack of a Windwitch Monster you control.**

 **Gladiator Overrule, Equip, Magic: Equip only to a Gladiator Beast Monster. When the equipped Monster attacks an opponent's Monster, you can negate the effect of the opponent's Monster, no Cards or effects can be activated in response to this. When the equipped monster is returned from your side of the field to the Deck and this card is sent to the Graveyard, return this card to your hand.**

 **Rank-Up-Magic Lyrical Force, Quick-Play, Magic: You can only activate this Card when a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster you control is destroyed. You can Special Summon the destroyed Xyz Monster from the Grave, then, you can Special Summon a Lyrilusc Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than the Special Summoned Monster, using this Card and the revived Monster as Materials. When the Monster is Xyz Summoned, attach as many overlay units to the Monster as long as it doesn't surpass the number of overlay units the destroyed Monster had before destruction.**

 **Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale, Wind, Winged-Beast: This Card gains 200 Attack for every overlay unit attached to it. This Card can attack directly, but the damage is halved. When this Card inflicts damage to your opponent by a direct attack this way, you can detach an overlay unit to destroy a Monster on the Field and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Attack of the destroyed Monster. When a Lyrilusc Monster(s) would be destroyed, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card instead. When this Card has no overlay units, you can attach three Lyrilusc Monsters in your Grave to this Card as Material.**

* * *

 **Whoo! We're done, sorry that took so long, I didn't know how to do the last scene at the time, so I kind of was stalled because of that. Because of Mother's Day today (at least where I live,) I halted updating this chapter to spend time with my Mother, she's sleeping right now, so I decided to finish off this chapter.**

 **I have no idea what to put for the preview honestly, sorry for that guys.**

 **Speaking of previews, I think some of you guys misunderstood my chapter preview from last chapter, where I said Ryo and Asuka would step up to Duel, I meant they will get ready to Duel, but then they would be stopped by Rin and Ruri.**

 **SoulMatter: Soooo, by sadistic smile, do you mean Yuri or Vector level, or something much worse?**

 **rgriffin8999: Something similar to that has already been planned for in the future.**

 **thetiger39: What do mean by typical female treatment, I mean in what part? About Zarc's reincarnations being immune to parasites and Ray's reincarnations not being immune is probably because, Ray really only wanted to stop Zarc from reviving, regardless of if she is revived or not. She really didn't put a failsafe should the girls succumb to mind control. Zarc on the other hand, he would make sure he is revived, and having one of the Yu-boys succumb to mind control would hinder his chances of revival.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: It wasn't so bad, was it?**

 **Mekyaku: Good to have you back! Yeah, you might have mistaken the meaning of the chapter preview last chapter. Rio has already made her Duelist, just letting you know, also, I won't have alternate versions of every number, if I were to give an alternate version of Number 94 to anyone though, it would probably be Rio. Shun doesn't use water Monsters, unless you meant Shark, but even still, I would give it to Rio. Oh god, I just realized I have 3 characters with similar sounding names. Akaba Leo (Because L in Japanese is pronounced as an R,) Rio, and Kaiser Ryo, lol.**

 **Guest: Lol, the next person said the same thing. I'm glad you got pissed at the ending, well, if it was because of what the Doktor did, then I'm glad, because I made that scene specifically so you could hate the Doktor even more.**

 **Hi: Thanks.**

 **Gottabekittenme: Sho did get torn as a Card, in was in...Chapter 45.**

 **Matrixnis: About mind-controlled, I already told 'thetiger39' the reason. As for the carded part, one of the bracelet girls haven't ever been Carded. In Episode 35, Sora only hinted at Ruri being a Card, but it doesn't mean she can be turned into a Card, I'm sure Ray's power would protect the girls from being Carded, since they are needed to prevent Zarc's revival. I will take your Academia idea into consideration.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter, take care, goodbye!**


	56. Transported

When Ryo, opened his eyes, he did not expect to see what he first saw. Rubble. Interested, he took a look of his surroundings, and was in utter shock. The area was wrecked, multiple buildings were torn to the ground, scorch marks were seen on the remains of buildings, and dark clouds filled the air.

Ryo felt the air around him, it was cold, dark, and filled with despair. The city was empty, isolated, it almost seemed abandoned. However, Ryo knew better, and he had a feeling he knew where he was.

The Xyz Dimension.

Ryo looked behind him to see an unconscious Rin lying there. Ryo narrowed his eyes at the unconscious body. When she wakes up, she might still be in control of whatever happened to her. It isn't a good idea to wake her up.

"I'll have to find some survivors, of my hunch is correct, and that this is the Xyz Dimension, then the Resistance should be nearby." Ryo spoke to himself. He then took a moment to look down at his clothes, he was still wearing his Obelisk Blue clothes. "They're going to think I am an Academia soldier. A change of attire is needed." Ryo clicked a button on his Duel Disk, immediately, his clothes changed. His new outfit consisted of a black overcoat with white trimmings and sharp edges. The letter "R" is centered on his belt buckle, he had a black shirt underneath his overcoat and he had black pants as well.

(If you couldn't tell from the description, its the outfit he wore when he became Hell Kaiser Ryo in Season 2 to the end of the series. Also, about the Duel Disk changing his clothes thing, I mean, come on, they have a function to seal people into Cards, INTO CARDS, you cannot tell me the Duel Disks have a function to seal people into FRICKING CARDS and not be able to switch their clothes with a touch of a button.)

"This will do." Ryo crouched down and picked up Rin, holding her over his shoulder as he began to look for the Resistance base.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-At the Resistance Camp**

Kaito grumbled to himself as he kept growing worried. Allen looked at Kaito with a confused look as they walked into their tent.

"What's wrong, Kaito?" Allen questioned his friend and fellow comrade in interest. He had been like this for the past 2-3 days, something was up.

"Academia hasn't attacked us in a while, well, they have, but those were small attacks and easy to deal with. They haven't done an attack like they did in the beginning of the war, and that worries me." Kaito answered simply.

"Yeah, I've had a bad feeling also. How do you think Yuto, Shun, O'Brien,and Ryoga are doing?" Allen asked, deciding to change the topic to something else.

"As I have said before, I don't know about O'Brien, but Yuto, Shun, and Ryoga should be fine, they're too stubborn to lose, especially tentacle hair." Kaito made a light joke about Shark's hair, trying to lighten up the already dim mood a tiny bit.

Allen chuckled a little bit at the joke. "That never gets old. But you know what does, fighting in this war. I'm tired of this Kaito, all of this fighting, and so are the others. Recently, I have been thinking, are we fighting a losing battle? Cause this hasn't gone in our favor whatsoever. Our only sliver of hope are the four that left us, and we're not even sure if they will succeed."

"How could you say something like?!" Kaito snapped, startling Allen. "Are you giving up on the fight Allen? We aren't fighting a losing battle, we have each other, and that means we will pull each other up through these hard times. Even when times are at their darkest for any of us. We just have to stick together." (Foreshadowing/Irony)

"Kaito...alright! I'll believe! If you haven't given up hope yet Kaito, then why should I?" Allen threw out a rhetorical question.

"That's the spirit." Kaito smiled. At that moment, Kamishiro Rio, Ryoga's younger sister, came rushing into the tent they were in. Kaito and Allen looked at Rioin confusion. "Huh? Something wrong?"

"We don't know yet. But someone has just entered the base, we don't know if it's an enemy or a civilian." Rio replied.

"Odd. I thought people stopped coming to the camp out of fear of being caught by Academia." Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, quickly, and we'll find out what's going on!" Rio rushed the two as the trio left the tent together and went to the entrance to the camp, where they saw a big group of people surrounding a person.

"Everyone back down." Kaito commanded. "The three of us will take care of our visitor."

"You mean visitors." Sayaka, who was on the outside of the crowd spoke as everyone dispersed, revealing a man carrying a green haired girl on his shoulder. They both had oddly looking Duel Disks, raising the suspicions of the four Resistance members.

"Who are you?" Rio interrogated the man.

"Ryo." The man responded, much to the confusion of the four.

"I'm sorry, how the hell do you know my name! I've never met you before!" Rio exclaimed out of shock.

"That's my name, Ryo. R-Y-O. Marufuji Ryo." The man now known as Ryo spelled out his name.

"It seems they have similar names." Allen stated the obvious.

"Yeah, the only difference being the I and Y." Kaito added to Allen's statement.

"If it's too much trouble, you may call me Kaiser, a nickname given to me by some certain...people." Ryo trailed off for a moment before finishing his sentence. "The girl's name is Rin, she is unconscious for...reasons that I will explain later."

"Those Duel Disks, they look weird, one I have never seen before and one looks like…" Sayaka trailed off as she widened her eyes. "An Academia Duel Disk!"

The other suddenly realized Ryo's Duel Disk and immediately activated their Duel Disk.

"One second, I am from the Fusion Dimension, yes, I defected from Academia already, I have had no part in the war or the attack on the Xyz Dimension whatsoever." Ryo informed the four.

"We still can't trust you." Kaito spoke up with a serious expression on his face."For all we know, you could be an Academia spy!"

"I trust you that I am not." Ryo said again. "If I was an Academia spy, then I would have gotten an Xyz Duel Disk instead of one from the Fusion Dimension." At that moment, Rin woke up on Kaiser's shoulder. "You're awake? Good." Ryo put the girl down to the ground on her feet, where she stumbled. "Now tell me, are you still under Academia's mind control or something?"

The four gasped, "Ruri!"

"Ruri? What are are you talking about, I'm Rin. What happened anyway? Where are we, where is Asuka? Where is Ruri as a matter of fact?!" Rin threw multiple questions at Ryo.

"Wait, you're not Ruri?" Sayaka asked to be sure, hoping that she would say she was Ruri.

"I know who Ruri is, but me, I am Rin. I merely have the same face as her for some reason. Wait, you guys know Ruri, so does that mean...we're in the Xyz Dimension?" Rin asked as she looked around. "Woah! What happened here? It's so horrible! This place has been torn to shambles, this is even worse than the Commons section of the City back in Synchro!"

Synchro? Rin? Wait a minute…Allen realized something in his thoughts. He flashed to after Yuto Dueled the guy on the motorcycle, he remember having a conversation with Yuto at some point.

* * *

 **Flashback-Some time before Yuto and the other went to Standard-Resistance Camp**

"Yuto, who was the guy on the motorcycle? You were talking to him, but you were Dueling also. What was that about?" Allen questioned Yuto.

"Oh him, that was Yugo. We had a misunderstanding and got into a Duel, we talked it out, Yugo said he was looking for his friend named Rin. He is a Duelist from the Synchro Dimension." Yuto revealed to Allen.

"From Synchro? Are you sure he's not an enemy?" Allen asked his friend.

"Honest, I could tell, he wasn't lying."

* * *

 **Back to now**

"Rin, tell me, do you know someone called Yugo? Also, you know who Ruri is?" Allen asked.

"Yugo? How do you know Yugo, he should be in the Synchro Dimension."

"My friend Yuto, who has the same face as him, faced off against him in a Duel. Yugo accused him of kidnapped you."

"How did Yugo travel between Dimensions?" Rin asked herself in a whisper, but she decided to shrug it off for now. "So Yugo is doing something reckless again huh, figures...but...the guy who kidnapped me also had the same face as Yugo, and I was taken to a place called Academia, where I met Ruri. She told me about this place, and how she was kidnapped by a boy who looked like the person you call Yuto. I think Ruri and I were kidnapped by the same person."

"You saw Ruri at Academia? Thank goodness." Sayaka sighed in relief. Ruri was fine, so she didn't get Carded because of her.

"About Ruri, another person and I went to Academia to rescue her and Rin, we succeeded, by something weird happened to Rin and Ruri, and they both fell into different portals. I jumped in after Rin, I don't know where Ruri is, I'm sorry. But I can assure you that at the moment, Ruri is free from Academia's clutches." Ryo told the four.

"At least she's free." Kaito said.

"Thank you." Rio took a bow of gratitude. "For saving my friend Ruri."

"We can trust the girl, but what about you?" Kaito questioned Ryo.

"It matters not if you trust me or not, I defected from Academia, that's that." Ryo closed his eyes and answered in a calm manner.

"Come on Kaito, we need more comrades, we're starting to shrink in numbers. We can only fight off Academia for so long." Sayaka told Kaito.

"You are right about that. I guess it cannot be helped then, I accept your assistance." Kaito said as he gave in to the wishes of his friends. However, he wasn't sure about this, something felt off about the girl.

"Hey, Ryo, you said something weird happened to me and Ruri, what was it?" Rin spoke to Ryo in a hushed manner.

"I don't know, you lost control of your body. I think-"

Suddenly, an explosion went off nearby, the six people looked in the direction of the sound.

"What was that?!" Rio exclaimed in surprise and confusion.

"Don't tell me…" Kaito trailed off, fearing the worst.

"Could Academia be attacking us?" Allen asked the question the others had in their head.

"We should get a move on and check it out." Ryo proposed, everyone nodded in agreement as they ran over to the source of the explosion.

* * *

 **In the Fusion Dimension-Academia**

"Damn it!" The Doktor cursed out loud in frustration. "I had them! And they slipped right through my fingers! Now that they are in a different dimension, they are free from my control. I will have to go one of the dimensions myself, particularly Xyz, maybe I could help the fight to destroy the Resistance."

Suddenly, an idea sprouted in the Doktor's head as a grin came across his face.

"I know the two perfect people to go to Xyz to take out the trash. Hopefully the Professor can get in contact with them." The Doktor walked out of his lab to go to the Professor's throne room.

* * *

 **Professor's Throne Room-Academia-Fusion Dimension**

The Doktor entered the room and walked up to the Professor.

"Doktor? What do you want?" Akaba Leo asked nonchalantly.

"I have an idea to make the process of destroying the Resistance much faster. Why don't we get those twins." The Doktor proposed.

"The Tyler twins? Hmm...for once I actually fully agree with this idea, Doktor. You may proceed with the idea." Akaba Leo granted the Doktor permission.

"Great, now, I was wondering if you could get the, here right now." The Doktor spoke.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-You Show Duel School-Fusion Dimension**

Asuka managed to teleport away from Academia and make it back to You Show. She ran for minutes trying to find Yusho. She turned a corner to almost run into the person she was looking for.

"Sensei!" Asuka exclaimed in joy.

"Huh? Something the matter, Asuka?" Yusho asked in concern.

"It's Ryo! We both went to Academia without telling you to free the girls in the towers, we succeeded at first. But we got caught, the enemies were defeated, but something happened to Ruri and Rin, Ryo went after Rin, who, along with Ruri, jumped into a separate portal in Academia's Transportation Room!" Asuka told Yusho the story, who simply listened.

At the mention of transportation, Yusho slightly twitched, he was reminded of leaving his son and wife 3 years ago without telling them. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm very sorry, Sensei!" Asuka apologized.

"Apology accepted. Just tell em next time. Don't do the same thing again...and make the same mistake I did 3 years ago..."

"What happened 3 years ago?"

"Well, I don't come from this dimension, I come from the Standard Dimension." Asuka nodded as she listened on to Yusho. "I was an Entertainment Duelist, I Dueled to make people smile. I loved it in Standard, I had a wife, a son, and some good friends. Everyone loved me, my son and wife especially. Then, 3 years ago, I repaid them, but...not in a good way. Today, I still regret doing it. I left Standard to go to the Fusion Dimension to stop Akaba Leo, who was making preparations for attack. A mistake was made, and I was transported to the Xyz Dimension. That was a one way trip, and I was stuck in Xyz, I couldn't go to Fusion to stop Leo. I could have stopped the war, but I just left, on a day that probably ruined the lives of my son and wife, all because I didn't tell them. To this day, I still regret my decision...so I ask you, please, next time, tell me you're leaving, don't be irresponsible like me." Yusho told Asuka as a sad expression was seen on his face.

"Sensei..." Asuka murmured in concern for the man.

"When...if, I return to Standard, I will be afraid, I will be afraid of my son and wife, what will they think of me? Would they forgive me? Now I am starting to think that life for my son Yuya and my wife Yoko would be better without me." Yusho closed his eyes as he thought of his family.

"They'll forgive you, if you did for a good reason, they will understand." Asuka assured Yusho.

Yusho let out a small chuckle. "Funny, I thought I was the one helping you."

* * *

 **Somewhere...**

An unconscious Ruri laid on the ground. However, she began to stir, she slowly opened her eyes and took a look around her surroundings.

"Ugh…" Ruri groaned as he held her head in pain. "Where am I? This isn't Academia, thank god, and this isn't Heartland...it's so...beautiful here."

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" A woman screamed near Ruri. Ruri tpwuickly turned towards the voice and saw the woman looking at her with a frightened face. She had a boy next to him and she was covering his eyes. "Don't look! It's Commons Scum!"

"Commons Scum? What?" Ruri blinked after hearing the title. Already, she could tell that the title didn't mean anything good.

"Security!" The woman cried out for help. Ruri gasped in shock. Was she really going to call the officials on her?! What kind of society is this? Immediately, Ruri started to run away.

"Wait..." A memory flashed back to Ruri. It had Rin in it, Rin told her about the Synchro Dimension, and how it was slept into two groups, Tops, and Commons. Apparently, Commons were poor people who the Tops vatiewed as Scum. Also, apparently 99% of the population are the Commonsm but they only have 1% of the money. "This is...the Synchro Dimension!"

* * *

 **Finished! Sorry for the very short chapter guys, really, I only made this chapter so you guys could find out what happened to Ruri and Rin and where they ended up when they fell into the portal. So I decided to get this chapter out quickly. Since it would be short no matter what. Hope you guys don't mind.**

 **I'm feeling a little tired right now, so I'm not writing a preview, plus, the preview is basically most of the stuff I alluded to this chapter.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: My plan is working, to make you hate the Doktor and Sanders, particularly the Doktor.**

 **SoulMatter: I want The a Doktor to suffer to, for what he did in the anime. He'll, Rin didn't even have a proper Diek because of the Doktor. The only Duel Rin has and Ruri for that matter (Two Duels in Ruri's case) is when they were brainwashed.**

 **Mekyaku: I might include number 94, we shall see.**

 **Matrixnis: Thanks, I decided to have Kaiser and Rio have a moment like that in this chapter.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the short chapter, take care, goodbye!**


	57. Run Ruri Run!

**Academia-Doktor's Lab-Fusion Dimension**

"Alright. Good, some reinforcements, the Tyler twins, and then me. Perfect." The Doktor grinned. "We will all travel to the Xyz Dimension. The soldiers will go hell out the others. The Tyler twins...take out as many as you can. As for me, I will be doing something from the sidelines.

"What about Commander Edo Phoenix?" One of the Tyler twins, named Gloria asked.

"Who cares about that jackass?!" The Doktor spat, sarcasm clear in his voice. "Of course we're going to go to him!"

"What will you be doing?" Gloria's sister, Grace, questioned.

"I will be doing some...work, from the sidelines." The Doktor replies as he chuckled softly to himself. If everything went right, and if one of the girls were in Xyz, then the Doktor should be able to use his parasites on the girls. Hopefully they weren't destroyed somehow.

"Now, let's go, to the Xyz Dimension!" The Doktor grinned maliciously.

* * *

 **Faker's Lab-Xyz Dimension**

The six went to where they heard the explosion. It was coming from Dr. Faker's 'lab.' Well, it wasn't really a lab, just a small fortification for Faker to do his things.

"Father!" Kaito exclaimed as he ran faster than the others into the lab. The entire place was wrecked, rubble was everywhere and there was a big cloud of smoke, there was a lot of fire too.

"What happened?" Rio asked the question everyone had in their minds. Well, for Kaito, he was wondering if his father was even alive.

Kaito ran in, much to the surprise of the others. He threw away pieces of rubble to find his father. He searched and searched. Finally, he found something, a finger, covered by rubble, he lifted up the rubble and saw the rest of his father unconscious, bruises, scratches, and burns present around his body.

"Father!" Kaito lifted up his father and quickly ran out. When he got back to the others, he laid his father to the ground. Other people from the camp began to come to the scene, gasping in horror as they saw Dr. Faker, there only technician and possibly their only hope of reversing the Carding of many people, unconscious and injured. "Come on, father, wake up!" Kaito kept pressing on his father's chest to wake him up.

"Dad!" Another voice bellowed in worry and concern. It was Kaito's younger brother and Faker's second son, Haruto.

A long silence filled the air as Kaito's anger built up. Suddenly, Dr. Faker let out multiple pain-filled coughs as he slowly opened his eyes, much to the relief of everyone.

"Father!" Kaito sighed in relief. "What the hell happened?!"

"I...I was trying to create a way to reverse the Carding...however…*cough*...it seems that I have made a mistake...damn...all of that work down the drain and...now my lab is destroyed…" Dr. Faker said weakly.

"Why would you do that? Academia could easily attack us, that smoke cloud can probably be seen from a long distance away!" Kaito informed his father.

"I know...and I am sorry...I was just trying to make the war easier...but I just made it harder…" Dr. Faker closed his eyes as he staggered to his feet. He opened his eyes weakly. "From here on out, Yuto and the others are our only hope...we can only stall Academia now…"

"Damn it!" Allen cursed under his breath.

"What are we going to do?" Sayaka asked.

"Academia can see the smoke cloud most likely, we just have to keep a lookout. Every member of the Resistance, get ready." Kaito took lead. "It would only be a matter of time before Academia arrive."

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Fusion Base-Xyz Dimension**

"D-Doktor?!" A gray haired youth, who was the commander of Academia's army in the Xyz Dimension exclaimed in shock. He had not expected to see the Doktor here, normally he would be stuck in his lab doing some creepy experiment. "And the Tyler twins!"

"Plus some reinforcements." The Doktor added. "You have nothing to worry about, Edo Phoenix. I just have some work to do here. As of right now, I want to you to execute an invasion on the base of our enemies."

"I-invasion?! Right now? Why?" The boy now known as Edo questioned the Doktor's command.

"Cause why the hell not? The quicker we get rid of them, the better." The Doktor grinned. "Besides, I have reason to believe that an old friend or should I say, rival, is in this Dimension as we speak."

"Rival? Wait, you don't mean…"

"Yes, Marufuji Ryo, otherwise known as Kaiser, Kaiser Ryo, and formally Hell Kaiser Ryo. If I remember correctly, he developed the latter persona because of you."

"Ryo...I-I don't think that is a good idea. With Ryo on their side, they have the strength of many." Edo spoke his feelings to the Doktor.

"That's a shame, but then again, last time I checked, you two didn't leave off on good terms. When he rematched you as Hell Kaiser, in your final Duel against each other, he utterly humiliated you!" The Doktor taunted Edo, as a means to convince him, and it worked.

"Shut up! At that time, I was much weaker than I am now, we both were! However, as it stands today, I am MUCH stronger than that...that...that damn worthless piece of Obelisk Blue trash!" Edo shouted in anger at the Doktor. The Duel with him and Ryo went terrible for Edo. Most of the soldiers had actually lost respect for Edo because of it. "Fine! We'll launch an invasion on the stupid base! And I will find Ryo, and I swear, when I beat him in a Duel, I am going to turn him into a Card, and rip it to shreds!"

"That's the spirit!" The Doktor smiled. "Now, go out there and show them what you're made of!"

"And what about you?" Edo asked.

"I will be in the sidelines, however, there is something that I will just love to pull off, however, although I could do it now, I won't right now. We will have to see how it plays out later. Also, the Tyler twins are looking to have some fun too." The Doktor motioned to the two girls who were waiting patiently. "They are very powerful, these two alone should wipe out most of their Duelists."

"Ugh...fine, you won. We leave as soon as possible."

"Hahaha, excellent."

* * *

 **Tops Area-Synchro Dimension**

Ruri continued running as fast as she could. The clothes she was wearing made people think she was a resident form the Commons area. She continued running as fast as she could, step after step after step. She heard sirens nearby, but Ruri couldn't see anyone chasing her anywhere.

"Oh, what will I do?" Ruri asked herself. She eventually ran onto the highway, not actually knowing it was a highway.

"Stop right there!" A voice was heard yelling at her, since she was running onto the highway. Ruri, jumped out fear at the sound of the unexpected voice, and she tripped a little bit before starting to run again. However, despite how fast she went, Security would eventually get to her. And they did get to her, they were closing in on her.

 _No...please...I just came out of Academia and now I have to be captured again...no! I won't let it happen again!_ Ruri thought to herself as she did something which she has never done before. In a desperate attempt to get away, she jumped off the highway, and unknowingly into the Commons area, it was a long way down, and Ruri immediately realized that she wasn't going to live. She closed her eyes, and she accepted the darkness, as she knew she was done for.

"She jumped off!" A member of Security exclaimed.

"I can see that, dumbass! Well what are you waiting for, get down there!" The other member shouted.

"Ok, ok!"

* * *

 **Later-With Ruri-Commons Area**

When Ruri woke, she realized a couple of things, one, she was alive, two, she was surrounded by darkness, and three, she was making contact with a lot of things.

"Is this the afterlife?" Ruri asked herself in confusion. Ruri then realized why she was covered in darkness, she was inside something. What was she feeling right now? She was in the Commons area, it's really dirty from what Rin told her so that meant...Ruri gasped as she realized.

She was in a big trash container!

Ruri let out a face of disgust, as she tried to pry open the lid to the container, she opened it with ease. She looked around her and saw multiple small buildings. She also saw bits of trash and paper everywhere. She wasted no time and she got out of the container. Ruri looked at her clothes. She had an open banana peel stuck in her hair, dirt on her face, clothes, and hair, she had leftover crumbs of food on her arms, she also had mud on many places on her body. Ruri sighed, as if things couldn't get any worse.

Unfortunately for her, it could. She heard the familiar sound of the sirens. She widened her eyes and realized that Security was for some reason still on the lookout for her.

Meanwhile, in an orphanage, Yuzu opened her eyes on the temporary bed she was sleeping in. She swore she had heard a siren somewhere, but it was gone. She simply shrugged it off and went back to sleep.

Back with Ruri, she made a mad dash to run, hopefully to make sure Security doesn't see her. However, there was a d-wheel with a member of Security on it riding right towards Ruri, who yelped in surprise and ran the other way back. The member of security followed in pursuit of Ruri.

"Stop running! You're only making this harder for yourself!" The guy on the d-wheel spoke to Ruri with a loudspeaker.

Ruri continued to run, she couldn't Duel this guy, he didn't seem like the guy who would play by the rules.

Ruri kept on running with the guy gaining on her, she ran into a dead end. And the slowed down as he turned on the headlight on his d-wheel, Ruri covered her eyes at how bright it was.

"Attention! You have nowhere to run! Either Duel your way out or surrender!" The Duel Chaser gave Ruri a choice.

"Kgh, I'm going out fighting!" Ruri got ready to activate her Duel Disk until, she heard another engine of a d-wheel nearby.

"Stop right there!" A female voice was heard right behind the Duel Chaser, the person stationed on it took off her helmet and quickly ran in front of Ruri. Ruri viewed the person.

The girl was a teenager of average height. She has fair skin, brown eyes, and dark burgundy hair. Her hair is mostly chin-length with the addition of long, elbow-length bangs that frame both sides of her face. The woman was wearing a form fitting motorcycle red suit which shows her cleavage, she also had matching gloves and boots.

"Y-you…" The Duel Chaser ushered out in surprise.

"If you want to get to this girl, you will have to get through me! And I trust you, it's not going to be easy!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Resistance Camp-Xyz Dimension**

Dr. Faker was in his tent with both of his sons. Kaito told the others to go keep watch for any Academia soldiers while he made sure his father was ok.

"Kaito, I'll be fine, go." Dr. Faker told his eldest son.

"Oh no!" A voice bellowed in fear. A woman with blue hair ran into the tent, it was Kaito and Haruto's mother, we'll call her Mrs. Faker.

"Hey honey…" Dr. Faker grinned. However, she received a smack on the head from Mrs. Faker.

"What did you do this time, Fujio?!" The wife of Dr. Faker interrogated her husband. (Fujio is not Dr. Faker's first name, I just looked up Japanese masculine names and chose Fujio because, alliteration, why not?)

"Uhh...nothing, don't you worry about it."

"Fujio!" Mrs. Faker glared at her husband, Kaito and Haruto smiled at the scene, however, the family was interrupted by a series of shaking rumbling. When it stopped, Kaito narrowed his eyes.

"Stay here." Kaito told his family as he left the tent to go see what was going on.

He ran over to his friends, and not friends (his not friends are Ryo and Rin.)

"What happened?"

"Academia might be here." Ryo revealed.

"Grr…" Kaito grumbled, he still had suspicions about Ryo, he could have easily called Academia to attack, and Academia could also have seen the smoke cloud. "Get ready! This might be one battle that we might not be able to win."

* * *

 **No Duel again this chapter, sorry about that guys. There will definitely be a Duel next chapter. Sorry for the short chapter again guys.**

 **I tried to upload two days ago, but my internet was acting up, and then one day ago I completely forgot to update the story.**

 **This time there will be a chapter preview, to make it up to you guys for the short chapter and no Duel.**

 **Academia have let out an attack on the Resistance base. Kaito, Rio, Allen, Kaiser, Rin, and Sayaka all split up into groups of three. Edo hunts for Kaiser, while the Tyler twins begin to reek havoc on the Spade Branch Resistance force. Meanwhile, in the Synchro Dimension, the mysterious female coming to Ruri's rescue faces off against the Duel Chaser…**

 **rgriffin8999: Most likely.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: A reunion, maybe.**

 **Unknowndez: With the way I have this planned, Yugo won't be hugging Ruri, however, I might include a scene with Yugo getting one.**

 **Mekyaku: You will have to see if the bugs are destroyed.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you guys enjoyed.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	58. Duels of Rage

"Where is he?" Edo growled as his troops invaded the Resistance camp. He still wanted revenge on Kaiser from what happened in their last Duel. Ever since his defeat, the soldiers had been respecting him much less. He still remembers the end of their Duel like it was yesterday.

"Commander Edo." Edo's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Gloria Tyler. Edo turned his head towards her. "When should Grace and I advance?"

"Whenever you want, however, I don't want you to go out attacking random Duelists. Attack the Spade Branch, that will take out a good amount of their forces." Edo commanded.

"Yes sir! Let's do it now, Gloria!" Grace exclaimed as she and Gloria walked away from Edo.

Edo went back to his thoughts, his thoughts of Ryo. _Marufuji Ryo, I will find you, and I will get my revenge!_

* * *

At the Resistance Camp

The six ran to the entrance of the Resistance camp. There, they saw multiple soldiers marching to the camp with Ancient Gear Monsters towering over them. More Duelists of the Resistance came to view what was happening.

"So, this is it, Academia's soldiers…" Rin murmured to herself so the others couldn't hear her.

"There's so many of them!" Sayaka exclaimed in fear.

"Don't tell me that we barely took out any of their soldiers!" Allen bellowed in shock at the sight of the many soldiers.

"Just how many soldiers does Academia have under their belt? At this point, the Resistance is going to run out quickly if we don't battle cautiously." Rio said.

"We should split up into groups of three." Ryo suggested.

"I don't trust that idea. How do we know you guys won't just backstab us?" Kaito questioned Ryo. Considering that they knew nothing about Rin and Ryo, and the fact that Ryo claimed to be formally from Academia, the two couldn't be trusted easily. To be trusted, they had to earn trust.

"Come on Kaito. We're gonna have to work with them, whether you like it or not. Soon, the Resistance will barely have any Duelists left to fight Academia with. We need as many comrades as we can get. We can't risk getting rid of potential help." Allen disagreed with Kaito.

Kaito froze to think about Allen's words. They did need more comrades, they were starting to run out. Maybe it's a good idea...as long as they had caution. Kaito nodded his head. "Fine, I'll trust them. But don't think that we're on good terms you two!"

"Whether we're on good terms matters not to me, all I care about is overthrowing Academia!" Ryo told Kaito. "You and Rin come with me."

"Fine, if you try to backstab me though, I will take you on!" Kaito warned Ryo. "And I must warn you, I am not a weak Duelist, just ask the soldiers of Academia that I have defeated."

"Hmph, that's fine with me. So, are we just going to sit here wasting time or are we going to hurry up?" Ryo asked the group.

"Ok, if you three are going, then Allen, Sayaka, and I will be our own group." Rio spoke.

"All right! Here we go!" Allen yelled confidently. "Let's go, Sayaka, Rio!" Rio and Sayaka nodded as they ran off.

"So it's me with you two then." Kaito turned to Ryo and Rin and sharpened his gaze at them.

Rin touched her head with one hand. She had a weird feeling about something.

"Are you alright?" Kaiser asked nonchalantly.

"Huh? Uhh, yeah, I'm...I'm fine." Rin lied to Ryo. In reality, she had a feeling something was about to happen, and she had a feeling that something is going to be really bad.

"Let's stop wasting time, let's go!" Kaito exclaimed. Ryo and Rin nodded at him as they faced the upcoming Academia soldiers.

* * *

Meanwhile

"Hihihihihihihihihihihihi!" The Doktor chuckled to himself, ready to conduct his plan in a little bit. He looked through a camera, showing him what Rin saw thanks to what he did to her. "Not yet, I have to get a good time. Then, I will strike." In his hand, the Doktor held a Card.

* * *

Later-Back with Kaito, Rin, and Ryo

Rin, Kaiser, and Kaito managed to take out about three groups of three soldiers so far. Now, Kaito was starting to trust Kaiser and Rin slightly more than he used to, however, it was a work in progress. Suddenly, Rin spoke to the other two.

"I don't feel so good…" Rin complained. After the first Duel was finished, a pain was growing in her head, it worsened as she got more tired.

"We can't stop now! Academia has tons of more soldiers out there!" Kaito growled at Rin.

"Let her rest. Go to Dr. Faker, Rin." Ryo told Rin. "The two of us should be able to handle ourselves out here alone." Kaito narrowed his eyes at Kaiser in a suspicious manner. Why his Dad? Couldn't Rin just go into some other tent? However, Kaito decided to shrug this suspicion off for now.

As Rin walked away, Kaito spoke, "Forget her, let's go."

* * *

With the Tyler twins

The Tyler twins, through all of the fighting had made it to the Spade Branch section of the Resistance camp. Most of the Duelists fighting currently were in the Clover Branch, not as many Duelists from the Spade Branch came to fight. They decided to guard the ones who couldn't Duel or protect themselves.

"So, are you ready to do this, sis?!" Grace asked Gloria in excitement.

"Be serious, Grace. For all we know, some of the Duelists here might actually be threats to us." Gloria scolded her sister in a harsh manner. They were currently in a warzone. Gloria took a look around, some of the Ancient Gear Monsters had shot into the camp, some camps were destroyed, some people were sneaking around, trying not to be seen, and lastly there was some fire also. Everyone was too scared to even point out the Tyler twins.

"Oh fine…" Grace pouted in annoyance. "Well, shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's go." Gloria replied to her sister's question. "The sooner we get this over with the better." Both Gloria and Grace soon began to reek havoc on the Spade Branch.

* * *

With Rio, Allen, and Sayaka

Rio, Allen, and Sayaka had just defeated 2 groups of three Academia soldiers straight.

"Damn! They just keep coming!" Allen commented.

"I know, but we need to take out as many as we can." Rio informed the boy.

"Hoh, you three seem like good Duelists." A voice spoke, the trio looked to the direction of the voice and saw a boy with an Obelisk Blue uniform with black hair. "One of you, Duel me. My name is Ryusei Gin. However, I'm not telling my name to be polite, I'm just saying it so you know the name of the person who ends you!"

"Is that a challenge?!" Allen walked forward and held out his Duel Disk, ready to Duel him, completely forgetting about everything happening around him.

"No, let me, Allen." Rio said.

"Huh? Rio?"

"You guys just go head back to camp, I'll take care of this guy. I'm more than enough for him. Besides, you should go make sure no one attacks any civilians." Rio told Allen and Sayaka.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you!" Sayaka exclaimed as a sad expression came across her face. "I don't want the same thing that happened with Ruri to happen again…" Sayaka whispered that statement so no one could hear her, tears flowing down her face. She remembered Ruri Dueling that guy from Academia, how she didn't bother to help Ruri at all, and let her be defeated and taken away. She didn't want to make the same mistake again!

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Rio assured Sayaka with a small smile.

"But-"

"Don't worry, she's Ryoga's sister, she's too stubborn to lose." Allen reminded Sayaka. "Let's go!" Allen took Sayaka by the hand as they scurried back to the camp.

"Finally, they're gone." Gin said in an annoyed manner.

"Shut up and get on with it." Rio spoke harshly as she activated her Duel Disk. Gin did the same.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll take the first move!" Rio declared as she took a Card from her hand. "From my Hand, I Summon Aurora Wing!" Rio's Winged-Beast Monster flew to the Field.

Aurora Wing: Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1600 Def

"I end my turn." Rio concluded.

"Hmph, that's all? How disappointing!" Gin insulted as he drew a Card from his Deck, he glanced at it before placing into his hand. "If you control a Monster and I don't, I Can Special Summon this Card from my Hand, appear, Giant Battleship-Assault Core!"

Assault Core: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 2000 Def

"Now, I release Assault Core in order to Advance Summon Giant Battleship-Crystal Core!" Gin took Assault Core of his Duel Disk and slapped his new Monster's Card onto his Duel Disk. A giant ship appeared to the Field, towering over Rio and her Monster.

Crystal Core: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I have to place 3 counters in this Card."

Crystal Core: 0-3 Counters

"Counters? What are those for?" Rio asked rhetorically.

Gin ignored this comment and continued on. "Battle! Go, Crystal Core, Attack Aurora Wing! If this Card attacks or is attacked, a Counter is reduced from this Card." Crystal Core shot multiple bullets at Rio's Monster, causing the beast to cry out in pain before disappearing. Rio covered her face as smoke filled her view.

Rio: 4000-3100 LP

Crystal Core: 3-2 Counters

"When Aurora Wing is destroyed, I can once per turn Special Summon the Card back to my Field in face-up Defense Position!" A portal to the Grave opened and Aurora Wing was released from it's chains.

"Finally, I activate the Continuous Magic Card Boss Rush from my Hand. That will end my turn." Gin ended his turn.

"My turn, draw! I Summon Blizzard Falcon!" Rio placed her Monster onto her Duel Disk as a falcon flew onto the Field in a breeze of snow.

Blizzard Falcon: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1500 Def

"I, using the level 4 Aurora Wing and Blizzard Falcon, overlay! With these two Monsters I build the Overlay Network, Xyz Summon! Appear before us, Sylphine, the Sub-Zero Bird!" Rio thrusted her hand towards her newly born Monster with vigor.

Sylphine: Rank 4, 2000 Atk, 2200 Def

"It's still not enough! Sylphine has only 2000 Atk, while my Monster has 2100!" Gin reminded Rio, who simply scoffed in response, causing the boy to lose his smirk.

"It's this again? The opponent underestimating a Monster just based on its Attack points, pitiful. I activate the Monster effect of Sylphine! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can negate every other face-up Card on the Field until my next Standby Phase, then for each one, I can decrease the Attack of one Monster you control by 300!" Rio revealed as one of the overlay units orbiting her Monster shattered. Sylphine blew out fierce winds as Gin's only two Cards.

"Unreal!" Gin exclaimed in shock as he looked at his Cards to see them grayed out.

"Since two Cards were negated, your Monster's Attack is decreased by 600!" Rio told Gin, who clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Crystal Core: 2100-1500 Atk

 _Crap! My Monster would be invincible my Battle, but since the effect is negated it can be destroyed!_ Gin widened his eyes as the thought came to him.

"I'm not done. From my Hand I activate the Magic Card Blizzard Jet! A Water Winged-Beast Type Monster I control now gains 1500 Attack until the end of the turn. Of course, Sylphine will get the boost!" Rio said as a hologram of her Card appeared in front of her.

Sylphine: 2000-3500 Atk

"3-3500 Attack…" Gin whispered in awe.

"Battle! Go, Sylphine, Attack Crystal Core!" Rio declared as her Xyz Monster formed a spear made out of ice with one hand, she then put her hand on the spear with the other and threw it at Crystal Core, piercing right through the Monster, destroying it.

"UAGH!" Gin cried out in pain as he fell backwards down to the ground from the force of the Attack.

Gin: 4000-2000 LP

"Damn it…" Gin cursed as he got back up to his feet. "In just one turn, she managed to wipe out halves of my life, while I only managed to wipe out a measly 900 points…"

"I a Card and end my turn." A set Card materialized in front of Rio. "At this moment, the effect of Blizzard Jet ends, and the Attack of Sylphine returns to normal."

Sylphine: 3500-2000 Atk

Rio closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Then, a thought came to her mind. Rio whispered to herself "No Fusion on his first turn..." Normally, soldiers of Academia would use Fusion on their first turn, but this guy didn't, which is weird. "No Fusion, huh."

"I don't use Fusion." Gin suddenly said to Rio, causing her to look at the boy in confusion. Gin simply gained a grin on his face. "Well, it's not like that, more like I don't need Fusion."

"Don't need Fusion?" Rio repeated in confusion, getting her guard ready for anything unexpected.

"Yes. You see, I live for the hunt! I want to prove to you people of this Dimension, you Xyz Scum that unlike my comrades, I don't need the Summoning Method to win! I spared no one, and no one here has been worth my time! I should stop because of no challenge, but I don't, I have the power, so why not I use it for Academia?" Gin explained to Rio his reason for no Fusion Monster being Summoned in the Duel.

"I'm no pushover." Rio told Gin. "And if you haven't noticed, your life has been halved, I'm still in control of this Duel. So you either bring out Fusion or you'll lose easily."

"True, I have my life halved. Your the only one so far who gave me a challenge. I haven't experienced anything better in my life!" Gin exclaimed as he put a creepy smirk. He placed his hand on the top of his Deck. "My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Monster Reborn! I can now revive a Monster in either player's Graves to my Field. Appear once again, Giant Battleship-Crystal Core!" A portal to the Grave opened as Gin's Monster floated out of the portal. "The Monster doesn't gain Counters, but I can deal with this. I activate the the effect of Crystal Core, once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can change your Attack Position Monster to Defense Position." Crystal Core glowed yellow, as did Sylphine, who took a defensive stance,

"Oh no!"

"I'm not done yet! I activate the Magic Card Shield Recovery, now, I can add 3 Counters to a Giant Battleship Monster I control! I add 3 Counters to Crystal Core."

Crystal Core: 0-3 Counters

"One more thing, I activate the Equip Magic Giant Artillery! First of all, I can only equip to this to a Giant Battleship Monster. Now, The equipped gains 1000 Attack!" Gin started his explanation as his ship gained a red aura.

Crystal Core: 2100-3100 Atk

"Next, withered equipped Monster can Attack twice, and when it attacks a Defense Position Monster, I can inflict damage to you equal to the Attack of this Card and your Monster's Defense!" Gin finished as a Rio gasped in shock.

"Battle! Go, Crystal Core, attack Sylphine!" Gin yelled as he pointed at Rio's Monster. Crystal Core began to shoot at Sylphine. However, because of the power boost, the bullets were more fast and more powerful. Rio's Monster was destroyed in a flash. The ensuing shockwave caused Rio to tumble backwards a few feet as she grit her teeth.

Rio: 3100-2200 LP

Crystal Core: 3-2 Counters

"Now you have no Monster left to protect you! This is the end! Attack her directly, Crystal Core!" Crystal Core released more fast bullets at Rio. However, before any of them could hit her…

"Trap Card, activate! Xyz Reborn! I can target an Xyz Monster in my Grave, Special Summon it, then, this Card becomes an overlay unit for the Special Summoned Monster. Come back to me, in Defense, Sylphine!" Sylphine rose from the Grave as Rio's Trap turned into an overlay unit and started to orbit around the Monster, who was taking a defensive position.

"Ok then, Crystal Core, send her Monster back to the Grave!" Gin once again declared an attack with this Monster. The ship proceeded to continuously pummel at Sylphine with more bullets, Sylphine lasted longer, but she was still destroyed in the end. Rio let out a yelp of pain as she was forced to the ground with her face up. When the smoke from the explosion of her destroyed Monster cleared, Gin saw Rio standing once more, with a scratch on her face.

Rio: 2200-1300 LP

Crystal Core: 2-1 Counter

"I end my turn. At this moment, I will now have to make a decision. I either pay 1000 of my life in order to keep Giant Artillery on the Field and inflict 500 damage to you, or, I can just simply not pay a cost and let this Card be destroyed. I'll deduct 1000 of my life points to keep this Card." Gin smirked as his life decreased.

Gin: 2000-1000 LP

"Now, you take 500 points of damage!" Gin reminded Rio, causing her to gasp in shock. A part of Crystal Core opened, and Rio saw a bigger gun slide out. The gun charged a blue spherical projectile. Crystal Core launched the sphere at Rio. The projectile struck Rio hard in the abdomen, causing her to be thrown backwards. She rolled across the ground, she stopped with her face looking at the sky. Also, the ring on her pinky fell off while she was rolling, something she didn't notice. (Before you people say anything, Rio has had a silver ring in Zexal. I am talking about the same ring.)

"Kuagh…" Rio gasped for air continuously.

Rio: 1300-800 LP

"It will be over soon!" Gin laughed. "What a shame, and I thought you could actually come close to beating me! I still had you in the palm of my hand!"

Rio rose from the ground, bruises and dirt on her and clothes. It was at this moment that Rio noticed that her ring was missing. "My ring! It's gone!"

"Hahahahaha! That cracked me up! So you lost your ring. What the hell do you need a ring for? It's just a ring! Wow, that's just sad!" Gin taunted Rio, who got angry at his comments.

"Shut up!" Rio shouted at Gin, causing him to stop talking, however, he still had the same stupid grin on his face.

 _That ring...it was Ryoga's ring...that's all I have left of him now...since we're a Dimension away from each other...I won't even know if he is still alive…maybe he just gave up and decided to ditch the mission...ditch us...ditch me...no, Ryoga isn't like that…_

* * *

Flashback-Before Shark left for Standard-At the Resistance Camp

Rio had entered the tent Ryoga was in. Her brother was arranging his Deck while scowling, not even acknowledging the fact that Rio was in the room until she spoke up.

"Are you really going to leave us?" Rio asked her brother.

No response. Shark kept on doing what he was doing.

This annoyed Rio.

"Brother, are you really going to leave us? Aren't the other three enough?" Rio pressed Shark with more questions.

Shark still stayed silent.

This hurt Rio in the heart. Her own brother was ignoring him, had it been under normal circumstances she wouldn't care, she would just do something that would make him mad or make him listen. However, this was different…

Rio started to feel tears well up in her eyes. She tried her best to keep them in, so that her brother wouldn't have to see her as a weeping mess. However, she just couldn't find the strength to hold it in. The war had torn her strength to hold her feelings in, now, she was just letting them flow out like an overflowing water fountain.

"Answer me, Ryoga!" Rio cried as she broke down into tears, weeping continuously. She was weeping so much she didn't hear Shark his Deck and Duel Disk down. Suddenly, she felt two arms around her. She immediately started to cry less. She could feel whose hands it was. That familiar touch.

It was Ryoga, her brother.

Rio glanced up at her brother, like he was the sun that the Xyz Dimension had lost since Academia attacked.

"Don't worry." Shark spoke. "You guys will be fine. I will make my way back, quickly. The other three need as much help as they can get. And as their friend, I intend to be with them."

"But what about your other friends?! Why can't you be with them, why can't you be with me, your sister?!" Rio continued to weep into Ryoga's shoulder, her tears making his jacket wet.

Shark paused for a moment, trying to think of an answer to that question. He finally settled on one.

"I am here for you. Always. I'll be back, no matter what." Shark broke the hug and took off the ring he was wearing. "Take this." He proceeded to hold out Rio's hand as he placed the ring in her hand. He closed his sister's hand, as a way to enclose the ring. "It used to be Mother's, but at some point she decided to give it to me. Now, with that, I will always be with you. No matter what." Ryoga gave Rio a small smile.

"But Ryoga, what if you...what if you…" Rio struggled to get the words out of her mouth.

"I'm not going to get Carded, I'll make sure of that." Shark assured Rio.

"Even still, I don't want you to go, I don't want you to go, I don't want you to go!" Rio repeated the same thing three times, continuing to cry.

"Now stop that crying, and be the sister that I know. The real Kamishiro Rio, the one who doesn't cry." Shark told his sister.

Rio stopped crying as she dried her tears. She looked at Ryoga straight in the eyes, what she saw in his eyes was determination, a will. A will to keep fighting on.

A will to never give up.

Rio slowly put the ring she received from her brother onto her pinky. "All right. Please, come back. Please come back, Ryoga…"

"So we can be together again…"

* * *

Now

"That's the only thing I had left of him, and now he could be gone forever! Even though I didn't show it after that moment, I still was reluctant of him leaving to Standard…" Rio shook in her spot as she whispered to herself, emotions of regret and failure pouring into her. "I regret letting him go...but even when he left, at least I had the ring to remember him by, and now I lost it…" Along with the emotions of regret and failure, there was one more emotion…

Anger.

Rio shut her eyes as she formed a fist. She held up her Duel Disk and placed a Card on the top of her Deck. She ushered the words "My turn…"

She shot open her eyes.

"DRAW!" Rio cried out in fury as she drew her Card from her Deck.

"Hoh, so you still fight." Gin noted.

"I will defeat you! I Summon Blizzard Thunderbird!" Rio slammed the Monster onto her Duel Disk.

Blizzard Thunderbird: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1400 Def

"Hmph, what's that going to do?" Gin questioned.

Rio shoved off his question and continued on. "I activate the Continuous Magic Card Blizzard Vision! With this Card, I can target a Water Monster I control. Then, I can Special Summon this Card as a Normal Monster with the same Type, Attribute, and Level as the targeted Monster!" Rio's Magic Card was shown disappearing from the Magic/Trap zone and reappearing in the Monster zone right next to Thunderbird.

Token: Level 4, Winged-Beast, Water, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"Two level 4 Monsters! So that means…" Gin trailed off as he watched Rio's next move.

"I overlay the level 4 Thunderbird and Token! Xyz Summon! Please appear, Ragnazero!" Rio chanted as she Xyz Summoned her ace Monster. Her Monster spun around as she slashed her swords in different directions before facing her opponent.

Ragnazero: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"A new Xyz Monster?" Gin grew a look of fear for a second, before smirking in amusement. "No, it's not a problem, if you think that Monster, who has 2400 measly Attack is going to stand up to my 3100 Attack Monster, your highly mista-"

"Underestimating my Monster's power again?" Rio interjected with a question.

"Huh?"

"You're hopeless. I shall show you why Attack points aren't the only thing that determines winning a Duel." Rio thrusted her hand at Ragnazero. "When Ragnazero is Xyz Summoned, her effect activates, I can decrease the Attack of a Monster you control by 2400!"

"What?!" Gin widened his eyes in shock. Ragnazero let out a beam of ice from her sword at Crystal Core weakening the Monster.

Crystal Core: 3100-700 LP

"Now, this is where it is over. I activate the effect of Ragnazero, when a Monster you control has Attack lower than its original Attack, I can detach an overlay unit and destroy that Monster! Say goodbye to your Crystal Core!" Ragnazero unleashed multiple slashes continuously at Crystal Core, slicing the ship into multiple pieces, destroying it.

"Kgh…" Gin grunted as he covered his eyes from the smoke coming from the ensuing explosion.

"Next, I can inflict damage to you equal to halve the difference between the original Attack and the Attack the destroyed Monster had. Crystal Core had 700 Attack. It's original Attack is 2100. The difference is 1400, therefore, you take 700 points of damage, then I get to draw a Card!" Rio drew a Card from her Deck, not even bothering to glance at as she knew it was over.

"No…" Gin took a step back as Ragnazero slashed one of her swords upwards, releasing a wave that struck Gin in the stomach, causing him to take multiple steps back.

Gin: 1000-300 LP

"Now, I don't even have a Monster to defend me!" Gin realized.

"Correct! This is the end! Go, Ragnazero, Attack him directly and end this Duel!" Rio yelled as Ragnazero let out a flurry of fearsome strikes with her swords as Gin, who yelled in pain from them all, Ragnazero finished it off with one last slash. Gin lost consciousness, he dropped to his knees, before falling forwards to the ground.

Gin: 300-0 LP

Ragnazero disappeared from the Field as Rio took a moment to recover her breath.

"Whoo." Rio breathed. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry about the ring, brother."

She turned back to the Resistance camp, which was a little far, but not bad. She had to make sure that Allen and Sayaka were ok. Rio sharpened her gaze at the camp and began to run.

* * *

In the Synchro Dimension

"You...you...you are...Izayoi Aki...the Black Rose Witch!" The Duel Chaser mused at the sight of the girl. Izayoi Aki is a Duelist who, about 6 months to a year ago started to hunt down Duel Chasers, particularly in the Commons Area. Her reasons for this are unknown to many, only to the Duel Chasers who have been around longer than the new ones, but some rumored that her reason for this is revenge…

"Call me that cursed name again and I'll do more than beat you in this Duel!" Aki threatened the Duel Chaser, causing Ruri to shudder in her place. Threats like those usually don't mean good things. She was ready to run away at that moment. However, what happened next stopped her. Aki turned her head and looked at her, straight in the eye. "Don't worry, I won't let this bastard capture you." Aki turned her head back to the Duel Chaser. "Now, let's get this over with!" Aki activated her Duel Disk.

On the other hand, the Duel Chaser hesitated. He could end up like the other Duel Chasers, who ended scared out of their skull or injured. However, he chased the girl and met up with the Black Rose Bit-I mean, Witch. (Ok, that part was a joke, I have no hate towards Aki/Akiza in the slightest, in fact, she might be my favorite female character, MIGHT BE. I had the weirdest urge to replace the W in witch with a B, or at least hint at it.) He can't back down now, although he is already doomed now. He reluctantly activated his Duel Disk also.

"DUEL!" With that exclamation from both Duelists, the Duel commenced.

"I will begin." Aki told the Duel Chaser. "I Summon Evil Thorn from my Hand." An odd looking plant thing was Summoned to the Field.

Evil Thorn: Level 1, 100 Atk, 300 Def

"That's a weird looking Monster." Ruri cringed.

"I activate the effect of Evil Thorn! By releasing this Card, I can inflict 300 damage to you, then, from my Deck, I can Special Summon two more copies of Evil Thorn in face-up Attack Position. However, those copies can't activate their effects." Aki explained as she took her Monster off of her Duel Disk, causing the Monster to explode. Out of the explosion rushed the spiky thorn thing from the Monster, it struck the d-wheel of the Duel Chaser. To his surprise, it did real damage. (Just letting you guys know, I'm pretty sure, unless your special like Yugo and Rin, most of the Duelists of the Synchro Dimension can't inflict real damage with Dueling unlike the Fusion Dimension and Xyz Dimension.)

"What the hell? It did damage!" The Duel Chaser exclaimed in shock.

Duel Chaser: 4000-3700 LP

"I better get off of this thing, the boss will kill me if this thing takes more damage." Duel Chaser took off his Duel Disk from his bike-I mean d-wheel and stood up facing Aki.

Ruri showed no reaction to the real damage as she and people from Xyz and Fusion can also inflict real damage through Dueling. However, Ruri holds back her power so it doesn't destroy anything.

"Due to the effect, I Special Summon two more Evil Thorns from my Deck." Two more copies of the same Monster appeared. "I activate the Magic Card Closed Plant Gate, when I control two face-up Plant Monsters with the same name, you can't declare an attack next turn."

"What?!" Duel Chaser gawked.

"No way!" Ruri gasped in amazement.

"I will end my turn there." Aki concluded with a straight face.

"Well, I won't be able to attack, but I'll have to pull something out. My turn, draw! I Summon Jutte Lord!" Duel Chaser threw his Card onto his Duel Disk as his Monster was Summoned.

Jutte Lord: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def

"When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Jutte Monster from my Hand, appear, the Tuner Monster Jutte Fighter!" Duel Chaser called out his desired Monster.

Jutte Fighter: Level 2, 700 Atk, 900 Def

"A Synchro Summon!" Ruri guessed.

"I tune the level 4 Jutte Lord with the level 2 Jutte Fighter! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, level 6, Goyo Predator!"

Goyo Predator: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"I activate the Equip Magic Goyo Arrow. With this, I can once per turn, inflict damage to you equal to the equipped Monster's level times 100! Goyo Predator's level is 6, so take 600 points of damage!" An arrow was shot towards Aki, who veered to her left to avoid getting hit by the arrow, however, she still got grazed in the shoulder, and since things did real damage, Aki grunted in pain as the arrow scraped off part of Aki's shoulder pad on her suit, revealing her shoulder. Ruri yelped as the arrow came towards her, she dodged and the arrow hit the wall and immediately disappeared. Aki looked at Ruri, who gave her an uneasy nod. The Xyz girl still didn't know if she could trust her savior, although she did save her she could be doing this as an act.

Aki: 4000-3400 LP

"I set a Card and end my turn." Duel Chaser concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Fragrance Storm! With this Card, I can destroy a Face-up Monster I control, then, I can draw a Card from my Deck, if the drawn Card is a Plant-Type Monster, I can draw another Card. I destroy one of my Evil Thorns to draw a Card." Aki glanced at her Card and smiled. "The Card I drew was Gigaplant, it's Plant-Type, so I draw another Card. The Card I drew was Rose Fairy!" Aki showed the Card to Duel Chaser. "When this Card is either added to my Hand or drawn via the effect of a Monster, Magic, or Trap Card, I can Special Summon this Card!" A fairy with red hair flew onto the Field, she took a defensive position, signaling that Aki put her Monster in Defense Position.

Rose Fairy: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1200 Def

"I release the final copy of Evil Thorn on my Field to Advance Summon Gigaplant!" Aki exclaimed as a big venus flytrap creature took to the Field.

Gigaplant: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"I set a Card and end my turn." A set Card appeared in front of Aki in her Magic/Trap Card Zone.

"My turn, draw! This turn I can actually attack now, so be prepared for a world of hurt! From my Hand I Summon Gonogo!" Duel Chaser Summoned a green sphere like creature in Attack Position.

Gonogo: Level 3, 1350 Atk, 1600 Def

"Next I activate the effect of Goyo Arrow once again in order to inflict 600 points of damage to you!" An arrow was once again sent towards Aki. Ruri made sure to stay away. Unfortunately for Aki, the arrow was much faster this time. She tried to dodge, but she got grazed once again. The arrow flew right past her stomach, once again ripping her riding suit to her reveal a little bit of her bare stomach underneath.

Aki: 3400-2800 LP

"Are you ok?!" Ruri asked Aki in concern. She may not be able to trust her yet, but she hasn't done anything wrong from what she knew, she didn't deserve any pain.

"I'm fine." Aki nodded at Ruri.

"I'm not done!" Duel Chaser bellowed, causing Aki and Ruri to turn their attention back to him. "Battle! Go, Goyo Predator, attack Gigaplant!" This action shocked both Ruri and Aki, however, Aki might have had an idea of what was going to happen next, as she faced a lot of Duel Chasers before.

"But their Attack points are equal! They'll both be destroyed and he won't have a Monster to defend himself!" Ruri spoke in a confused manner, questioning the Duel Chaser's actions.

"Quick-Play activate!" Duel Chaser clicked a button on his Duel Disk, causing a Magic Card to be revealed, it had a running bull on it. "Rush Recklessly, until the end of the turn, I can increase the Attack of a face-up Monster on the Field by 700! I choose Goyo Predator!"'

Goyo Predator: 2400-3100 Atk

"This isn't good!" Ruri said as she widened her eyes in worry. Aki, however, remained calm. Goyo Predator smacked Gigaplant with it's weapon, destroying the Monster. Aki flinched slightly from the damage.

Aki: 2800-2100 LP

"When Goyo Predator destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the destroyed Monster to my side of the Field." Duel Chaser revealed. Ruri gasped in surprise, while Aki remained serious. A portal to the Grave opened and Goyo Predator threw his chain inside the portal, he proceeded to lift Gigaplant out and onto Duel Chaser's Field. "Now, Gonogo, attack Rose Fairy!" Gonogo, at great speeds, rammed right into Rose Fairy like a pinball or bowling ball, easily destroying the Monster.

"She has no Monster!" Ruri noted nervously.

"Now, Gigaplant, attack Izayoi Aki directly! End the reign of the Black Rose Witch!" Duel Chaser shouted as Aki's own Monster swung it's multiple tentacles at its original owner. Ruri closed her eyes and looked away in fear, expecting to hear Aki scream out in pain when the attack connected, however, instead she heard…

"Trap Card, Ground Capture! When an opponent's Monster declares an attack, I can halve the damage I would take from that attack Also, if I would take 1000 or more damage, I get to draw a Card." A small barrier formed around Aki as the multitude of tentacles hammered down on her shield, causing a crack with each hit.

Aki pushed Ruri to away from her, so she wouldn't get by anything. The barrier finally broke, and when it did, Aki was assaulted by 8 tentacles from her own Monster.

One tentacle wrapped around Aki's neck, causing her to choke.

"*Cough* *Cough*" Aki choked.

The second one wrapped around her legs, keeping her in place. Aki reached up for the tentacle around her neck and tried to pry it off. However, she was then assaulted by the other six.

One tentacle slapped her in the stomach, causing her to bend over in pain as she let out a groan of pain. The second tentacle hit her back, causing her to grimace. The third and fourth slapped her across the cheek, Aki let out two screams of pain. The fifth tentacle hit her dead in the face, causing her to cry out in pain. The final one did what the first did and struck Aki hard in the stomach, a loud sound was heard when the attack connected, Aki screamed in pain as she. "AHHHHHHH!" The tentacles let go of Aki as the girl dropped to her knees, before falling forwards to the ground.

Aki: 2100-900 LP

"HAHAHA! Looks like she is unable to Duel now, too bad. So much for the so called Black Rose Witch." Duel Chaser cackled while Ruri ran out to Aki and crouched down. She had a look of concern and fear in her voice. She shook Aki's body vigorously to wake her up.

"Come on, wake up, please!" Ruri pleaded.

"Don't you see, she's beat! The Black Rose Witch has been defeated! Now, come with me and-"

"What did I say?" Aki interrupted suddenly, causing Duel Chaser and Ruri to look at her in confusion. The girl in the riding suit slowly got up to her feet, almost falling, she had her face looking down at the ground. "I said...don't. Call. Me." Aki revealed her face, Duel Chaser gained a look of fear as he saw the look of anger Aki had on her face. "THE BLACK ROSE WITCH!"

"What...happened…?" Ruri questioned quietly as she took a step back.

"Due to the effect of Ground Capture, I get to draw a Card since I took 1000 damage or more." Aki reminded the two as she drew a Card. "Now, end your turn."

"I-I-I end my turn." Duel Chaser was so scared he forgot to mention that Goyo Predator's Attack returns to normal.

Goyo Predator: 3100-2400 Atk

"My turn, draw!" Aki drew her Card with a lot of force, causing a shockwave which caused Duel Chaser to stumble. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Night Rose Knight!" A knight in dark armor with the face exposed with blue hair appeared, raising her sword. (I think this Monster is a girl.)

Night Rose Knight: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monster from my Hand, I Special Summon Violet Witch!" Aki wildly took a Card from her hand and slammed it down onto her Duel Disk, the Monster she Summoned took to the Field.

Violet Witch: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1200 Def

"A Synchro Summon?!" Ruri realized with the setup on Aki's Field.

"I tune the level 4 Violet Witch with the level 3 Night Rose Knight! Black rose guided by a pitch-black flower, bloom before us and show us your might! Synchro Summon, Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Aki chanted as her Monster flew to the Field in fierce winds, causing nearby scraps of paper to be taken by the wind and trash cans to topple over to the ground. Duel Chaser's d-wheel toppled and dropped to the ground while Ruri was thrown to the ground. Duel Chaser covered his eyes, stumbling quite frequently. Inside multiple places and outside nearby, people heard what was going on and cowered in fear, some were still lucky to be sleeping.

At the orphanage, both Yugo and Yuzu woke up, albeit in different rooms, startled by the sound. They both were scared and decided to stay in. They could both hear the kids crying in rooms nearby, afraid of the nearby sounds.

Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def

"What good will that Monster do?!" Duel Chaser questioned.

"Silence!" Aki yelled coldly, causing the Duel Chaser to grimace from how loud her voice was. "When Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I can target the two Monsters on the Field with the highest Attack, banish them, and then inflict damage to you equal to halve the combined Attack of the banished Monsters. I banish both Gigaplant and Goyo Predator!" Black Rose roared in rage as the declared Monsters disappeared into thin air as Duel Chaser could only look on in shock. "The combined Attack of the banished Monster's is 4800, so take 2400 points of damage!"

Black Rose Bloomlight charged a purple ball of energy in her mouth, she shot at Duel Chaser, engulfing him, causing him to yell out in pain, he dropped to the ground, his body steaming and his clothes torn.

Duel Chaser: 3700-1300 LP

"Stop!" Ruri told Aki. "You're going to kill him!"

"I'll kill him…?" Aki paused, before getting an evil smirk. "Good…"

"No, stop! What happened to the woman who tried to save me!? I couldn't trust you, but I had a feeling you had good intentions! Please, stop! Be who you really are!" Ruri begged to the enraged Aki, who didn't have control of her mysterious powers. Aki paused once again, the smirk disappeared. Did she really want this? Did she really want to kill someone, despite him being from the same stupid society that did something terrible to her? Aki pondered on those questions as the girl clutched her head and groaned in pain. She looked at Duel Chaser and got a serious face, now in control. "I-I activate Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon's effect, once per turn, by banishing a Plant-Type Monster in my Grave, I can shuffle a Monster you control into your Deck, I banish Evil Thorn to shuffle Gonogo into your Deck!" Duel Chaser slowly and painfully shuffled his Card into his Deck. Aki's ramage did a number on him.

"It's time to finish this. Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon, attack the Duel Chaser directly and end this!" Aki declared as Black Rose simply smacked Duel Chaser on the head with its tail, causing the man to lose consciousness.

Duel Chaser: 1300-0 LP

As Black Rose disappeared, Aki started to breath heavily She turned to face Ruri, who was backing up in fear.

"Not again…" Aki grumbled in frustration. "Damn it! Why can't I control these powers?!" Aki looked at her hands. She calmed down, deciding to worry about it later. "I'm sorry, that was...not the real me…"

"I can tell." Ruri responded simply, still a little jumpy. "Umm...th-thank...you…?" It sounded more like a question then actually thanking her.

"Your welcome. Again, I'm sorry, when I get really angry, I lose control, for some reason, I can inflict real damage through Dueling, it's really scary. I feel like...a Monster after one of those 'transformations.'" Aki looked away from Ruri as she looked down at her riding suit, which was ripped in multiple places from the real damage through the Duel. "Good thing I have more of this riding suit. Anyways, I saw you being chased by the Duel Chaser, so I decided to help you. If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me, it's not much, but, it will work for two people."

"...uhh...thank you...I accept this offer…" Ruri nervously took a bow.

"We better hurry, people might come here." Aki walked over to her d-wheel, which was on the ground. She stood it up and checked for damage, thankfully, there were only a few scratches. "Get on, I don't have an extra helmet, but it will do." Aki put on her helmet, the situation still awkward between the two. Ruri hesitantly got on. She thought about her decision. This girl went on a rampage and was about to go overboard, was this a good idea? The girl might do it again? But the thing is…

The girl saved her.

 _I made up my mind._ Ruri thought to herself. She would stay with this Izayoi Aki, since she did save her. And, other than the anger stuff, she seemed like a nice person.

Hopefully nothing bad happens.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **I changed the effect of Rose Fairy a bit so it can be drawn and Special Summoned also.**

 **Giant Artillery, Equip, Magic: You can only equip this Card to a Giant Battleship Monster. The equipped Monster gains 1000 Attack, it can attack twice, and it can inflict piercing damage. During the End Phase of your turn, pay 1000 life points or destroy this Card, and if you pay 1000 life points, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.**

 **Ragnazero (Remember, this is not the Numbers Monster, this is a different version, just like Silent Honor Ark,) Fairy, Xyz, Water: When this Card is Xyz Summoned, you can decrease the Attack of a Monster your opponent controls by 2400. When your opponent controls a Monster whose Attack is lower than the original Attack of that Monster, destroy it, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to halve of the difference in Attack between the original Attack and the Attack the Monster had when it was destroyed. When this Card is in the Grave, you can target two Water-Type Monsters, Special Summon this Card and attach those two Monsters as Materials, this is treated as a Xyz Summon.**

 **Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon, Dragon, Synchro, Dark: When this Card is Synchro Summoned, you can target the two Monster's with the highest Attack on the Field, banish them, then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to halve of the combined Attack of the banished Monsters. Once per turn, you can banish a Plant-Type Monster in your Grave, then, shuffle a Monster your opponent controls into their Deck. When this Card is destroyed, Special Summon a Monster from either player's Graveyard or Banished Zone to either player's Field, except Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon.**

* * *

 **Finally finished!**

 **The beginning took a while to think of, but I managed to do it. Wow, this has been the longest chapter in a while in terms of words.**

 **I decided to have Rio Duel here since she has only Dueled one other time this fic. Like with Shark, I gave her an alternate Ragnazero. Just to make things clear, Rio does NOT have a rage mode, she was just very very very pissed off during the Duel.**

 **Another thing, sorry about the Aki scene when she attacked by her own Monster, I needed something to trigger her rage mode other than being called the Black Rose Witch, so being reminded of a certain pain may do it, hint hint. I in no way hate Aki, and I hope everyone experiences little to no pain in real life, sorry if you guys were a little mad about the Aki scene.**

 **Now the ring that Rio has, if I remember correctly in Zexal it used Ryoga's. So, as a way to remember Shark while he is gone, Shark gave Rio the sane ring.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **While Rio Duels Gin (This segment is set when Allen and Sayaka leave Rio,) Allen and Sayaka see two people who are wiping out the Spade Branch section of the Resistance, they try to Duel them, however, they instead are met with two Academia Duelists. They decide to Duel each separately.**

 **So here, I'm giving Allen and Sayaka a chance to shine next chapter. Soon, Kaito will get a Duel also.**

 **Now, if you guys are wondering who Gin, is, it is a one-shot character in Gx who Dueled Jaden/Judai in episode 71. I didn't want him to use an Ancient Gear Deck so I made due with his anime Deck. I might use two more Gx one-shot characters next chapter. Also, I'm pretty sure his first name is Ryusei, not Gin, but I didn't want to repeatedly type in Ryusei, it's annoying.**

 **Actually, I was planning on adding Fujiwara Yusuke from Season 4 of Gx instead of Gin, but I decided against it because 1. Fujiwara was too important in Season 4 of Gx to be reduced to a soldier. 2. have a lot of characters already, this could make it so certain people will outshine others. 3. Doing his Deck in a Duel against Rio would not be fun, it would be irritating since I'm pretty sure his Deck doesn't have anything to reduce or increased Attack, in fact, I don't** **think be he has Monster with Attack, I think they are all 0. I'm probably wrong though.**

 **Damn I feel like a Yusaku 2.0!**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: I actually did decide to put Aki in here, a lot of people at some point wanted me to put her in the story.**

 **Matrixnis: No problem. Your prediction is right my friend.**

 **Bridgey: Burgundy is a shade of red, correct. I'm just letting you know, I basically got the character appearance description thing from Yugioh Wiki, NOT WORD FOR WORD, I'm not here to plagiarize. The Arcadia Movement will not make an appearance. I don't see how I can implement it into the story, I don't want to make things hectic, and things are hectic already with all of the characters. Kaito will be seen defecting soon. As for Yuto and the Lancers, the chapter after Kaito defects from the Resistance is when we see the Lancers again. I would estimate...2-4 chapters.**

 **Mekyaku: Sometimes, I feel like Faker is his real name, but what do I know.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	59. The Train and the Queen

"Allen, are you sure that was a good idea?"

"She said it will be fine, Sayaka. Plus, Rio is a strong person, she isn't going to lose to an Academia soldier that easily." Allen answered Sayaka simply. They had already left Rio to Duel Gin, although it was Rio who told them to leave. "However, I'm finding it hard to trust those two, what were their names...Ryo and Rin."

"Rio and Rin? Why can't you trust Rio? She has been friends with us for a long time." Sayaka was surprised to hear that Allen didn't trust Rio, however, that wasn't the case.

"No, not the Rio we left just now. Ryo, the guy who is a former Academia soldier as he claims." Allen corrected Sayaka.

"Oh, him…" Sayaka's face flushed red out of embarrassment of getting Rio and Kaiser mixed up, since there names are basically the same. Suddenly, an explosion was heard in the Resistance Camp, multiple of them. Sayaka's blush disappeared. "An attack at the Resistance Camp!"

"Academia! Damn it!" Allen cursed. Hopefully Academia didn't Card anyone while they were there. "Let's go, Sayaka!" Sayaka and Allen immediately began to run over to the camp.

* * *

Later-At the Camp

"AHHHHH!" Cried six more Duelists of the Spade Branch of the Resistance. Multiple Academia soldiers were walking around, Carding anyone who wasn't a Duelist on sight. Gloria reached down and picked up the six Cards of the defeated Duelists, she placed them in her pocket (where ever they are.)

"Aww, come oooooon! None of these Duelists have been a challenge!" Grace Tyler whined to her sister.

"Quiet, Grace. Besides, who knows when a real challenge will show up, in the field of battle, you can't cocky, not even once." Gloria scolded her sister. Gloria cared for her sister, but she didn't show it, since soldiers at Academia were required to show no remorse or care for anyone.

Those who did show these emotions were most likely executed (Carded.) But although she cared deep down in her heart, she got annoyed with her sister's antiques quite easily.

"But sis, you know it's true!" Grace pouted towards her sister.

"Who cares if it's easy."

"I do!"

"It doesn't matter if it's easy or not. Actually, if it's easy, it makes it so we won't have to dirty our hands much with these Duelists." Gloria told her sister.

"I guess you are right…" Grace pondered on her sister's statement. Right now, she was basically acting like a 5-year old wanting more candy or some other analogy like that with a young kid.

"Hold it right there!" A voice shouted nearby. Gloria and Grace turned to see a boy and a girl running up to them. Unknown to them, it was Allen and Sayaka. "You bastards! Just Carding them like that with no remorse at all!"

"Of course we show no remorse. In a battlefield, you show no remorse for the enemy. Heck, at times you shouldn't even show any kind of kindness or remorse to your allies. That is how Academia teaches its students." Gloria explained to Allen.

"Screw you and Academia's teaching!" Allen snapped in anger. "Duel me, now!"

"I hardly think that you would be a challenge. How about that girl tags with you while my sister tags with me." Gloria proposed with a smirk on her face.

"You…" Allen mused as Sayaka stepped up.

"I accept this challenge." Sayaka spoke softly with a hint of determination as she held her Duel Disk up, ready to fight.

"Finally, maybe this will be a challenge!" Grace squealed in excitement as she walked to her sister, also holding out her Duel Disk.

Gloria was about to activate her Duel Disk, however, two people came running up to them.

"Gloria-sama, Grace-sama! You are wanted back at the base!" One of the two people, who was in a blue jacket reported.

"There has been one Duelist who has been sweeping a fraction of our numbers, we must retreat now!" The other, who was in a yellow jacket told the two.

"Oh hell no! I'm not letting those two get away!" Allen yelled, wanting to Duel them out of revenge and anger.

"But-"

"And these are orders by Commander Edo!" The first person interrupted Grace before she started an argument.

 _Commander Edo?_ Sayaka thought to herself, deciding to keep the name to herself, since it seemed like very important information.

"But-"

"But nothing, Grace. Orders are orders, we simply follow them." Gloria interjected seriously.

"We will take these scum!" The second person offered.

"Come on!" Grace whined once again.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Gloria face palmed as she started to pull Grace away while running.

"Oh no you don't!" Allen started to chase the two women, however, the next thing he knew, something was attached to his Duel Disk, he was then pulled backwards. "WAAAAAH!" Allen dropped to the ground, he looked on his Duel Disk. "What the-" A yelp from Sayaka caused him to look in her direction, she had the same thing on her Duel Disk. "What is this?"

"It's a Duel Anchor. It forces those it connects to Duel the user." The first person revealed. "So, if you want to leave, you have to defeat us in a Duel. Let's go, Kagurazaka."

"Don't call me Kagurazaka, Houzan." The boy in the yellow jacket now known as Kagurazaka told the boy in the blue jacket now known as Houzan. "Call me Kaiser!"

"Kaiser?" Sayaka repeated in confusion as Allen started to calm down after he heard the statement Houzan made.

"That Ryo guy told us to call me him Kaiser, it was a nickname that people at Academia gave him." Allen whispered to Sayaka. "It's clear that this guy admires him."

"Why would he admire someone who defected from Academia?" Sayaka asked Allen.

"Exactly, why would he? That just proves that this so called former Academia student named Ryo Marufuji has been lying to us all this time. He plans to double cross us." Allen concluded as he grit his teeth. He formed a fist with his hand. "Damn, just when I thought that we actually got another comrade."

Meanwhile the other two were having a small conversation. Houzan walked next to 'Kaiser' with an angry face and whispered "How dare you look up to the man that backstabbed us?"

"Wait, he backstabbed us?" 'Kaiser' repeated as a question.

"You're an idiot!" Houzan insulted 'Kaiser.'

"Oh, then I should change the Deck I have after this then." 'Kaiser' said.

"Yeah, you should." Houzan spoke in a as a matter of fact tone.

"Well, actually, this is my only Deck, so I can't actually switch, I left my real one at Academia." 'Kaiser' suddenly blurted out.

"What? You swine, now Academia has been stained because of you using a traitor's Deck!" Houzan shouted. "Whatever, let's get this over with. Actually, I refuse to tag Duel with you. You, come with me." Houzan pointed to Allen, who sharpened his gaze at him as the two walked away glaring at each other.

"I guess it's me and you." 'Kaiser' said to Sayaka. Both Duelists activated their Duel Disks.

"DUEL!" Both declared, starting the Duel.

* * *

Meanwhile

Allen and Houzan got into a more secluded area, away from Sayaka and 'Kaiser.'

"Hmph, let's hurry this up! I have things to do and people to Card." Houzan said in a sadistic manner.

"Damn you…" Allen cursed under his breath. "I won't lose! I'll make you grovel!" Allen proceeded to activate his Duel Disk, prompting Houzan to do the same.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted.

"I'll take the first turn." Houzan took a Card from his hand and showed it to Allen. "From my Hand, I Summon Marauding Captain!"

Marauding Captain: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 400 Def

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Monster from my Hand. I Special Summon another copy of Marauding Captain, in Defense Position!" Houzan placed another copy of the same Card onto his Duel Disk, the Monster took to the Field in a defensive position. "The effect of Marauding Captain is that you can't attack any other Warrior Monsters, except this Monster. However, with two copies of this Monster, you can't attack neither Monster!"

"Damn! I'm stuck in a lock." Allen spoke under his breath, he took a look at his hand. "However, with this Hand, I might be able to at least find a solution."

"I end my turn." Houzan concluded.

"My turn!" Allen drew his Card and glanced at it, before placing it in his Hand. He took another Card and showed it to Houzan. "I Summon Heavy Armored Train Caboose!"

Caboose: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1600 Def

"When this Card is Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Machine Type Monster from my Hand, I Special Summon Ruffian Express Train Battrain!" Allen swiped his Monster onto his Duel Disk as his train drove to the Field.

Battrain: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate Battrain's effect, once per turn, I can inflict 500 damage to you!" Allen exclaimed as Battrain rode right past the Marauding Captains, smashing into Houzan, causing him to fly backwards.

Houzan: 4000-3500 LP

"I overlay the level 4 Heavy Armored Train Caboose and Ruffian Express Train Battrain! With these two Monsters, I construct the Overlay Network!" A portal opened in front of Allen as his two Monsters flew inside, a light imploded from the portal as Allen started a chant. "Impregnable iron fortress, make the earth tremble violently and charge down the railway crawling with the enemy soldiers! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Heavy Armored Train Iron Wolf!

Iron Wolf: Rank 4, 2200 Atk, 2200 Def

"So, what is the point of that? Your Monster can't attack any of mine, so you are stuck in this loop until one of these Monsters are destroyed." Houzan reminded Allen, not even bothering to worry about Iron Wolf's effect.

"Are you sure about that?" Allen asked Houzan rhetorically.

"What?!"

Allen thrusted his hand towards his Monster. "I activate the effect of Iron Wolf, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target a Machine-Type Monster I control, this turn, it can attack you directly."

"No way!" Houzan exclaimed in shock.

"Of course, Iron Wolf gain the ability to attack directly this turn. Now, Iron Wolf, attack this bastard directly!" Iron Wolf started to rush towards the two Marauding Captains, then, a rail appeared in front of the train as it when above the Monster because of it, the train rammed into Houzan before turning around and going back to Allen.

"AUGH!" Houzan yelled in pain as he flew backwards to the ground.

Houzan: 3500-1300 LP

Houzan struggled to get up, it was like Iron Wolf had actually broken some bones in his body. "2-2700 points of damage...all in one turn! Unreal…" He rose to his feet, however, he fell to his knees, too hurt to stand up. "No...I can't lose to Xyz Scum like him...I can't…!" He formed a fist with his hand and stood up. "I don't need a Fusion Monster to beat this guy, I can beat him without one.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Allen concluded with a set Card in front of him.

"My turn, draw! From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Pot of Greed, with this Card, I can draw 2 Cards." Houzan glanced at his new Cards and smirked. "I activate the Equip Magic Card Jewel Sword, and I equip to my first Marauding Captain, it gains 300 Attack."

Marauding Captain: 1200-1500 Atk

"I'm not done yet, using the same Monster, I activate the Equip Magic Great Sword, increasing Marauding Captain's Attack by another 300."

Marauding Captain: 1500-1800 Atk

"The Monster equipped with Great Sword can be treated as two tributes for the Advance Summon of a Warrior-Type Monster. So, I release Marauding Captain treated as two tributes to Advance Summon Gilford the Legend!" Houzan slapped his Card onto his Duel Disk as a warrior wielding a big sword came to the Field.

Gilford the Legend: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def

"When Jewel Sword is sent from the Field to the Grave, I can draw an extra Card from my Deck. Next, I chain the effect of Gilford the Legend, when this Card is Normal Summoned, I can equip as many Equip Magic Cards in my Grave to Warrior-Type Monsters on my Field, I equip Jewel Sword and Great Sword! This raises his Attack by 600!" Houzan chained Gilford's effect, causing the Cards he sent to the Grave to reappear.

Gilford: 2600-3200 Atk

"I activate the Equip Magic Card Lightning Blade, I equip it to Gilford, increasing his Attack by 800!"

Gilford: 3200-4000 Atk

"4-4000 Attack?!" Allen widened his eyes at the Monster, startled.

"Oh no, it's more than that. I activate the equip Card Divine Sword-Phoenix Blade!" Houzan revealed yet another Equip Card.

"Just how many Equip Magic Cards does this guy have?" Allen questioned.

"I equip this Card to Gilford, increasing his Attack by 300!"

Gilford: 4000-4300 Atk

"Damn it!" Allen cursed as he looked at his Monster.

"Finally, I activate the Magic Card Arsenal Assault! I can only activate this Card when I control a face-up Equip Magic Card, I can target a Monster equipped with an Equip Magic Card, that Monster can attack twice this turn!"

"What?!"

"This will end it! Battle, go, Gilford, attack and destroy his Iron Wolf!" Houzan yelled as he pointed at Allen's Monster. Gilford jumped high in the air and came crashing down towards Allen's Monster, Gilford struck Allen's train, Allen quickly jumped out of the way of the sword as his Monster was sliced in half before exploding.

"AHHHH!" Allen, in midair, was thrown back by the force of the explosion. He hit the ground hard and his vision became blurry.

Allen: 4000-1900 LP

"Gilford, attack him directly and end this Duel!" Gilford set his sights on Allen, who was still dazed from the explosion, Gilford charged at Allen, holding his sword out in an attempt to stab Allen.

Fortunately for Allen, he snapped out of his daze moments before the attack connected, leaving him time to counter.

"Trap Card, Delay! With this Card, I can Special Summon a Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard in face-up Defense Position! I Special Summon Iron Wolf once again!" Allen's recently destroyed Monster rose from the Grave, only for Gilford to destroy it again.

"You may have survived, but you won't be making it out without taking this hit! Attack him directly, Marauding Captain!" Marauding Captain did as he was told and swiped his two swords at Allen's back, causing him to yell out in pain as the sharp ends of the swords cut at his back, ripping his a little bit of his maroon colored shirt and causing him to bleed from the back from some cuts in the skin from the sword. However, it wasn't a lot of blood as fortunately for Allen the swords only grazed his skin.

Allen: 1900-700 LP

With a searing pain now aching in his back, Allen slowly rose to his feet.

"That will be the end of my turn." Houzan ended his turn with a smirk on his face. "You survived, but with your life at 700 and only two Cards in your Hand, is there even a point in continuing?" Houzan started to laugh uncontrollably until…

"There is!" This exclamation from Allen caused Houzan to stop laughing and look at him in interest. "I still have things to do in life. More like I had things to do in life. Now...the only thing that matters now is protecting my home and destroying bastards like you. With that in mind, there is no way that I am going to give up! My turn, draw! I Summon Heavy Armored Train Rail Destroyer!"

Rail Destroyer: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Now I use the effect of this Monster! When it's Summoned, I can target a Monster on the Field and decrease its Attack by 600. I choose Rail Destroyer!" Allen revealed, shocking Houzan.

Rail Destroyer: 1000-400 Atk

"Did that last attack knock your brain out, what was the point of that?" Houzan asked.

"The point was this!" Allen held up a Card and flipped around. "Magic Card, Machine Duplication, activate! I can target a Machine-Type Monster I control with 500 or less Attack, which will be Rail Destroyer, then, I can Special Summon from my Deck two Monsters with the same name. So come to me, two more copies of Rail Destroyer!" Allen snatched two more copies of his Monster as they were Summoned on his call. "The effects of those two also activate, I lower the Attack of your Gilford!"

Gilford: 4300-3100 Atk

"Hah, you may have lowered my Monster's Attack, but remember, as long as Marauding Captain is on the Field, you can't attack any other Warrior-Type Monster except him."

"So what of it?" Allen asked, causing Houzan to give him a look of confusion. "I overlay my 3 level 4 Rail Destroyers! Train that travels at the speed of sound, arrive here and now faster than the blink of an eye! Xyz Summon! Show yourself! Rank 4! Heavy Armored Train Sound Breaker!" Allen raised his arm to the air as he Xyz Summoned his Monster.

Sound Breaker: Rank 4, 2600 Atk, 1600 Def

"I activate Sound Breaker's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, I can either, Special Summon an Earth Machine Type Monster from my Hand or Grave, banish a Monster from my Grave, and then, until the end of the turn, have this Monster gain the banished Monster's Attack, or finally, target a Monster on the Field whose original Attack is lower than this Card, destroy it, and then inflict damage to you equal to the difference between the Attack points of the destroyed Monster and Sound Breaker's Attack. I choose to destroy a Monster, and I destroy your Marauding Captain!" Sound Breaker brought out a cannon and shot Marauding Captain, instantly destroying the Monster.

"Damn!" Houzan cursed as he witnessed his Monster's destruction.

"Now, I inflict damage to you equal to the difference between the Attack of Sound Breaker and Marauding Captain!"

"Oh no…" Houzan murmured as he was shot by Sound Breaker. Houzan immediately lost consciousness and was thrown backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Houzan: 1300-0 LP

Gilford, the Equip Cards, and Sound Breaker all disappeared from the Field. While Allen simply walked away.

"If I wanted to I could have also used this last Card to give the ability to use Sound Breaker's effect again, which means I could have easily destroyed his Monster also…" Allen muttered to himself as he put the Magic Card he had in his hand back into his deck.

* * *

With Sayaka

While Allen was Dueling with Houzan, Sayaka was busy dealing with 'Kaiser.'

"I'll take the first move. I activate the Continuous Magic Card Fairy's Blessing! Once per turn, if I don't control a Monster, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Fairy-Type Monster, come to me, I Special Summon from my Hand Fairy Rank Gainer!" Sayaka exclaimed as she placed her Card onto her Duel Disk.

Fairy Rank Gainer: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def

"When this Card is Summoned, I can add a Rank-Up Magic Card from my Deck to my Hand." Sayaka took an ejected Card from her Deck and showed it to 'Kaiser.' Next, I Summon Little Fairy!" Sayaka Summoned the Monster her friends best know from her.

Little Fairy: Level 3, 800 Atk, 800 Def

"I activate the effect of Little Fairy, up to twice per turn, i can send a Card from my Hand to the Grave in order to increase this Card's level by 1! I send Dancing Fairy from Hand to the Grave to do just that!" Sayaka grabbed a Card from her hand in put into her Graveyard.

Little Fairy: Level 3-4

"Now you have 2 level 4 Monsters." 'Kaiser' grit his teeth out of annoyance.

"I overlay the level 4 Fairy Rank Gainer and Little Fairy! An angel's smile for the heroes who keep fighting! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Fairy Cheer Girl!" Sayaka Xyz Summoned her ace Monster.

Fairy Cheer Girl: Rank 4, 1900 Atk, 1500 Def

"I activate Fairy Cheer Girl's effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I get to draw an extra Card." Sayaka took the top Card of her Deck and drew it. She glanced at it and put it in her hand. She took another Card in her Hand. "I set a Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! When you control a Monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Cyber Dragon from my Hand!"

Cyber Dragon: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 1600 Def

"Just like that, a level 5 Monster with 2100 Attack?!" Sayaka mused at the sight of the Monster.

"I'm not done, I Normal Summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!" 'Kaiser' Summoned his Monster in Attack Position.

Proto-Cyber Dragon: Level 3, 1100 Atk, 600 Def

"Battle, go, Cyber Dragon, Attack Fairy Cheer Girl!" 'Kaiser' declared. "Evolution Burst!" Cyber Dragon let out a fireball from its mouth at Fairy Cheer Girl, engulfing the Monster, destroying her. Sayaka covered her face as her Monster was destroyed.

Sayaka: 4000-3800 LP

"Now, Proto-Cyber Dragon, attack her directly!" Proto-Cyber Dragon slithered it's way over to Sayaka, ready to pounce.

"Quick-Play activate, Rank-Up-Magic Fairy's Revival Force! I can Special Summon a Fairy-Type Xyz Monster in my Grave, then, while using that Monster and this Card, I can Xyz Summon from my Extra Deck one Monster whose Rank is 1 higher then the Special Summoned Monster! From the summit of heaven, take a new form of hope great angel! Rank Up Xyz Change! Come forth, Rank 5, Fairy Hope Girl!" Sayaka Xyz Summoned her Monster to the Field.

Fairy Hope Girl: Rank 5, 2600 Atk, 2250 Def

"Damn, I set a Card and end my turn." A set Card materialized in front of 'Kaiser.'

"My turn, draw! I activate Fairy Hope Girl's effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can draw a Card. If that Card is a Fairy-Type Monster, I get to add the Card to my Hand and add the Attack of the added Monster to the Attack of a Monster on the Field. Now, here goes, I draw!" Sayaka closed her eyes and glanced at the Card, hoping she would get the right Card. She opened them, not bad, she thought. "I drew Helper Fairy, it is Fairy Type, I add it to my Hand and then I add the Attack of this Monster to Fairy Hope Girl! The Attack of Helper Fairy is 1000, so the Attack is increased by 1000!l

Fairy Hope Girl: 2600-3600 Atk

"Battle, go, Fairy Hope Girl, attack Cyber Dragon!" Fairy Hope Girl charged a green beam of light, planning to hit Cyber Dragon with it.

"Trap activate, Attack Reflector Unit! With this Card, I can tribute a Cyber Dragon in the Field, then, I can Special Summon a Cyber Barrier Dragon from my Deck or Hand, I tribute the original Cuber Dragon to Special Summon Cyber Barrier Dragon!" 'Kaiser' countered with a smirk. He had her right where he wanted her.

Cyber Barrier: Level 6, 800 Atk, 2800 Def

"Then Fairy Hope Girl attack Cyber Barrier Dragon!" Sayaka redirected her target to the new Monster on the Field.

"Not so fast, I activated the effect of Cyber Barrier Dragon, when this Card is in Attack Position, I can once per turn negate an attack.* Cyber Barrier Dragon let out a barrier that blew Fairy Hope Girl away. Fairy Hope Girl stood up, facing 'Kaiser's' Monsters.

"The turn Fairy Hope's Attack is increased by it's effect, it can attack twice!" Sayaka revealed, causing 'Kaiser' to click his tongue. "Faory Hope Girl destroy Cyber Barrier Dragon." Fairy Hope Girl charged a green beam of light and struck Cyber Barrier Dragon, destroying the Monster. 'Kaiser' yelled out in pain as he took a couple of steps back from the force of the attack.

'Kaiser': 4000-1200 LP

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sayaka concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Evolution Burst! If I control Cyber Dragon, i can destroy a Monster on the Field, however, Cyber Dragon won't be able to attack for the rest of the turn." 'Kaiser' explained.

"But you don't have Cyber Dragon on the Field!" Sayaka pointed out.

"Actually I do. When Proto-Cyber Dragon is on the Field, its name becomes Cyber Dragon, so it counts. Go, Proto-Cyber Dragon, Evolution Burst!" Proto-Cyber Dragon released a fireball at Fairy Hope Girl, destroying Sayaka's Monster.

"Trap Card, Fairy's Perseverance! I can select a Fairy-Type Monster on my Field, its Attack is reduced to 0 until the end of the turn! However, battle damage is halved, and the targeted Monster cannot be destroyed for the rest of the turn." Sayaka revealed her set Card.

Fairy Hope Girl: 3600-0 Atk

The fireball hit the Monster, Fairy Hope Girl cried out in pain, but she stood strong and remained on the Field.

"I activate Overload Fusion! I banish Fusion Materials on my Field or in my Grave that are listed on a Machine-Type Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck, I can Fusion Summon that Monster. On the Field, I banish Proto-Cyber Dragon who is now Cyber Dragon, and in my Grave, I banish Cyber Dragon in order to Fusion Summon Cyber Twin Dragon!" 'Kaiser' shouted as his Monster was Fusion Summoned.

Cyber Twin Dragon: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2100 Def

"Battle! Go, Cyber Twin Dragon, attack Fairy Hope Girl!" 'Kaiser' yelled as Cyber Twin Dragon shot a fireball from one mouth at Fairy Hope Girl.

"Fairy Hope Girl is not destroyed and the battle damage is halved!" Sayaka exclaimed as she flinched from the damage.

Sayaka: 3800-2400 LP

"Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice! Attack once again!" The other mouth shot Fairy Hope Girl this time, and the process repeated. Sayaka was blown to the ground by the force of the attack.

Sayaka: 2400-1000 LP

"I end my turn."

"At this moment, the effect of Fairy's Perseverance ends, and Fairy Hope Girl's Attack returns to normal." Sayaka reminded 'Kaiser.'

Fairy Hope Girl: 0-3600 Atk

"So this is Ryo's Deck...it's strong...but...it feels like there is more to the Deck...clearly the Deck only listens to Ryo..." Sayaka whispered to herself as she rose to her feet. "This isn't over, I can win! All I have to do is believe in _my_ Deck, not one I use because I admire someone! My turn, draw! Perfect!" Sayaka smiled at the sight of the Card. "I activate the Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Fairy's Force! I target a Fairy-Type Xyz Monster, then I can Special Summon a Fairy-Type Monster from my Extra Deck. Fairy with cheers of hope, evolve into a queen with sharp judgement! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear before us, Rank 6, Judgement Queen!"

Judgement Queen: Rank 6, 2800 Atk, 2600 Def

"The effect of Judgement Queen activates, when this Card is Xyz Summoned, I can return every Special Summoned Monster on the Field to the Hand except this Card!" Sayaka revealed.

"What?!" 'Kaiser' quivered as he heard the effect. Judgement Queen let out a bright light, causing Cyber Twin Dragon to disappear, to the Extra Deck.

"This will end it, Judgement Queen, attack him directly and end the Duel!" Sayaka declared as Judgement Queen threw a ball of light at 'Kaiser,' he flew back and hit the ground hard, causing him to lose consciousness.

'Kaiser': 1200-0 LP

Judgement Queen disappeared from the Field as Sayaka sighed. "I better get back to Allen." Suddenly, she heard the sound of an attack from a Monster, along with a a man yelling out in pain. She then heard a familiar voice. The voice was heard out of concern and worry. She already knew who it was by what they said.

"FATHER!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Heavy Armored Train Caboose, Machine, Earth: When this Card is Summoned, you can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monster from your Hand.**

 **Arsenal Assault, Magic: Target a Monster who is equipped with a Card, that Monster can attack twice this turn.**

 **Delay, Trap: Special Summon a Machine-Type Monster in your Grave in face-up Defense Position.**

 **Fairy's Perseverance, Trap: Target a Monster on the Field, reduce that target's Attack to 0 until the end of the turn, that Monster cannot be destroyed and battle damage is halved until the end of the turn.**

* * *

 **Finished! Yay.**

 **So I decided to give Allen and Sayaka a one on one Duel against Academia soldiers instead of giving them the shaft and having them Duel the Obelisk Force.**

 **Oh yeah, before I get reviews on how Sayaka basically beat Ryo/Zane, I will tell you that the person she Dueled against was that guy who stole Yugi's Deck in Gx and Dueled Judai/Jaden with it. I am not going to bother typing out the Japanese name, but his name in the dub is Dimitri if I remember correctly. And Judai, (at least in the dub, I didn't watch that Duel in sub) said that although he takes the Deck of a person, doesn't mean he can actually beat the real owner of the Deck. So just because Sayaka beat the Kaiser impersonator, that doesn't mean she can be Ryo himself. In fact, I only had the impersonator use Cyber Twin Dragon. Ryo still has Megafleet Dragon, Cyber End Dragon, and more.**

 **No preview, I want to see if you guys can guess what it is from what I showed in the last scene after Sayaka beat 'Kaiser.' It should be obvious. If someone gets it wrong though, be warned, I will resort to throwing a cookie at you, and it will feel like a rock! Nah, just kidding about the cookie rock thing. I hope you got scared...**

 **Ahem, anyway.**

 **M00nwater: Good luck if you go around with making it. About the Yugo and Yuzu thing, I actually completely forgot about the scene, so next time we see Yugo and Yuzu I will have a flashback to their talk. However, the stuff after it will be the same, like Yugo and Yuzu running away from security, Yugo beating Duel Chasser 227, and Yuzu smacking Yugo with the fan for the latter talking about her size or something, smooth, Yugo.**

 **Mekyaku: Maybe I'll add the Fire Hand and Ice Hand combo. I honestly never thought of that, so I'll take it into consideration. I liked Rio in Zexal, but she didn't do anything until mid-Zexal and even then she didn't do much. And when she became a Barian, she only Dueled Tetsou/Bronk, and that Duel was cut out, and then she had only one Duel with Durbe and Vector which she lost. Black Rose will most likely have an evolved form. It won't be by Double Tuning, Double Tuning is Jack's thing in my opinion. Actually, if you read back, unless I made a mistake while writing, I had the Doktor said that the parasites might not have made it or something along those lines.**

 **Matrixnis: Ryo will still use Fusion. Although he betrayed Academia, he still will use Fusion. After all, there is nothing wrong Fusion, its the people who use the Summoning Method for bad, they are the problem. Also, did you see the new VRAINS episode, I was not expecting a you know what. For those who haven't seen the episode, I will save you from spoilers. Oh yeah, Ryo will use Xyz also.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	60. Betrayal?

"FATHER!" The voice was heard by a lot of people, from soldiers to the Resistance members. The voice was heard by Sayaka, Rio, Allen, and Ryo, who was making his way back to the camp after Kaito left him.

"Dad!" Haruto exclaimed in sadness, who was sitting right next to the Card of Faker. He looked at his attacker in fear, the attacker grinned and proceeded to press a button on his Duel Disk. Haruto screamed as his body disappeared, his Card dropped onto the ground.

"Haruto!" A string in Kaito's heart snapped, and not in a good way, he had just witnessed his Dad and brother getting turned into a Card by a girl. And when he saw who the girl was, any hint of trust seeped out of his body. It was the girl with aqua-green hair who looked like Ruri. It was Rin…

"YOU! I KNEW YOU COULDN'T BE TRUSTED!" Kaito shouted at Rin in anger. Rin turned to face Kaito, she grew a sadistic look on her face, the look in her eyes was different, however, Kaito was too blinded by anger to pay attention to that.

"I...I...I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!" Kaito activated his Duel Disk sending a deathly glare at Rin, who simply activated her Duel Disk.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists spoke in unison, commencing the Duel.

"I will take the first move! I activate the Magic Card, I can reveal a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster in my Hand, I can then Special Summon a Monster from my Deck with the same name. I reveal Windwitch-Ice Bell! Now, from the Deck, I Special Summon another one!"

Ice Bell: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I now Normal Summon Windwitch-Ice Bell!" Another copy of the same Monster was Summoned to the Field. "I activate the effects of both Monsters, since they were Normal or Special Summoned, I can inflict 500 damage to you. There are two Ice Bells, so you take 1000 damage!" Rin explained as Kaito was struck by harsh winds from the Ice Bells.

Kaito: 4000-3000 LP

"When there are two Wind-Attribute Monsters on the Field, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Windwitch-Snow Bell!" Rin placed her Card onto her Duel Disk.

Snow Bell: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"I tune the 2 level 3 Ice Bells and the level 1 now Bell! Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" Rin chanted as she Synchro Summoned her Monster.

Winter Bell: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate Winter Bell's effect, once per turn, I can target a level 4 or lower, until the end of the turn, the effect of this Card becomes that Monster's effect! I target Ice Bell, and now I activate Winter Bell's copied effect, I inflict 500 damage to you!" Winter Bell released another breeze of wind at Kaito, he merely stood there, too consumed by rage to flinch.

Kaito: 3000-2500 LP

"So a burn Deck...pff...how bothersome." Kaito scoffed in annoyance.

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Rin concluded as she set two Cards from her Hand.

"My turn...draw!" Kaito shouted in rage as he drew his Card. "If you control a Monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck and I don't control any Monsters, I can Special Summon this Card! Come forth, Cipher Twin Raptor!"

Twin Raptor: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 800 Def

"Now, from my Hand, I Summon Cipher Wing!" Kaito slammed down his Monster Card onto his Duel Disk. A Monster with 6 green wings coming out of it came to the Field.

Cipher Wing: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def

"If I use Cyber Twin Raptor for the Xyz Summon of a Monster, I can treat it as two Monsters. I, using the two Cipher Twin Raptors and the lone Cipher Wing, overlay! With these three Monsters, I construct the Overlay Network! Galaxy shining in the darkness! Become the servant of my servant and very soul! Xyz Summon! Descend, Galaxy Eyes Cipher Servant!" A cloaked man with glowing eyes just like Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon took to the Field.

Cipher Servant: Rank 4, 2300 Atk, 2000 Def

"Trap activate, Lost Wind! If a Monster is Special Summoned to your Field, I can target that Monster, negate its effects and halve its Attack!" Rin revealed her Trap.

"When using only Cipher Monsters as Materials for this Card's Summon, this Monster is unaffected by Card effects!" Kaito revealed to Rin. Rin grit her teeth at the statement. "I activate the effect of Galaxy Eyes Cipher Servant! Once per turn, I can detach an overlay unit to activate one of the following effects! I can either Special Summon a Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon from my Grave, and then I can attach a 'Cipher' Monster as an overlay unit to it, or I can Special Summon a Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon from my Extra Deck with its effect negated and then I can attach a 'Cipher' Monster as an overlay unit to it. Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Kaito chanted as his ace Monster roared to the Field.

Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

"Battle, Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon, attack her Winter Bell!" Kaito declared. Cipher Dragon threw its tail at Winter Bell.

"Continuous Trap, Shield of Wind! When a Wind-Attribute Monster I control would leave the Field, I can shuffle a Windwitch Monster in my Grave to my Deck instead!" Rin countered with her set Card. "I shuffle Ice Bell into my Deck." The connected, Winter Bell was smacked to the ground, but it stayed on the Field. Rin made n9 reaction to the damage at all. She only grinned maliciously.

Rin: 4000-3400 LP

"I activate the Continuous Magic Card Double Exposure. Then, I set a Card and end my turn." A set Card materialized in front of Kaito.

"My turn, draw! I activate Pot of Greed, this Card allows me to draw 2 Cards! I activate Winter Bell's effect, I copy Ice Bell's effect and use to inflict 500 damage to you!" Rin exclaimed as yet another breeze of wind came at Kaito. Kaito flinched from the damage.

Kaito: 2500-2000 LP

"Half life...great, but that won't stop me from making you pay!" Kaito told Rin, who simply grinned in response.

"In my Battle Phase, I activate the Quick-Play, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Hand whose level is lower or equal to a Windwitch Monster I control! From my Hand, I Special Summon Parasite Fusioner!" Rin slammed her new Card to the Field. The Monster that ruined the bracelet girls screen time was Summoned to the Field.

Parasite Fusioner: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"Fusioner…" Kaito mumbled in anger, already knowing what the effect could be.

"When Parasite Fusioner is Special Summoned, I can a Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters from my Hand or on the Field as Materials, I can also substitute this Monster for any 1 Fusion Material on this Card. I fuse this Card with Winter Bell. Sound of the wind running through a snowfield of midwinter. Become one with the inner voice, and give a more violent echo! Fusion Summon! Appear, bell of crystal echoing solemnly! Wind Witch - Crystal Bell!" Rin chanted as she Fusion Summoned her new Monster.

Crystal Bell: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2400 Def

"Next, Parasite Fusioner is now equipped to Crystal parasite stuck to Crystal Bell.

"Fusion...I knew it all along!" Kaito growled under his breath, his anger started to rise uncontrollably. He thrusted his hand toward his Magic Card. "Once during either player's turn, I can activate one of the effects of Double Exposure, I can either target two level 6 or lower Monsters and double their current level, or, I can target a Monster in the Field, and then I can target another Monster on the Field of the controller of the first Monster, the first target's name becomes the same as the second target's. So, on my Field, I target Galaxy Eyes Cipher Servant, I then target Cipher Dragon. Now, Cipher Servant's name becomes Cipher Dragon!"

"That won't do anything for you! Battle, Crystal Bell, Cipher Servant!" Rin pointed at Kaito's Monster.

"Continuous Trap, activate! Split Guard! When I control two or more Monsters with the same name, each turn, the first time each Monster on the Field would be destroyed, I can negate its destruction." Kaito revealed his Trap Card. The attack connected, Kaito simply grit his teeth and glared as the smoke enveloped his view. When the smoke cleared, he saw his Monsters alive, and Rin was smiling sadistically.

Kaito: 2000-1500 LP

"That angry look on your face fits you very well! Now, I activate Crystal Bell's effect, once during either player's turn, I can target a Monster in either player's Graveyard, an copy that effect until the end of the turn. I target the Ice Bell in my Grave!" Rin told Kaito as an image of Ice Bell overlapped Crystal Bell. "I activate the copied effect, take 500 more damage!" Kaito was knocked to the ground by another gust of cold wind.

Kaito: 1500-1000 LP

"Damn...she's just going to keep crippling my life down to size until there is none left…" Kaito rose to his feet and faced Rin, an angry look well expressed on his face. "But I still won't give up, until you're on the ground defeated!"

"I end my turn." Rin concluded as she put her hands to her sides, awaiting Kaito's move.

"My turn, draw!" Kaito held out his drawn Card. "I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Attack Reversal! I can target a Monster I control and switch the Attack of that Monster with another Monster that you control until the end of the Battle Phase. I switch the Attack of my Cipher Servant with your Crystal Bell!"

"What?!" For the first time, Rin actually showed a sigh of fear or worry of some sort.

Cipher Servant: 2300-2800 Atk

Crystal Bell: 2800-2300 Atk

"I activate Cipher Servant's effect, I detach an overlay unit to Special Summon another Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon with its effects negated, this one with no overlay units." Kaito threw another copy of his ace Monster onto his Duel Disk.

"Battle! Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon, attack Crystal Bell!" Kaito exclaimed as his Monster whipped its tail at Crystal Bell.

"The effect of your Card states that since two Monsters with up the same name are on the Field, each turn, the first time each Monster on the Field would be destroyed, it's negated. That applies with my Monster's also!" Rin reminded Kaito.

"But you will still take the damage!" Kaito replied harshly. The attack hit Rin's Monster, causing the girl to cover her face.

Rin: 3400-2700 LP

"Cipher Servant, Attack Crystal Bell!" Kaito yelled as Cipher Servant held out a rod, a blue beam of light was released.

"I send Parasite Fusioner to the Grave in order to negate the destruction of my Monster!" Rin exclaimed as Parasite Fusioner disappeared. Rin flinched from the damage, however, she kept a smile on her face.

Rin: 2700-2200 LP

"Your Monster will disappear now! My second Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon, attack Crystal Bell! Eradicating Cipher Stream!" Kaito called out his Attack in rage as Cipher Dragon let out a beam of blue light from its mouth, enveloping and destroying Crystal Bell. Due to the ensuing shockwave, Rin took a few steps backwards.

Rin: 2200-1500 LP

"I activate the effect of Crystal Bell, when this Card is destroyed and sent to the Grave, I can revive Winter Bell and a level 4 or lower Monster! Revive, Winter Bell and Parasite Fusioner!" Rin's desired Monster's flew back to the Field from the Grave. "I use Parasite Fusioner's effect to Fusion Summon a second copy of Crystal Bell! Once again, Parasite Fusioner is equipped to my Monster, then, I use the effect of my Monster to copy Ice Bell's effect, inflicting 500 damage to you!" Kaito was struck by another gust of wind.

Kaito: 1000-500 LP

"Kaito!" A voice yelled in concern. Allen came running towards Kaito, followed by Sayaka, and then Rio. "Are you alright?" Allen put a hand on Kaito's shoulder.

"Hands off!" Kaito shoved Allen away, much to his surprise. Kaito told up and glared at Rin. "You Carded my family...for that I'll make you pay!"

"His family was Carded?!" Sayaka repeated shock.

"Kaito…" Rio whispered in concern for her friend.

"I cannot afford to lose! I've realized something, you shouldn't trust anyone, don't stay with comrades, no matter how close they are...or were. For all you know, they could stab you in the back!" Kaito formed a speech for everyone to hear. "I work better alone! And I will prove that by beating you and turning you into a Card!"

"Wait, that's Rin! Is she the enemy?" Rio asked.

"She's the one who Carded my parents, no doubt that Marufuji guy is like her too!" Kaito informed Rio, not even bothering to look at her. "I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Rin glanced at her Card and grinned. "You won't be winning anything, except yourself as a Card! I use a Crystal Bell's effect to copy Ice Bell's effect in my Grave, I use the effect to inflict 500 damage!"

"Not so fast! From my Hand, I activate the Trap Cipher Last Defense! When my life would hit 0, I can halve my life instead and decrease your life by the amount I have now! And I don't take any damage for the rest of the turn!"

"A Trap from the Hand?" Rin questioned.

"When I control a Cipher Monster, I can activate this Card from my Hand!" Kaito revealed, causing Rin to click her tongue. Kaito flinched at his life being halved.

Kaito: 500-250 LP

Cipher Dragon let out a fierce roar to damage Rin, who covered her ears.

Rin: 1500-1000 LP

Rin let out a scream of agony as the sound severely hurt her ears. However, that wasn't the only thing, she could feel something in her head, something that was causing most of the pain. She could also feel herself being sort of split into two, the good Rin, and the bad. The good Rin seemed to try to take back control of the body, but the control was too strong.

The others, except Kaito, looked on in shock at what was occurring.

Meanwhile, at the Academia Base, the Doktor was observing through a Rin's view, he cursed under his breath in frustration. "Damn it, looks like I'll have to bring her back here. Good thing I installed that function in the Card so that she would always teleport to me, as long as we're in the same Dimension." The Doktor held up his Card.

Back with the others, Rin's Parasite Fusioner Card started shining a bright blue, much to the surprise of everyone.

"Is this…?" Before Rin could continue her statement while struggling with the pain, she disappeared from the camp.

"Where the hell did she go?!" Allen bellowed in shock.

"Was that a dimensional transporter?" Sayaka asked.

"More like a force return program." Rio guessed. She looked at Kaito in sympathy at that moment. "Kaito…"

"Zip it!" Kaito cut Rio off as he started to walk away.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?!" Allen questioned his friend.

"Away, working in a group is hindering my performance in this war. I will exact my revenge, by Carding every Academia Scum that crosses my sight. Don't think about coming after me, and if you do, I'll Card you if you get in my way!" Kaito warned as he left the 3 speechless, the air around them cold from Kaito's presence and anger.

"Kaito, wait!" Sayaka called out to her friend, but Kaito didn't say anything, instead, he increased his speed and ran off and out of the camp.

"That bastard! Some comrade he is! First him, then Rin, and now Kaiser!" Allen punched his open hand with a fist.

"Ryo? How do you know he's an enemy?" Rio asked.

Sayaka proceeded to tell Rio about the Duelist she Dueled, who imitated himself as Kaiser. If Kaiser was a traitor, why would an Academia soldier look up to him?

"I see, so he was nothing but a traitor…"

Suddenly, two screams were heard, then, a Carding sound. The trio rushed to the sound to see two Cards lying on the ground, the people on the Cards were Houzan and the person who pretended to be Kaiser. The person who did it wasn't there, however, it was pretty obvious who did it…Allen already knew it...

"Kaito…"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Galaxy Eyes Cipher Servant, Light, Spellcaster: If this a Card is Xyz Summoned using only Cipher Monsters as Material, this Card is unaffected by Card effects. Once per turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card to use one of the following effects…**

 **Special Summon a Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon from your Grave, then you can attach a 'Cipher' Monster on your Field or in your Grave and Field as overlay units**

 **Special Summon a Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon from your Extra Deck with its effects negated, then, attach a 'Cipher' Monster as an overlay unit from your Field, Hand, or Grave**

 **Cipher Last Defense, Trap: When your life would hit 0, you can halve your life points instead, you can also decrease your life by your current life. If you control a 'Cipher' Monster, you can activate this Card from your Hand. Also, after this Card resolves, you take no damage for the rest of the turn.**

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update guys, a couple of days ago, a friend I have known for about all of my life moved away, so I spent the last couple of days hanging out with him with some other friends, this kind of slowed down the chapter production. But the chapter was going to be this long anyway. If he wasn't moving, I would probably had this chapter out 2-3 days ago.**

 **I decided to give the Duel a No Result, only because I didn't want Rin to lose, and I didn't want Kaito to lose either, and I didn't want to do a Draw either. Plus, Kaito has won a lot of Duels already in the short time he was in Arc-V. Now, for those of you mad about Rin being possessed by the Parasite, I'm sorry, but I cannot neglect the Parasite thing completely. Plus, I really needed an excuse for a future Duel that includes Rin. As of right now, I don't have any plans for Yuzu to be possessed by the Doktor, so don't worry about her.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **Ryo comes back to the camp, only to hear that Kaito left and that the others think that he is from Fusion. So, he quickly leaves, adding even more to their suspicion. Meanwhile, the Lancers appear in the Synchro Dimension…**

 **SoulMatter: The Lancers will return next chapter, whether they will be Dueling or not, I don't know yet. But if they do Duel next chapter, I plan to give Sawatari and Serena a Duel, since I haven't gave them one yet.**

 **M00nwater: The imposter didn't dress like Ryo, he simply imitated his Deck and referred to himself as Kaiser, this made Allen and Sayaka think that Ryo was still part of Academia, because after all, why the heck would an Academia soldier still look up to Ryo after he defected from it. For a Duel Script, I would just look at someone else's and mimic their's.**

 **Bridgey: Ryo wasn't watching the Duel between Sayaka and 'Kaiser.' The faker is Dimitri from Gx.**

 **Mekyaku: Edo will definitely use the Arc-V D-Heroes, I don't know about the Gx ones.**

 **Matrixnis: Yeah, I noticed how no one really uses the one-shot characters from the past series as some kind of fodder or something like that, so I decided to do it. Kaito won't be using Galaxy or Photon, maybe he will use some Galaxy Cards but definitely not Photon.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, take care, goodbye!**


	61. Rude Welcoming Party

He had the left the camp. He thought that the people at the Resistance was only hindering him. He had fought and defeated about 15 soldiers already. Kaito walked across the destroyed roads of Heartland, taking slow steps. Each step being timed like the tick of a clock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

He stopped, Kaito looked to his right to see a building in shambles. It was almost unrecognizable. Almost. But Kaito knew what it was. After all, for basically all of his life, he had lived in the building. It was Kaito's own house. He walked in through a large hole in the building. He looked around the room, scraps, books, and glass on the floor, each time Kaito took a step, he heard a crunching sound or breaking sound.

 _It's a miracle that this place is still standing…_ Kaito thought to himself as he went into the room that he at one time slept in. In his house, Kaito's room was on the bottom floor. He noticed something on the walls. He remembered, on the day of the attack, his friends told him that Haruto did something to the walls of his room, but the invasion occurred. He walked out of the room and he finally noticed something that he never noticed ever before. He saw a hole going underground where going to the second floor used to be. However, when the invasion, a little less than half of the stairs were destroyed.

He walked down the hole, where he found himself in a dark square room, with a chest in the very middle of it. Kaito walked over to the chest and opened it, in it, he found a small box, along with a letter. He took the letter and the box, he read the letter.

"This is father's handwriting." Kaito spoke to himself, recognizing the handwriting from the many times he has seen his father write down something. The letter read…

 _Dear Kaito, if you are reading this, then you have somehow managed to find this box under the house. I hid this box under here in order to give it you on your 18th birthday in two years. However, I have a bad feeling something bad is going to happen today...I don't know what. You see, I have been examining...I have a theory that there are more worlds than here. After realizing, I realized that another world could have the technology to travel between the worlds. Kaito, no matter what happens, I love you. From, your father._

Kaito crumpled the paper as he formed a fist with his hand. "Dad…" He flashed back to seeing his Dad getting turned into a Card. He opened the box, and he saw some Cards…

"This is…"

* * *

Meanwhile

Ryo had arrived back at the camp. He walked around to find Rin and the others. 3 figures caught his eye. It was Allen, Sayaka, and Rio, the first and third person of which was giving him a nasty glare. Ryo walked up to them.

"Where is Rin?" Ryo got straight to the point.

"You should know, shouldn't you?" Sayaka asked softly, but a hint of venom was evident in her voice.

"After all, you two are comrades!" Rio added to Sayaka's statement.

"Yes, we're comrades…" Ryo muttered as Allen spoke.

"Yeah, allies with Academia!"

"With Academia?! What are you saying? I told you people I defected from Academia, and Rin was captured." Ryo told the trio.

"Oh, you are a traitor to Academia huh? Then how come when Sayaka came across two soldiers, one of them was impersonating you?! He even called himself 'Kaiser!' You lied to us about defecting, why would someone from Academia impersonate you if you are a traitor, they would surely want to execute you!" Allen explained his reasoning for not trusting Ryo. "And that girl Rin was just another rat of Academia! We saw her, she Carded Kaito's family right in front of him!"

"What?!" Ryo bellowed in shock. Could it be that thing that possessed a Rin at Academia?

"Don't play dumb with us! We already knew that you planned the whole thing with Rin. Also, we've done the calculations, and half of the Spade Branch part of The a Resistance have been wiped out by two soldiers called the Tyler twins. I remember their faces!" Allen grit his teeth as he formed a fist with his hand. He glared at Ryo. "Get out! As of now we are enemies. You did help us out, so I guess I will give you some time to run away and hide."

"Hmph, and after all I did. I take it Kaito left." Ryo guessed as he turned his back to the group, starting to walk away. It was better to walk away than just get into another argument or struggle.

"Yeah, he did…" Sayaka ushered out softly.

"Whatever, I'm going out alone to hunt some more Academia soldiers, I won't be coming back, I'm just letting you know." With that, Ryo has left them, and now, they were in an even worse position then they already were in.

"We need to act quickly, who knows when Academia could attack again! And with less comrades, well, we won't hold out so well." Rio told Allen and Sayaka.

"There could be a place where we could go to. Up on the mountain." Allen revealed.

"That's a good idea." Sayaka commented. Why hadn't she thought of that before.

"Yeah, they won't know we are here, and they will have to search, the amount of soldiers will die down, and with Kaito out there, he's probably taking out groups of 3 soldiers left and right." Rio said. "Let's go, we need to group everyone in the camp and get out of here quickly to the mountain!"

* * *

In the Synchro Dimension

In the Commons area, a blue light shone through a street, when the light dissipated, Yuto, Sawatari, Serena, and Reira walked out into the street in broad daylight.

"Teleporting across dimensions sure ain't pleasant." Sawatari spoke the first words as he stretched his arms while cracking his knuckles.

"So this is the Synchro Dimension." Serena took a view of the place.

Yuya appeared next to Yuto, but only the latter could see him. _"Yuzu is here somewhere."_ Yuto looked above to see more roads and buildings above them.

"There are more buildings above this area." Yuto informed the others. "Actually, where are Shun, Ryoga and the others?" The four heard a siren nearby, they looked in the direction of the sound to see a police car skid to a halt. A man opened the door and stepped out, along with another person.

"This is Security. You have been completely surrounded." A man said. At his statement, two more cars pulled up, the doors opened and one person stepped out of each car, the Lancers only had one way to run now.

"The heck are they saying?" Sawatari asked no one in particular.

"They've been found. Their outfits have changed, but their faces match the mug shots." Unknown to the Lancers, the person who said this was looking at a picture of both Yugo and Yuzu. "They have comrades with them."

"Secure them immediately." A voice spoke through his earpiece.

Reira took a step back out of fear and started to run away through the way that was open. Yuto, Serena, and Sawatari turned to the scared child.

"Wait, Reira!" Yuto called out to the girl. Yuto rna after Reira, who fell to the ground when he ran into a wall that appeared in front of him suddenly. "Are you okay?"

" _Is this Real Solid Vision?"_ Yuya asked the question Yuto had on his mind.

"It's activated outdoors though." Yuto responded to Yuya's question.

"The lot of you have been wanted in the City since last night!" The first officer exclaimed with a serious tone evident in his voice. "Surrender quietly!" The two officers activated their Duel Disks.

"Are you serious? We just got here!" Yuto tried to reason with the officers, however…

"Enough talk! Surrender yourselves quietly!" The second man yelled at Yuto.

"Hey, you!" Sawatari snapped at the man who spoke. "I stated quiet just to listen to you loudmouth? Who do you think I am? I'm Sawatari Shingo!"

"Sawatari, they're not going to know who you are." Yuto told the Abyss Actor Duelist.

"You wanna Duel?! Bring it on!" Sawatari ignored Yuto and flailed around angrily. He pointed a finger at the duo. "I'll put you in your place." Serena glanced to the other closed area. Sawatari proceeded to activate his Duel Disk.

" _That idiot!"_ Yuya exclaimed in frustration. _"We need to make a good first impression! If we don't, this could greatly increase the difficulty of this mission!"_

Serena took a step forward to the other two officers and activated her Duel Disk. Yuto turned to Serena.

"You too, Serena?"

Sawatari held up his hand. "Action Field, on!" Sawatari snapped his fingers. At this exclamation, the Duel Disk said 'Field Magic, Crossover.'

"DUEL!" Serena and Sawatari exclaimed with the other four, with three of each in their own separate Duels.

* * *

Meanwhile

An alarm went off in a Security building. A woman looked at what was going on, she a screen playing the word 'Error' multiple times.

"An abnormality has occurred in the Duel Control system." The woman said.

"Switch E to J via the alpha circuit." A man commanded through his earpiece.

"Switching E to J via the alpha circuit." Another man replied.

"The potential of a cyber attack is 31.29%. Specifics of the source?" The woman asked.

"The source is District D8." A voice answered the question.

"Switch to the alpha circuit is impossible. Trying the theta circuit." A man reported.

"What's the matter?" A calm male voice with blonde hair questioned, tapping his finger on his fingerboard repeatedly.

"We have reason to believe that the suspects Duel Disks have interfered with the system."

"Hm?" On the screen, a picture of a Magic Card appeared. The blonde haired male narrowed his eyes at the sight of the Card.

* * *

Back with Yuto and the others

"I'll take the first move!" Sawatari grinned as he held up two of his Cards. "I, using the Scale Abyss Actor-Devil Heel, and the Scale 8 Abyss Actor-Funky Comedian, set the Pendulum Scale!" Sawatari swiped the two Cards on both of the edges of his Duel Disk.

"Pendulum Scale?!" The first officer exclaimed in shock.

"With this I can Special Summon Monsters simultaneously from levels 2 to 7! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters! Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie, and then Abyss Actor-Wild Hope!" Sawatari Pendulum Summoned his Monsters to the Field.

Sassy Rookie: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 1000 Def

Wild Hope: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sawatari concluded his turn with a set Card.

"My turn, draw! I Summon Vigilante Zeni!" Officer 1 placed his Card on his Duel Disk.

Zeni: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def

"I use its effect, by making its Attack 0, I get to Special Summon a level 3 or lower Vigilante Monster from my Hand! Come to the Field, the Tuner Monster Vigilante Gata!"

Zeni: 1600-0 Atk

Gata: Level 3, 800 Atk, 800 Def

"Tuner Monster!" Yuto repeated as he watched Sawatari's Duel.

"So that means…" Sawatari trailed off as he watched what happened next.

"I tune the level 4 Vigilante Zeni with the level 3 Vigilante Gata! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 7, Sniping Heiji-Type 0!" Officer 1 Synchro Summoned his Monster.

Sniping Heiji: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"I can send a Card from my Hand to the Grave in order to destroy a Monster you control, and if the Monster is destroyed, you are dealt 400 points of damage. I send a Card from my Hand to do just that!"

"Not so fast, Trap activate, Breakthrough Skill!" Sawatari countered as he revealed his set Card. "With this Card, I can target a face-up effect Monster on the Field and negate the effects of that Monster until the end of the turn. And because you used the effect, you still paid the cost!"

"Kgh…" Officer 1 grunted in annoyance as he sent a Card to his Grave, only to find that nothing happened with his Monster.

"Battle! Go, Sniping Heiji, attack Sassy Rookie!" Officer 1 declared. Sniping Heiji proceeded to charge towards Sawatari.

"I activate Sassy Rookie's effect, once during a turn if this Card would be destroyed, it is not destroyed!" Sawatari revealed his Monster's effect.

"But you will still take the damage!" Officer 1 reminded Sawatari, who flinched when the attack connected.

Sawatari: 4000-3300 LP

"I end my turn." Officer 1 concluded.

"My turn, draw!" Officer 1 drew his Card. He did the same moves as Officer 1, he Synchro Summoned Sniping Heiji, used the effect, however, Sawatari negated effect by banishing Breakthrough Skill from his Grave.

"Battle! Heiji, attack Wild Hope!" Officer 2 pointed at Sawatari's Monster, who was shot and destroyed instantly.

"WAAAAGH!" Sawatari cried out as he was blown back.

Sawatari: 3300-2500 LP

"Sawatari!" Yuto yelled in concern.

"When Wild Hope is destroyed, I can add an Abyss Actor Monster from my Deck to my Hand! I add Abyss Actor-Big Star!" Sawatari took an ejected from his Deck and added it to his Hand.

"I end my turn." Officer 2 concluded and smirked. "I have to admit, I was a little scared when you pulled that unexpected Summoning Method called Pendulum. But it looks like it was just something flashy!"

"Oi, oi! Don't get so cocky! After all, I'm still in the game!" Sawatari rose to his feet. "My turn, draw!" Sawatari glanced at his drawn Card and smirked. "With the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, Abyss Actor Wild Hope, and finally from my Hand Abyss Actor-Big Star!"

Big Star: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 1800 Def

"I activate Big Star's effect! Once per turn, I can add an Abyss Script Magic Card from my Deck to my Hand, however, at the end of the turn, it is sent to the Graveyard at the end of the turn. However, you guys won't be in the Duel to see the end of the turn! I add Abyss Script-Rise of the Abyss King! Which I will now activate!" A book appeared right in front of Big Star as he opened it. "I can destroy face-up Cards on the Field up to the amount of Attack Position Abyss Actor Monsters I control. I destroy your two Monsters!" From the Card, two beams of purple light destroyed the two Sniping Heiji.

Officer 1 glanced to his right to see a Card laying on the ground. "What is this?"

"That's an Action Card. In an Action Duel, you can use them at any time, they count as Magic Cards, and you can choose to keep only one in your Hand." Sawatari answered like an idiot.

" _YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE?!"_ Yuya shouted in annoyance.

"Interesting." Officer 1 said.

"I Summon Abyss Actor-Pretty Heroine!" Sawatari slammed his Card onto his Duel Disk. A girl wearing a purple hat was Summoned.

Pretty Heroine: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1000 Def

"Battle! Go, Big Star, attack him directly!" Sawatari pointed at Officer 1. Big Star began to fly towards Officer 1.

"Action Magic, Evasion, I negate the attack!"

"Not so fast!" Sawatari dived for an Action Card and grabbed it. "Action Magic, No Action, I negate and destroy the activation of your Card!" Officer 1's Action Card was destroyed, and he was punched in the face by Big Star, causing him to fall to the ground. He groaned in pain as he held his face.

Officer 1: 4000-1500 LP

"Now, attack directly, Pretty Heroine!" Sawatari declared. Pretty Heroine jumped into the air and kicked Officer 1 in the stomach, knocking him unconscious.

Officer 1: 1500-0 LP

"Now for you." Sawatari turned to Officer 2. "Sassy Rookie, attack directly! Wild Hope, follow right after him!" Both Sassy Rookie and Wild Hope kicked Officer 2, causing him to drop to his knees, and eventually collapse.

Officer 2: 4000-700 LP

"Now, I activate the Action Magic Wonder Chance!" Sawatari grabbed and activated an Action Card near him. "I can target a Monster and allow it to attack twice this turn, I target Big Star. Big Star already attacked once, so he can only attack one more time, but that's more than enough to finish you off!" Big Star closed the book and threw it at Officer 2's head, there was a loud thump, and the officer was unconscious.

Officer 2: 700-0 LP

"All right!" Sawatari cheered.

* * *

While Sawatari was Dueling, with Serena

"I will take the first move in this Duel. From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Fusion! I fuse Moonlight Blue Cat and Moonlight Purple Butterfly! Blue cat that prowls through the darkness! Butterfly with violet poison! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Serena immediately Fusion Summoned her ace Monster, wasting no time.

Cat Dancer: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

"I set a Card and end my turn." Serena concluded as a set Card materialized in front of her. She looked up to see the shocked look on the officers' faces.

"What...is that Summoning Method?" Officer 1 questioned.

"I've never seen it before!" Officer 2 added to Officer 1's question.

"Hmph, if you two are scared over by this, then you are no match for me." Serena said to the two officers.

"What did you say? I'll show you!" Officer 1 bellowed, his fear of seeing an unknown Summoning Method vanishing instantly as he put a hand on the top of his Deck. "My turn, draw! I Summon Vigilante Zeni, and by making its Attack 0 I can Special Summon a level 3 or lower Monster from my Hand! Come to me, the Tuner Monster Vigilante Gata!" A robotic Monster with sirens on its head appeared.

"Tuner Monster, so a Synchro Summon." Serena deduced from the sight of the Tuner Monster.

"And now with this, I tune the level 4 Vigilante Zeni and the level 3 Vigilante Gata! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Sniping Heiji-Type 0! I activate Sniping Heiji's effect, I send a Card to the Grave in order to destroy your Cat Dancer!" Officer 1 explained the effect to Serena as a bullet was shot towards her Cat Dancer.

"Continuous Trap, Moonlight's Protection! Once during either player's turn, if a Moonlight Monster I control were to be destroyed, I can banish the Monster until the end of the next turn. Also, for the rest of the turn, I halve the battle damage I would take!" Serena explained as her Monster disappeared from the Field. "I can only banish 1 Monster this way, so until Cat Dancer comes back, I cannot banish another Moonlight Monster via this Card's effect."

"Well now you are wide open! Sniping Heiji, attack her directly!" Sniping Heiji pointed its gun at Serena and proceeded to fire multiple bullets at the Fusion counterpart of Yuzu, who managed to dodge the bullets.

Serena: 4000-2800 LP

"I end my turn." Officer 1 ended his turn, he nodded to his teammate.

"My turn, draw!" Officer 2 drew his Card. He made the same moves as his partner, Summoning Vigilante Zeni, using its effects to Special Summon Vigilante Gata, and using those two Monsters to Synchro Summon Sniping Heiji. "You'll be taking the full damage of this attack now! Battle, go, Sniping Heiji, attack her directly!" Sniping Heiji threw a punch at Serena, who held up her hands as a means to defend herself. She was blown back when the attack connected and she almost fell to the ground.

Serena: 2800-400 LP

"I end my turn." Officer 2 concluded.

"Since it is the end of your turn, Moonlight Cat Dancer returns to my Field!" In front of her, Cat Dancer did a little dance was suddenly back on the Field. "I will end it this turn. My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Moonlight Perfume, with this Card, I get to revive a Moonlight Monster in my Grave! Return to the Field, Moonlight Blue Cat!" A cat with a blue tail appeared.

Blue Cat: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def

"I activate Blue Cat's effect, when this Card is Special Summoned, I can double the Attack of a Moonlight Monster I control! I double the Attack of Cat Dancer!" Serena pointed to her ace Monster, who gained a pink aura.

Cat Dancer: 2400-4800 Atk

"4-4800 Atk?!" Officer 1 widened his eyes at the sight of the Monster.

"That's not the best part. I activate Cat Dancer's effect, I can release a Moonlight Monster, then, this Card can attack every Monster you control twice, also, the first time they are attacked, they aren't destroyed by that battle." Serena revealed to the two officers.

"Oh no…" Officer 2 muttered, already knowing it was over. His teammate put down his Duel Disk and let his arms hang, he had also accepted his defeat.

"Battle! Go, Moonlight Cat Dancer, attack his Sniping Heiji twice!" Serena held up two fingers as she put down one and pointed at Officer 1. Cat Dancer pounced on Sniping Heiji for her first attack, the Monster still stood, but he had lost a battle stance. Finally, Cat Dancer finished it off kicking the Monster, destroying it. Officer 1 yelled in pain as he was blown backwards to the ground face down.

Officer 1: 4000-0 LP

"Don't think I forgot about you." Serena spoke suddenly towards Officer 2. "Go! Cat Dancer, finish him!" Cat Dancer performed a double kick on the Monster, destroying it. Officer 2 was hit the ground with a loud 'thud.' He was unconscious.

Officer 2: 4000-0 LP

Sawatari had also finished his Duel around this time also.

"I-is it over?" Reira asked Yuto, fear clearly evident in her voice. She was just a kid, it was only natural that she was scared.

"Yeah, don't worry, Reira." Yuto pat the girl on the head as a means to comfort her, but it seemed like it didn't help much at all.

"Action Cards and Fusion...I don't know about Action Cards, but Fusion...the girl from last night never Dueled, so I don't know if she uses Fusion…" The blonde haired man who was watching from the building murmured.

"However, then there is Pendulum, something I have never seen before along with Action Cards. The boy with the black and purple hair, he didn't Duel, but his clothes...it was almost like he came out of a warzone…" A realization hit the man. "Perhaps...he came from the Xyz Dimension. So it seems that they aren't the suspects from last night."

"Alright, let's go now, before more-"

"Put your hands in the air! We have you surrounded!" A voice cut off Yuto. Yuto gasped as he and the others looked all around them to see that they were surrounded, there were officers on the roofs of building, and about 10 Duel Chasers who had their Duel Disks activated started to surround the group with no way to run.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Reira screamed out fear as she clinged to Yuto's arm for protection. "Wh-where is m-my brother?!"

A man on the roof laughed, however, he immediately stopped when he heard a sound in the distance. It sounded like the revving of an engine, it sounded like a bike. And that wasn't all…

It sounded like there was more than one.

Everyone even the Duel Chasers and officers paused to listen to the sound more, and they found out that the sound was getting closer and closer with each passing second! Suddenly, the sky turned dark as a gray cloud flew over, along with a bolt of lightning flashing across the sky. Then, a loud voice was heard echoing nearby, and it was...reciting a chant.

"Spread your jet-black wings, and stormforth in tandem with the roaring thunder! A slash of lightning! Synchro Summon! Cascade! Assault Black Feather - Raikiri the Sudden Shower!" Out of nowhere, a bird with black feathers flew to the Field, it soared upwards, causing great gusts of wind to whip at everyone's faces, causing them to look away. Then, the bikes were seen, there was five of them. Everyone looked at the bikes in shock. The person in the middle held out his hand and grabbed Yuto and took him with him, much to the surprise of the boy. Another person grabbed Serena by the hand, a third person grabbed Reira, and finally a fourth person grabbed Sawatari by the hand.

After seeing what just happened, Roget stood up from his chair and walked to a glass window, he merely looked out, wondering what was going to happen next.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Moonlight's Protection, Continuous, Trap: Once during either player's turn, if a Moonlight Monster is going to be destroyed, you can banish the Monster until the end of the next turn. For the rest of the turn you use this effect you take half battle damage. At the end of the next turn, you can bring the banished Monster back to the Field. You can only banish 1 Monster this way at a time.**

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **Sorry about the Duels being really short guys, it was against fodder, but I still wanted to have Sawatari and Serena Duel. Oh and, hey, Sawatari's constant losing streak in Duels when he is alone is finally over! Heck, Sawatari was in a 1 vs 2 Duel...although it was against fodder. In the anime, I saw Sawatari got one turn killed, and I really didn't like that. If he continued to get treated like that, you could have at least let him get a win in this part of the anime.**

 **Don't worry, Sawatari and Serena will definitely Duel again in this fanfic. I'm not going to give them the shaft like the anime did.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **O'Brien, Shark, Dennis, and Gongenzaka find themselves separated from the others. So, Gongenzaka tries his best to ask people for help. While sitting around, Dennis gets an idea. Meanwhile, the man who saved Yuto and the other Lancers introduces himself…**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	62. Heroes VS Villains Tag Duel

"That should do it." Yugo said to himself as he hid his d-wheel behind a wooden plank. After Yugo beat Duel Chaser 227, he drove Yuzu to the orphanage, where they spent the night. However, early in the morning, Yugo woke up Yuzu, earning him a smack from Yuzu's fan due to coming to her room and disrupting her sleep. They left the orphanage, since Security was still looking for them, it was best that for right now, they should move away from the orphanage, so that if they get found, the people at the orphanage don't get involved.

Yuzu started to walk out to see other people, however…

"Stop!" Yugo spoke quickly before Yuzu took another step too far. Yugo walked up to her with a serious look on his face. "They'll see you."

"This is your hometown?" Yuzu asked the Synchro counterpart of Yuya.

"Yeah." Yugo confirmed as he put one hand on his hip. "I was born here, though I never did know what my parents looked like."

"That's the same with me…" Yuzu whispered.

"Huh?"

"I grew up not knowing my mother's face…" Yuzu revealed to Yugo, a sad smile on her face. In a way, Yugo and Yuzu are alike in that aspect. This helped Yuzu trust the boy more. She already had some form of distrust for him after remembering the conversation they had when she first woke up in the Synchro Dimension.

* * *

Flashback-1 day ago-Tops Area

"Hey...hey!" Were the first words she heard when she regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes to see the Synchro user who looks like Yuya staring right into her face, and oh god did this guy not show any sign of personal space! "Hey, are you alright?"

It took a moment for Yuzu to process how close Yugo was, but when she did well…

She gasped out of fright, and she pushed Yugo away from her, they were on a little hit, so Yugo rolled down and smashed into his d-wheel while Yuzu held her hands closed her chest while blushing madly. She hadn't blushed like this since the time Yuya insulted her by saying that he wouldn't want to date a crude strong girl like her when Sora said something about them being a couple.

"Oww...even when I try to make sure you're okay…" Yugo muttered to himself as he rubbed his head, trying to soothe the pain, before snapping at Yuzu. "Are you kidding me?!" He then realized he was lying down on his toppled over d-wheel. "AHHHHH!" Yugo comedically zipped over to the other side of his d-wheel to push it upright. "Aww man...what the heck am I going to do with you? Damn it, Rin would kill me if she found out…" Yugo whispered the last part to the point where Yuzu couldn't hear it.

Yuzu merely looked at Yugo in confusion before standing up and looking around her surroundings to see where she was. And, well, she obviously wasn't in Kansas anymore. Wait, wrong story. Yugo checked on his d-wheel to make sure it still functioned. When he was done, he let out a long sigh of relief as he wiped some sweat off his brow.

"Good. It looks like it's undamaged. You better be careful with it!" Yugo told Yuzu. "I went through a lot of trouble to build my bab-I mean, IT after all."

"Where is this?" Yuzu asked.

Yugo gave the girl a smile. "The City. My hometown."

Wait a minute, just named a City? What kind of crap name is that? Yuzu thought to herself as something just came into her head.

"What about the Battle Royale?!" Yuzu questioned Yugo, who gave her a confused look.

"What's that?"

"The Battle Royale for the Junior Youth Championship! Miami Championship's…" Yuzu stopped as she remembered what happened. She remembered Dueling and struggling against the Academia Duelist Yuri. She started to murmur to herself. "That's right. I was attacked by that Academia Duelist names Yuri...the one who looks like Yuya. When my bracelet glowed, he disappeared, and this person…" Yuzu remembered Yuri disappearing and Yugo appearing in front of her. The boy hugging her and calling her Rin. Then, the bracelet glowed again. "So...he and I were teleported together…" She remembered Yuto telling her that Yugo was looking for his best friend named Rin. "Wait, are you Yugo?"

"Yeah, you've got my name down pat!" Yugo congratulated the girl. Normally people call him Fusion, much to his dismay.

Yuzu gasped, knowing what this meant. She took a few steps back, confusion the banana haired Duelist.

"What's wrong?" Yugo asked.

"You're Yugo…so that means that you…" Yuzu couldn't utter out the next couple words. However, after a bit, she managed to get them out. "You hurt Yuya…"

"Who the hell is Yuya?!" Yugo questioned.

"My best friend…" Yuzu answered, keeping her distance away from him. "You…" Yuzu started to tear up. "Another friend named Yuto told me you appeared one night and Dueled Yuya, mistaking him for that Academia Duelist who took Rin…"

"That bastard! I remember him! I traveled the dimensions, and I was about to beat his ass...but I blacked out in the middle of the Duel, next thing I know, the Duel was over, but I think I won. That bastard disappeared."

"THAT 'BASTARD' WAS MY BEST FRIEND!" Yuzu shrieked at Yugo in anger, taking long deep breaths before gaining a sad frown on her face. "He didn't do anything wrong...yet you came out of nowhere and took him away from his family and friends…"

"Wait what? No, I got the right guy! He had the same face as me!" Yugo rebutted, refusing to believe he got the wrong guy.

"Yeah, and my friend has the same face as you also. He disappeared the night you appeared! And Yuto witnessed the end of your Duel!" Yuzu exclaimed, not bothering to remember the other part Yuto added when he got to the Duel. "He said Yuya disappeared in his arms...and for all I know he is out somewhere hurt...or worse…" Yuzu finally broke down into tears at the thought of losing that idiot, kind boy named Sakaki Yuya.

"Wait...so...I really got the wrong guy…" Yugo muttered, guilt filling his stomach immediately. "And he just disappeared without a trace...I just took someone's life away…DAMN IT!" Yugo cursed out loud as he punched his open palm. "NOT ONLY IS THAT STUPID BASTARD WITH THAT DUMB GRIN STILL OUT THERE WITH RIN, BUT I SCREWED UP TWICE TRYING TO PURSUE HIM, AND IT COSTED SOMEONE'S LIFE! Honestly...why can't I do anything right? I failed to protect Rin...and because of that I can't keep my promise…but did I actually hurt him, I don't recall doing such a thing…" Tears started to form in Yugo's eyes. It was already bad enough that Rin got hurt because he wasn't able to protect her, but now Yugo himself hurt someone else physically and the people he loved emotionally. Was he just bad luck? Was he just a harbinger of disaster wherever he goes? All he was now...

It was Yugo's statement that made Yuzu remember something. "Yuto said when he got there that Yugo and Yuya weren't themselves, as if they were possessed. So maybe, it wasn't his fault...but you still started the Duel!" Yuzu came to a conclusion, the sad look in her face being replaced with one of rage.

"Look...I know this won't help, but I'm sorry for what I did...I was too blinded by rage and depression about losing my friend that I never paid attention and thought things through...Rin would absolutely shun me for sure!" Yugo looked down as he apologized.

"No...I cannot think like this, I convinced myself that Yuya is still out there somewhere, and I guess you were on the hunt for a friend, I guess I wouldn't blame you for getting confused by seeing someone who has a similar face to someone you know." Yuzu spoke from experience, as Yugo probably had the same feeling she did when she first saw Yuto's face during his Duel with Sawatari, thinking it was Yuya in a disguise. Anyways, for all I know, Yuya could be here, my bracelet did shine when I walked into the park that night, so Yuya could have been sent away instead of Yuto and this guy…" Yuzu spoke the positive outcome. "But my bracelet glowed with you...so that means it was Yuto or maybe even Yuya who showed up...no, I can't get my hopes up too much...so, where in the world are we? Are we near Miami City?"

Yugo calmed down and looked at the sun. "I hate to break it you, but no. This place is different from the Standard Dimension you hail from."

"Another Dimension?"

"It makes sense that you're surprised. It's your first time being warped across Dimensions, right?"

* * *

Now

"It was…" Yuzu whispered the answer to the question. Suddenly, Yugo came close up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He made a hand signal to be quiet as someone from Security walked by.

"Those bastards from Security are out this far...the Slum is supposed to be for USA Commons." Yugo spoke as Yuzu pushed him softly away from her.

"This isn't the time to be worrying about the Tops and Commons! Academia eventually will make their move to combine the dimensions. Who knows when they will attack the Synchro Dimension…"

* * *

Meanwhile

"I am looking for a man named Yuto?" Gongenzaka asked people around. "Have you heard of him?"

Dennis had his Duel Disk up to his ear, trying to call the Lancers, but he only received static. O'Brien and Shark tried the same with their Duel Disks, only resulting in the same thing though.

"Damn...our communications are jammed too…" Ryoga murmured.

"Looks like this Dimension has some strict regulations." Dennis said.

"Oi! You there, you should help!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Dennis stood up.

"What's the point?" Shark asked.

"Yeah, remember, this is the Synchro Dimension, no one is going to no who we are, much less our comrades." O'Brien voiced his own opinion.

"Stop being such a negative Nancy!" Dennis told O'Brien as he looked at the sun. "It sure is bright out today." He pulled out a Card, let it float slowly, before clapping his hands together on the Card, when he opened his hands, the Card was replaced by a green hat. He snapped his fingers and put the hat on. Shark merely scoffed at the sight of it. However, what no was expecting was a boy with his father to go…

"Wow, amazing! He's doing magic! Isn't that awesome!"

"Thank you very much!" Dennis took off the hat and took a bow. To his surprise, either the father or the child threw a coin into the hat.

"Later!" The boy waved at Dennis in a happy and joyful manner. Dennis chuckled as he waved back. He looked into the hat and saw the gold coin, suddenly, an idea sprouted inside his evil little head.

"Aha!"

* * *

Meanwhile

The man who saved the Lancers waved to his friends, who drove off on their d-wheels. The man took off his helmet, revealing a male with yellow marks on his face with ginger colored hair. He spoke to the Lancers with a smile.

"You're amazing. All of you, for protecting that kid while fending off Security." The man walked closer to the group, still wearing the smile on his face. "There aren't any bad guys out there who would protect children. You guys are impressive."

"Uhh...and who are y-"

Yuto's question was cut off by the opening of a door, revealing a girl with red hair. "Crow! Welcome home!"

"Yo Amanda!" The man now known as Crow greeted the girl as he walked to his d-wheel and placed the helmet on it. "Where are Frank and Tanner?"

"They're in the city. They said they'd like to be the ones to help you sometimes, Crow." Amanda replied.

"The heck is with that?" Crow commented as he walked into the house with a bag cradled in his arms. Amanda was about to walk, but stopped herself as she turned to the Lancers. She gave a bow to the Lancers, inviting them into the house.

"I've got some good stuff today!" Crow took a can out of the bag and placed it onto the table.

"Tuna!" Amanda exclaimed in excitement. "I'll make some tuna sandwiches."

"You guys are hungry, too?" Crow asked the group.

"Let's all eat together!" Amanda raised her hand up.

Yuto looked at Reira and gave her a pat on the back, surprising the girl.

* * *

Later

The sandwiches were made, and Crow threw one in his mouth, it was at this moment a question sprung into his mind.

"By the way, I haven't seen you around here. Where are you from?"

"We are-"

"Thanks for the save back there!" Sawatari grabbed Crow's hand.

"Yeah…"

"That was quite the terrible welcoming party! Even though we came all the way from another dimension!" Sawatari blurted out.

"Ok, you need stop yelling out stuff like that!" Yuto told Sawatari.

"Another dimension?" Crow repeated in disbelief.

"Correct. I'm Sawatari Shingo!" Sawatari introduced himself. "I'm an undefeated Duelist from Miami City! This guy over here is my disciple, Yuto."

"I'm not your disciple, I beat you in our Duel also, so you're not an undefeated Duelist." Yuto debunked Sawatari's lies, which he shrugged off. He pointed to Serena.

"This strong-willed woman is Serena. She also came from another dimension."

"Woah, woah...I went and saved some crazy people…" Crow muttered.

"No, it's true. We really did come to this Dimension to search for our comrades...well...for me I have a different story then these two." Yuto informed Crow,

"Actually, I've been meaning ask you. Your clothes look like you have came out of a war zone. Not even us Commons wear clothes like that, in fact, those look really formal, of it wasn't for it being tattered." Crow pointed out.

"Oh you have no idea." Yuto responded.

"Yeah, the truth is, he came from the Xyz Dimension, and his home was atta-oof!" Sawatari was interrupted by Serena elbowing him in the side, signaling him to shut up before he says too much.

"Whatever. I don't quite get it, but since you just got here, I bet you don't have a place to stay!" Corw guessed.

"I've been like that for a while now." Yuto told the ginger head man, making sure not to be Sawatari and reveal too much.

"Well, still, you lot can stay here until things calm down, don't worry about it!" Crow offered the Lancers a place to stay.

"Crow you don't have to." Yuto became reluctant.

"But I am, you guys can stay here. Amanda, the others and I won't mind. In fact, the more the merrier!"

"..."

"Come on disciple, this is a chance to regain our strength! Soon, we will move out, and I, the great Sawatari Shingo, shall beat everyone who gets in our way!"

"He has a big ego." Crow whispered to Yuto.

"You have no idea." Both him and Yuya spoke at the same time, although Crow couldn't hear Yuya as he was like a ghost.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but is it hard living down here? From the looks of it, it looks like everyone lives in poverty."

Crow sighed as he pondered for a bit to give an answer. "Well, when you are in the part of the population that only gets 1% of the money, and you are also raising three little difficult tykes, then it isn't that easy. It has its ups and downs, and I mean a lot of downs. However, despite the many negative aspects of living down here, I have the kids to keep my spirits up." Crow gave a satisfactory answer to Yuto's question.

"Is that so...has there ever been a time where you wanted to break up and just give up?"

"Yeah plenty of times, but as I said, as long as I have the 3 kids, I have no need to worry about losing it." Crow gave Yuto a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Crow." Yuto gave Crow a nod of thanks. That really helped him. During the war, he felt like giving up and losing it, losing himself, just like Shun did. And when a Ruri was kidnapped, the chances of him losing himself grew even higher.

"No problem."

* * *

With Gong and the others

"Ladies and gentlemen…" Gongenzaka said nonchalantly. He really didn't want to use Yuya's catchphrase. It was his phrase, and he, the man, a Gongenzaka using the phrase is disrespectful to his friend.

"It's showtime!" Dennis announced as he threw a stack of Cards over his head between his hands. He revealed 5 Magic Cards, who knows where the Deck went. "One! Two! Three!" Dennis threw the Cards up into the air. They all pooped a small dust cloud, and they were actually replaced with the object on their Card art, which was just wands. Dennis began to juggle the wands, much to the enjoyment of the audience.

"Waaah! How cool!" A boy exclaimed.

"Ignore, we gotta go, Tanner." Another boy told the boy now known as Tanner as they walked away.

Later, Dennis was looking into his hat, which was filled with money.

"Unforgivable! We didn't come here to do things like this!" Gongenzaka bellowed at his fellow Lancer.

"But you know Gon-chan…"

"Gon-chan…" Gongenzaka repeated in confusion.

"If we keep standing out this way, Yuto and the others are bound to find us!"

"Do you think it'll work out that well?" Ryoga asked, finally joining in on the conversation, jumping down from his sitting position on the statue.

"It'll be fine, Sh-"

"Call me, Shark-chan or something like that, and I will make sure that you won't be making another cent of money from doing your magic tricks!" Shark threatened Dennis.

"Oooh, how scary! Take it easy! Shark-chan!" Dennis winked as he held up a finger.

Shark groaned out of annoyance. "Out of all of the Lancers, why him? I would rather be with Sawatari...actually, no, Dennis is better."

* * *

Meanwhile-At a Restaurant

"This is something that concerns the future of everyone in the City! The dimensional war has already begun!" Yuzu spoke out loudly so everyone nearby could hear.

"There are some weirdos out today…" A man whispered to what might be his wife or girlfriend.

"Academia has already attacked the Xyz Dimension, eventually they'll come attack the City!" Yuzu continued, not hearing the couple talk.

"Don't you think we should report them?" The woman asked her husband.

"If they attack, then you will become Cards like this!" Yuzu held up the Cards of Halil and Olga, however, despite this and her pleading, people either just walked past her, ignoring her like she wasn't there, or they would give her a weird look, THEN walk away. Yugo looked at Yuzu at her desperate attempts at trying to convince people. Yuzu turned around and saw the couple behind sitting at the table chuckling softly. She turned back around and whispered. "I know this won't be easy, but...if we don't explain it properly…"

"Hey!" Yugo turned around and called out to the couple, who stopped laughing and looked at Yugo. "You know, I get it sounds unbelievable, but it's true. I've fought across dimensions also."

"Then why don't you cross dimensions right now?" The man of the couple decided to be smart with Yugo and taunted him.

"Hey, not you too, Dear!" The woman closed her eyes and laughed.

Yugo leaned forward and held up a fist. "Alright! I'll do it!"

Yuzu held up her hands as a sign for Yugo to stop. "Uhh, Yugo…I don't-"

"I'll warp across dimensions right now, watch closely!"

Unknown to everyone, hiding behind a bush, was Frank and Tanner.

"Wait, are you sure?!" Yuzu questioned the Synchro counterpart of Yuya.

"Shut up!" Yugo shunned Yuzu. "Just stand there and watch! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and transport me at lightspeed! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo held up the Card of his ace Monster, embarrassing himself majorly in the process. Yugo's eyes turned completely blue at the fact that nothing happened. He could swear that he heard the spirit of his dragon ushering some words in his head, 'that will be the last time you try to use my powers for showboating stupid banana brain!'

"Looks like it wasn't true." The woman said.

"I'm telling you it's the damn truth!" Yugo snapped at the lady impolitely."

"You two are bothering my customers." Yugo looked at the owner. "I'm sorry, but I went and called for Security."

"Wha-" Yuzu gaped at the second he finished the sentence. What the hell was this society? Calling the fricking officials when you are TALKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE?! Suddenly, a woman screamed.

"Thieves!" Frank and Tanner were seen snatching some food and running off with it.

"Hey! You brats from the Commons!" The owner yelled in anger.

"We need to run also!" Yugo told Yuzu as he grabbed her wrist and away with her.

"EHHHH!"

* * *

Later

"Crow! We're home!" Frank exclaimed out loud.

"Hey! Where were you guys?" Crow questioned them with a grin. It was already night, they had been gone for a while. The next thing Crow knew, he was staring at very good food. Like, food that the Tops eat.

"Tadah!" The boys smiled as they spoke in unison with Crow gasping at the sight.

"What's with all of this stuff?" Crow interrogated the kids.

"We nabbed it!" Frank admitted with no hesitation whatsoever, a proud look evident on his face.

"It was so exciting!" Tanner added to Frank's statement. Crow stood up and smacked both boys on top of their heads.

"You idiots!" Crow scolded in anger. "Who said you could do this!?"

"But...Crow, you're always…"

"What if you get sent to an internment camp whe you get caught doing these kinds of things?" Crow asked a rhetorical question.

"Internment camp!?" Yuto repeated.

"Yeah. You guys might not have heard about it, but...here, people are split between two types, Tops and Commons. Long story short, the Tops are the winners, and the Commons, that's us, are the losers. The winners gain everything and live a life of luxury. However, on the other hand, those who are losers spend a pitiful existence wondering when their next meal will be." Crow explained the Tops and Commons to the Lancers.

"That explains the buildings higher up." Yuya muttered, also listening in on the conversation.

"That's not all, if you try and fight this system, you get captured by Security and sent of to the camps." Crow put two fingers on one of the marks imprinted on his face.

"That's horrible…" Yuto said.

"Yeah, it's an awful world. But despite all of that, we still have to live. That's why all of us Commons work together and desperately-"

"Ah! You're from earlier!" Tanner interjected Crow as he spoke to both Yuto and Serena.

"Hm?" Yuto looked at the kids, and so did Serena.

"Huh? But you're clothes are a little different."

"Hey! Are you even listening to me!? I'm telling you for-"

Crow was once again cut off, but by Frank this time. "Weren't you guys at that restaurant earlier?"

"Huh? Yuto and Serena were?" Crow asked.

"It's Yuzu!" Serena deduced.

"Yeah, and the man who looks like her with me must be Yugo!" Yuto affirmed.

"Yuzu…" Yuya whispered, just hearing the name of his childhood friend was enough to clear his negative thoughts. However, that wasn't enough as the next name filled him with mixed feelings. "Yugo…" It was because of Yugo that Yuya was in the position he was now. However, when he was absorbed and viewing Yuto's memories, he remembered Yuto and Yugo forming an alliance and kind of becoming comrades, he remembered that Yugo mistook Yuto for that Academia bastard who looks like the three of them, and they Dueled. Since Yuto was occupied with Sora that fateful night, he couldn't come to see Yuya and Yugo's Duel until it was too late, and they were consumed by the darkness. But all in all, Yugo mistook Yuya himself for that Academia person.

"Where was this?" The question from Serena made Frank and Tanner back up a little bit out of fear because of the manner that she asked it in.

"Hey, what's going on?" Crow asked Yuto and Serena.

"Our comrades are in this city!" Yuto revealed to Crow,

"Security has got their eyes on you guys! If you're caught, it's straight to the camps…" Crow paused and looked at Yuto, who gave him a look of persistence. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I got it!" Yuto gasped slightly.

"I'll look for those friends of yours, just wait here." Crow said as he was just about to leave.

"Wait, Crow!" Yuto called out to Synchro Duelist.

"What?" Crow asked in slight annoyance.

"You don't have to do it, I can do it myself. I'm a very stealthy person at night, just ask my best friend if you ever see him!"

"Sure, stealthy…" Crow trailed off.

"It's true, as long as I am on the move, no one has ever found me. There was only one instance, and that was because I stayed in one place for too long! Don't worry, whatever it will happen, I will make sure it won't affect you and your kids."

* * *

Meanwhile

"Good afternoon, people of the City!" A fair-skinned woman wearing cowboy style clothes spoke to a camera, acting as the host of her television show Tell Me Melissa. "This is Melissa Claire! Here on Tell Me Melissa, I'll bring you the latest in the hip and happening trends of our wonderful city! Today I'd like to introduce to you a quadruplet…actually looks like only a duo doing the work while the other sit around...anyway a duo of street performers currently at Central Park." The camera on Melissa turned to the crowd and zoomed in on O'Brien, Gongenzaka, Shark and Dennis.

"Great. Just what we need, to be videotaped." O'Brien sighed out of annoyance.

"Alright, let's do our best!" Dennis told the trio.

"I refused!" Both Shark and Gongenzaka spoke in unison.

"Why are wasting time playing carnival games when we are supposed to be looking for our comrades?" Shark questioned Dennis' motives.

"I, the man Gongenzaka agree with Ryoga as a fellow man!" Gongenzaka nodded seriously in approval. "What you are doing is unforgivable!"

"TV reporters are here too!" Dennis said, trying to stay positive.

"All the more reason not to do this. You really think it's a good idea to do this with cameras flashing at us? If something goes wrong, we could be made out as bad guys!" O'Brien stated the risks, to which Shark and Gongenzaka nodded in agreement. A silence was filled between the four, but no one could tell because of the crowd around them constantly chattering.

"It's 3-1 in favor of us, throw in the towel, or in this case, the hat Mackfield." Shark said as the trio started to walk away.

"Ah ah ah, stop right there. If you call yourselves true Duelists, then you don't run away from any challenge."

Gongenzaka stopped and crossed his arms. "It's not like we're going to be Dueling anyways."

Dennis snapped his fingers. "That's a good idea! Let's do a hero show since there are so many kids watching! I challenge you to a Tag Duel, O'Brien, come over to my side."

"I'd rather not…"

"Are you serious?" Shark asked Dennis.

"O'Brien and I will be the heroes and you and Gon-chan will be the villains."

"Why are we doing it like that?!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

Dennis ignored him and proceeded to activate his Duel Disk.

"H-hey, Dennis!" Shark yelled at the boy.

Yet again, Dennis ignored him and continued. "Action Field, on!"

"Don't blame us for what happens!" Shark said as he and Gongenzaka activated their Duel Disks.

O'Brien looked at the trio with dumbfounded expression on his face. He sighed in defeat as he walked over to Dennis. "How did we get pulled into this?" Finally, he activated his Duel Disk and looked to Ryoga and Gongenzaka.

"DUEL!" The 4 Duelists shouted in unison.

"First off, I'll need to transform you into the villain...now...who shall it be? Gon-chan, or Shark-chan? I'll pick Shark-chan!" Dennis grinned as he grabbed a Card from his Hand. "I activate the Continuous Magic Card Burn Gift! I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Fire Monster from my Hand to my opponent's Field.

Shark flinched as he was enveloped with fire, with some flames staying on his clothes, but not actually causing pain to him, out of one of the flames came a Monster.

"I Special Summon Entermage Higurumi to Shark's Field."

Higurumi: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"What did you do!?" Gongenzaka flailed around as if he was on fire, when he really wasn't.

Dennis chuckled and gave Gong a thumbs up. "Good acting! I should have chose you instead of waterboy over there." Dennis referred to Shark who just standing there giving him a deathly glare. Dennis ignored this and turned to the audience. "Watch out, everyone! There's a rampaging flame spirit!" He turned back to Gong and Shark. "And if my opponent controls a Monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Entermage Wind Sucker from my Hand!"

Wind Sucker: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 0 Def

"It seems today, our street performer's show is a Duel! With thunderous applause, a fight between good and evil has just begun! Even I, Melissa Claire, am burning up with excitement!" Unknown to everyone, there was a limousine nearby, a colored man was watching the Duel, and he had a look of interest on his face.

Also, unknown to anyone, was Aki hiding, watching the Duel. She was in a disguise...well not really, she just made sure she changed her hairstyle. She had left Ruri at her 'home' and came to the Tops to see if anything interesting was going on. More importantly, she just wanted to get out and let out some steam. After losing her temper in that Duel, well, she was a little bit nervous. She saw a Duel and a big crowd though and decided to watch. She chuckled a bit when she saw the fire on Shark's hair. She found it weird that the boy on fire had hair that looked like tentacles...hah, wait till she tells Ruri.

"All right, as the hero, I'll give you a taste of my hammer of justice!" Dennis performed two blackflips up two platforms and pulled a Card from his Hand. "I activate the Magic Card Entermage Hurricane! If there is an Entermage Monster on the Field, all Magic and Trap Cards are returned to their owner's Hands!" A green gust of wind was released from the Card, causing the two existing Cards on the Field to disappear. "When Burn Gift leaves the Field, any Monster Summoned to the Field by this effect is destroyed, and it deals 400 damage to my opponent! Accursed flame spirit, calm your rage at once!" The flames on Shark disappeared as he grit his teeth in annoyance.

Shark: 4000-3600 LP

"With his hammer of justice, he's dealt 400 damage to the flaming spirit!" Melissa announced.

"That's it, Hero of Justice!" A boy cheered.

Dennis gave a thumbs up and a wink. "I'll protect everyone's peace! Now, I set a Card and end my turn."

"Unforgivable…"

"Huh?" Dennis turned to see Gongenzaka's body shaking with his eyes closed.

"Making us the villains on a whim, how come only you get to make yourself look cool?!" Gongenzaka lifted a fist at Dennis.

"G-Gong-chan…" Dennis ushered out in confusion as he sweatdropped.

"Besides, you haven't even tried to actually search for the others! You aren't taking your position as a Lancer seriously!" Gongenzaka pointed at Dennis.

Thank you for stating the obvious. Shark thought to himself.

"Are you mad?" Dennis asked.

"Of course I am!" Gongenzaka snapped at Dennis, startling the entertainer. "I'm fighting you for real in this Duel to make you reflect on your actions!"

"What? No you aren't, you were just dragged into the Duel in the first place." O'Brien muttered.

"Listen up everyone!" Gongenzaka called out to the big crowd. "This man is not a hero at all! He's a bad guy who lit Ryoga on fire just to make himself more popular!"

"Huh? Really?" A boy asked the question everyone in the audience had in their mind at that moment.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, will punish those who are truly-"

"My turn!" Shark already drew his Card.

"OI!" Gongenzaka shouted in frustration.

"Go get him!" The crowd cheered over and over to Shark, as he stole the spotlight.

Dennis looked at the crowd before touching his hat. "Well, as long as they're enjoying it, it's fine…" Gongenzaka snarled through his nose as he heard Dennis laughing like a maniac. "A shame you had to find out…" He threw off his hat, revealing a mask. "It is just as you said, I am one of true evil! Face me if you dare, Sharky boy!"

A long sea of silence (Hah, get it, cause Shark uses a Water Deck...no, I'll shut up now) filled the Field as Shark looked at Dennis with a weird, disappointed, and irritated look.

Shark sighed. "I'm getting too old for this, and I'm not even 18 years old."

"The veil has been lifted, revealing the true face of evil! And now true justice faces him in battle! Don't change that channel!" Melissa winked at the camera, as she turned the fanfiction into a-wait. Who the hell said you could turn MY fanfiction into some stupid show? It's highly original! It is not based off anything! (Lies)

"So, are we still going to go on or can I finally make a move without someone blabbing their mouth off?" Shark asked nonchalantly.

"Continuous Trap, Magical Fortress! As long as I control a Spellcaster-Type Monster, my opponent cannot declare an attack!" Shark sharpened his gaze while Gongenzaka let out a gasp of shock. "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA-cough cough! Excuse me, now you cannot even attempt to attack me! What will you do now, Hero of Justice?!"

Shark sighed to himself. "I'm surrounded by idiots." And with that, he began his turn. "From my Hand, I Summon Skull Kraken!"

Skull Kraken: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1600 Def

"When a Fish-Type Monster is Normal or Special Summoned to my Field, I can Special a Summon this Card! Come, Shark Stickers!"

Shark Stickers: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1000 Def

"I'm not done, when Skull Kraken is Normal or Special Summoned, I can destroy a face-up Magic or Trap Card on the Field. I destroy your Magical Fortress." With that explanation, the Trap was destroyed.

"I won't let it go like that! When Magical Fortress is destroyed, Iget to draw another Card!" Dennis quickly swiped his Card from his Deck.

"Now, with that Trap gone, we can attack you now with my Monsters. Now, I, using the 2 level 3 Monsters to overlay! With these two Monsters, I build the overlay network! Xyz Summon, show yourself! Rank 3, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!"

Aero Shark: Rank 3, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def

"Xyz?" The man in the limo repeated. It was the same method as that guy…

"Rank? Not level? And there is an unknown method revealed to us with a Rank instead of a level." Melissa said. "I can't even imagine what power it possess."

"I activate the effect of Aero Shark, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can inflict 400 damage to you for every Card in my Hand! I have 4 Cards in my Hand, so take 1600 damage, Dennis!" Shark yelled as he pointed at Dennis. Aero Shark shot multiple bullets at Dennis, who flinched from the damage.

Dennis: 4000-2400 LP

"Alright! Nice job hero!" The kids in the audience cheered out of joy.

"I set two Card and end my turn." Two set Cards materialized in front of him as he ended his turn.

"My turn, draw! So I can't attack huh? No matter, I can get through with this Hand. I activate the Magic Card Soul of Fire! At the cost of you drawing a Card and me not being able to attack this turn, I can banish a Pyro-Type Monster from my Deck and inflict half of its Attack to you as damage! I banish Infernal Flame Emperor, whose Attack is 2700! So, you take 1350 points of damage. Take this, Gongenzaka!" O'Brien exclaimed as a stream of fire enveloped Gongenzaka, causing the man to wince in pain.

Gongenzaka: 4000-2650 LP

"What is this? It's like these two are teaming up on Dennis and I!" Gongenzaka spoke to himself as he drew a Card.

"I set a Monster. Next, I set two Cards and end my turn." O'Brien concluded.

"Alright! I, the man Gongenzaka, will show you a true man's Duel! My turn, draw!" Gongenzaka drew his Cars with so much force, it caused a large gust of wind t9 lash out at the crowd, much to their shock.

"An amazing draw from the Hero of Justice!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Trap activate, Draw Blast, when you draw a Card, I can inflict 1000 damage to you!"

"UAGH!" Gongenzaka yelled out in pain as he was blasted by yet another stream of fire.

Gongenzaka: 2650-1650 LP

"Oh no, the heroes are losing!"

"Not for long! From my Hand, I send Superheavy Samurai Soul Double Horn to my Graveyard and Special Summon the level 2 Tuner Monster Superheavy Samurai Horaga-E!" Gongenzaka slammed his Card onto his Duel Disk as his Monster played his trumpet.

Horaga-E: Level 2, 300 Atk, 600 Def

"Next, I Summon the level 4 Superheavy Samurai TenB-N!"

TenB-N: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1800 Def

"When this Card is Summoned, I can Special Summon one Superheavy Samurai Monster from my Graveyard! Come, Superheavy Samurai Soul Double Horn!"

Double Horn: Level 1, 0 Atk, 300 Def

"I tune my level 4 TenB-N with my level 2 Horaga-E! Rise your war cry. Divine ogre! Show yourself. On this battlefield infested by evil! Synchro Summon! Now depart for the front! Level 6! Superheavy God Ogre Shutendo-G!" Gongenzaka Synchro Summoned his Monster in Defense Position.

Shutendo-G: Level 6, 500 Atk, 2500 Def

"Get him, hero!" The audience cheered in unison.

"Leave it to me!" Gongenzaka replied before facing his opponents. "When Shutendo-G is Synchro Summoned, and I have only Monster Cards in my Grave, it destroys all Magic and Trap Cards my opponent controls!" Cracks appeared on O'Brien's Card, destroying the Card completely.

O'Brien narrowed his eyes. "Perfect! When the Card Fire Trap is destroyed when set on the Field, I get to draw an extra Card."

"When a Superheavy Samurai Synchro Monster is Summoned, from my Hand, I can Special Summon Soul Shine Claw!"

Soul Shine Claw: Level 2, 500 Atk, 500 Def

"I activate Double Horn's effect, once per turn, I can equip it to a Superheavy Samurai Monster! I equip it to Shutendo-G!" The horns split up and stuck themselves on the head of Shutendo-G. "Then, I activate the effect of Shine Claw! Once per turn, I can equip it to a Superheavy Samurai and increase its Attack and Defense by 500!"

Shutendo-G: 500-1000 Atk, 2500-3000 Def

"Shutendo-G can Attack in Defense Position!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Shit! I forgot all about that!" O'Brien cursed under his breath.

"What's this? His Monster can Attack in Defense?" Melissa questioned as a shocked expression appeared on her face.

"Battle! I attack Wind Sucker with Shutendo-G!" Shutendo-G, on Gongenzaka's command, launched a rocket towards Wind Sucker, destroying the Monster. Dennis covered his face as he took damage.

Dennis: 2400-1500 LP

"Double Horn's Monster effect, when I have no Magic or Traps in my Grave, the equipped Monster can attack twice! Attack Dennis directly!" Gongenzaka declared as Dennis was rushed.

"What?" There was nothing he had to stop this.

"From my Hand, I activate the effect of Volcanic Bomber! When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can send this a Card to the Grave, negate the attack and destroy the attacking Monster! If the Monster is destroyed, Gongenzaka, the both of us will take damage equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack!"

"But I will be left open!" Gongenzaka grumbled.

"The villains have made a counterattack! And boy is it a deadly one! How will the heroes get past this threat?" Melissa asked no one in particular. She was really just saying it to add suspense.

"Continuous Trap activate! Overlay Sacrifice! When a Monster on the Field would be destroyed, I can detach an overlay unit from an Xyz Monster I control to negate the destruction" Shark clicked a button on his Disk, revealing the Card.

"Thanks, Shark. Now, since my Monster wasn't destroyed, we both don't take damage." Gongenzaka reminded O'Brien.

"That is fine. The attack still gets negated." O'Brien fires back.

"I end my turn." Gongenzaka concluded.

"Now it's time for the villain's showtime. My turn, draw!" Dennis gasped and smiled at the sight of the Card. "I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 3 Entermage Mirror Conductor and the Scale 6 Entermage Fire Dancer! With this I can Special Summon Monster simultaneously from levels 4 to 5. Behold, this nefarious Summoning method! Pendulum Summon! Entermage Higurumi, and Entermage Wind Sucker!" Two beams of light came out of the portal as Dennis Pendulum Summoned.

"What? You can do that?" Someone in the crowd questioned, a shocked look present on his face.

"Summoning multiple Monsters at once?! And that is yet another mysterious Summoning method. What an overwhelming Summoning method! This must be our first time catching it on film!" Melissa reported.

"It's the second though…" Melissa was unknowingly corrected by Roget, who was watching the Duel from her show. "So Pendulum Summon can also Summon Monsters that were destroyed before? That aside, it seems they have two more pawns available to them…" Roget, without looking, moved two pawns forward on his chess board.

"Stricken with fear? Even when destroyed, Pendulum Monsters are simply sent to the Extra Deck! Therefore, I can Summon as many times as I wish!" The crowd got annoyed and declared that he was cheating and stuff. "And I'm not done. I activate Wind Sucker's effect! When this Card is Summoned, I can decrease its level by 1!" Wind Sucker held up her thing and sucked up a level.

Wind Sucker: Level 5-4

"And I overlay my level 4 Higurumi and Wind Sucker!" Dennis declared as his Monsters flew into the portal that appeared in front of him. "Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician!" Dennis' ace Monster swung to the Field.

Trapeze Magician: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Another one of those Monsters! What are those orbs orbiting it?" A kid asked.

"I activate Mirror Conductor's Pendulum effect! When this Card is in a Pendulum Zone all Monsters on my opponent's Field's Attack and Defense become the least of those Monster's original values! Of course, I choose Gong-chan's Field, the power value is 1000, so the Monster's Defense is reduced to 1000!"

"What?" Gongenzaka widened his eyes in shock.

Shutendo-G: 3000-1000 Def

"And...Fire Dancer's Pendulum effect, it gives Trapeze Magician Piercing Damage! And on top of that! I activate Trapeze Magician's effect, by using an overlay unit, this Card can Attack twice this turn! Take the attack of evil! I attack Shutendo-G with Trapeze Magician!"

"The Monster equipped with Soul Shine Claw can't be destroyed by battle!"

"But you'll take the Piercing Damage from Fire Dancer's effect!" Dennis revealed as the attack connected, Gong's Monster stood strong, but the man himself was blown back.

Gongenzaka: 1650-150 LP

"Are my evil attacks working on you, Hero of Justice?" Gongenzaka stayed silent in response and looked at Dennis. "Now, it's time for the second battle, I attack Shutendo-G with Trapeze Magician! You know you still take Piercing Damage, so it is over regardless! Say goodbye, Gon-chan!" Dennis laughed maniacally as his Monster swung over to Shutendo-G.

"Trap activate! Escape Lure." Shark calmly revealed his Trap. "When an opponent declares an attack, I can change the attack target to another Monster. The battle damage either of us halved." Shark flinched as Trapeze Magician kicked his Monster, destroying it.

Shark: 4000-3650 LP

"Nice save, saving your sidekick Hero of Justice!" A boy cried out in joy.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Gongenzaka yelled out loud in shock.

"He's not my-"

"How dare you reduce the man Gongenzaka down to being one's sidekick! It's...unforgivable!" Gongenzaka stomped on the ground.

Dennis chuckled to himself. "Just as I planned! I ruined your image, Gong-chan, now you will be known as nothing more than a sidekick!"

"Now...Dennis...I think your days of villainy are over." Shark spoke.

"Huh?" He looked at the boy to see a small smile on his face. A SMILE!

"Hmph. This was actually kind of fun. However, it ends now for you! My turn, draw!" Shark scanned his Hand for any move.

Alright, with this strategy I can inflict some damage to O'Brien as well as finish off Dennis. I just need Gongenzaka to do the right thing. Shark smirked as he thought of his plan.

"I activate the Magic Card Three Slice! With this Card, I can send a level 6,9 or 12 Monster to my Grave. Depending on the level, I can Special Summon 3 Water Monsters from my Deck who have equal levels that add up to the discarded Monster." Shark explained as he revealed a Monster from his Hand. "I send Big Whale to the Grave, who has a level of 9, so, I get to Special Summon 3 Level 3 Monsters from my Deck! Appear! 3 copies of Starfish!"

Starfish: Level 3, 300 Atk, 300 Def

"Now, I activate their effects, once per turn, for each Starfish on the Field, I can increase their own levels by 1. Each Starfish turns into a level 4 now!"

Starfish(s): Level 3-4

"3 Level 4 Monsters!" O'Brien exclaimed.

"Don't tell me…" Dennis started.

"A three way Xyz Summon?!" Gongenzaka finished.

"Now, I overlay the 3 level 4 Starfish! With these three Monsters, I construct the overlay network! Xyz Summon! Show yourself! The most powerful ruler of the deep sea! Your sharp fangs shall exterminate everything! Rank 4, Marine Biting Dragon - Shark Drake!" Shark Xyz Summoned one of his most well-known Monsters from Zexal.

Shark Drake: Rank 4, 2800 Atk, 2100 Def

A large red Monster with webbed feet and 4 red wings coming out of its body took to the Field.

"What is that?!" Gongenzaka asked in awe.

"No way, another one of those Monsters! Just how many are there? Is this new method as strong as Synchro Summoning?" Melissa questioned while someone from the audience collapsed to the ground by freezing by shock, no one bothered to pick him up, as they were also shocked.

"My second ace Monster. Other than Silent Honor Ark, my friends know this Monster for me best. Now, I shall show you its power! Battle! Go, Shark Drake, attack Trapeze Magician!" Shark declared as his Monster gave Trapeze Magician a headbutt, destroying Dennis' ace Monster.

Dennis: 1500-1200 LP

"I'm not done yet! I activate Shark Drake's effect, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can Special Summon the destroyed Monster in Attack Position with its effects negated! Then, your Monster's Attack is decreased by the difference in Attack between Shark Drake and your Monster when they first battled. The difference was 300, so your Monster loses 300 Attack, then, on top of that, you take 1000 damage!" Shark informed Dennis as he was blown back, his Monster weakening.

Dennis: 1200-200 LP

Trapeze Magician: 2500-2200 Atk

"Now, it's time for a villain to step off the stage! After the effect resolves, Shark Drake gains an extra attack for every overlay Unit the Card has right now plus 1. Shark Drake has 2 overlay units, add one and that's three. So, Shark Drake can Attack three more times! Go, end Dennis!" Shark bellowed as Shark Drake let out a stream of water at Trapeze Magician, destroying the Monster.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Dennis cried out as he was blown backwards to the ground.

Dennis: 200-0 LP

"Alright!" The crowd including Melissa cheered.

"One villain is defeated, now for the next one!"

"Now for you, O'Brien, go, Shark Drake, attack his set Monster!" Shark Drake proceeded to crush the set Monster, destroying, but not before revealing what it was.

"The destroyed Monster was a Fire Trooper. I could have used the effect last turn, but that would have left me open." O'Brien spoke.

"Now, the last attack, Shark Drake, attack O'Brien directly!" Shark shouted as Shark Drake let out a stream of water at O'Brien, who jumped out of the way, but he still took damage.

O'Brien: 4000-1200 LP

"I end my turn." Shark ended his turn.

"Wow, Shark-chan is as ruthless as ever!" Dennis exclaimed. Shark's ears perked up at hearing those words.

Is as ruthless as ever? I am pretty sure this is the only time he has seen me Duel. Shark thought to himself, a suspicion coming to his head.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Continuous Magic Blaze Cannon! However, it won't be here for long as I get rid of the Card to activate the Continuous Magic Blaze Cannon-Trident! Now, I send this Card to the Grave in order to Special Summon Volcanic Doomfire from my Hand!" O'Brien threw out his ace to the Field. The flames on the Monsters sparking brightly.

Doomfire: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 1800 Def

"Oh my gosh, the villain just Summoned a flame Monster! How villain like!" Melissa exclaimed at the sight of the Monster.

"Battle! Go, Volcanic Doomfire, attack Shark Drake!" O'Brien pointed to the Monster Shark controls.

"Have you forgotten about my Trap, Overlay Sacrifice? I get to detach an overlay unit from my Xyz Monster to negate the destruction." Shark reminded O'Brien as the attack connected, Shark covered his eyes as large gust of winds erupted in the area, causing everyone to cover their eyes. Most of the kids screamed out of surprise.

Shark: 3650-3450 LP

"Damn!" O'Brien cursed softly under his breath. "I end my turn."

"Gongenzaka. I leave the rest to you." Shark told the man named Gong with his eyes closed.

"Alright, leave it to me. My turn, draw! Once per turn, the Double Horn equipped to Shutendo-G can unequip itself and Special Summon itself in face-up Defense Position!" The horns were removed and the Monster was reformed. "The Shine Claw equipped to Shutendo-G can also unequip itself once per turn, and Special Summon itself in face-up Defense Position. Due to Shine Claw being unequipped, Shutendo-G's Attack and Defense g9 down by 500!"

Shutendo-G: 1000-500 Atk, 1000-500 Def

"And here, I now Summon the Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Tsuzu-3!" Gongenzaka swiped the Card onto his Duel Disk with great force.

Tsuzu-3: Level 1, 300 Atk, 300 Def

"If I control a Superheavy Samurai Monster, I can Special Summon this Card. Come, Superheavy Samurai Rokka-9!" Gongenzaka thrusted his hand towards an empty space, the space was replaced with a Monster in Attack Position.

Rokka-9: Level 6, 600 Atk, 1000 Def

"I tune my level 6 Shutendo-G, level 2 Shine Claw, level 1 Double Horn and my level 1 Tsuzu-3! Raging deity, in unison with the roar of a thousand blades, come forth in a spiraling sandstorm! Synchro Summon! Now come before us, Level 10! Superheavy Kojin Susano-O!" Gongenzaka chanted as his Synchro Monster appeared to the Field in Defense Position.

Susano-O: Level 10, 2400 Atk, 3800 Def

"Susano-O can Attack while in Defense Position! Battle! I attack Volcanic Doomfire! Kusunagi Sword Slash!" Gongenzaka called out the Attack as Volcanic Doomfire was destroyed by one strike from the sword. O'Brien flinched as he took Damage.

O'Brien: 1200-400 LP

"Now, Rokka-9, attack O'Brien directly and end this!" The Monster swiped its swords at O'Brien who dropped to the ground gritting his teeth in pain.

O'Brien: 400-0 LP

"We've been defeated!" Dennis cried out as he let himself fall backwards comedically.

"A great victory for our heroes." Melissa said as the crowd cheered and clapped. The Action Field disappeared and so did the Monsters. "The City's peace has been protected by a duo of youths and their bravery! Melissa Claire signing off!"

* * *

Later

Dennis was checking his hat, only to see that he had hit the jackpot.

"I still think this method is incorrect…" Gongenzaka whispered to Shark.

"What're you talking about? You were totally into it, Gon-cha-" Dennis was cut off by clapping. The four looked in the direction of the sound.

"Wow...that was really something!" A male voice applauded the four. The man kept clapping as he walked away from his limousine. "You four are quite skilled! I've taken a liking to you!"

Gongenzaka, Shark and O'Brien walked closer to Dennis.

"Umm, who are you?" Dennis asked.

"I am a promoter named Gallagher." The man introduced himself. "Would you mind lending those skills to me?"

"Huh?" The next thing they knew, the man brought his arms around a Gongenzaka and Dennis, there wasn't any space for O'Brien and Shark. He got close and spoke on a volume so all of the four could hear.

"I'm asking if you want to fight against some strong Duelists?"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Overlay Sacrifice, Continuous Trap: If a Monster in the Field were to be destroyed, you can detach an overlay unit from an Xyz Monster you control instead.**

 **Shark Drake, Water, Sea Serpent: Once per turn, when this Card destroys a Monster in battle, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, Special Summon the destroyed Monster to your opponent's side of the Field, then, decrease the Attack of that Monster by the difference between this Card and that Monster when they first battled, then, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. When this effect resolves, this Card will gain an extra Attack for every overlay unit it has currently plus 1.**

* * *

 **Finally Done! That took much longer than I thought it would.**

 **Sorry for the really late update guys! Reasons. Father's Day, net issues, and also getting stumped on how to write the Duel.**

 **Also, in a tag Duel, there are multiple versions if I remember correctly, well, I made a version where two teammates have different everything, but are still considered teammates. So, they don't share Graves or Fields. Which is why Gong could actually do something.**

 **Also, I am afraid I have bad news, but after all of this stuff I will tell you.**

 **Here's the preview.**

 **At night, Yuto and Yuya decide to sneak out to look for Yugo and Yuzu. Someone catches them and tags along though. Shark, O'Brien, Gong-chan, and Dennis are taken to an underground riding Duel arena, where they find Shun. Then, Aki returns to Ruri, and she tells her about the Duel and about a boy with purple hair that looks like tentacles...**

 **Bridgey: Well, I think Shingo was really a character that was only there for comic relief, unfortunately. Which is sad, I like Shingo as a character, I really do, but he got so much bad representation and was made into a comic relief character really.**

 **Matrixnis: Well, I didn't want people from the Obelisk Force to Card Kaito's family, I don't think using the Tyler twins would go well, and don't worry, as far as I'm concerned, 1-2 of the other girls will be safe from the Parasite.**

 **Alright, now for the bad news. Ok, so...starting on June 26th, I will be leaving my home to go to another to visit my family for the summer. Because of this, I won't be able to update this story until August 30 or something like that. So, yeah, 2 months of no updates, sorry guys, I really am, but these 2 months I have are the only chance I get to see my other family members out of the entire year. There are only 3-5 members of my family that I ever see other than those that I am visiting. In a year, and heck I barely even see my brother and oldest cousin anymore. So, I'm going to kick back and relax with my family over the summer, hope you guys understand. There is a small chance I will go through the past chapters and edit, make them a little bit better. But I won't be posting any new chapters. At most, I will make 1-2 more chapters before the hiatus.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, take care goodbye.**


	63. Underground Dueling?

"I'm not going." Gongenzaka said to the others, who were being led by Gallagher to his place. "We should be looking for the others, not some unknown Duelists-"

"Wait a second, Gong-chan." Dennis interrupted Gongenzaka as he walked up to him to try to reason with him. "For all we know, the others could be here, too."

"Why would the others be here though?" O'Brien raised the question.

"Well, Reiji said our goal is to search for strong Duelists to help our cause in defeating Academia. For what we know, some of the Lancers here could be doing just that. And I already know 2 people who would want to." Shark said.

"You mean Shun and Serena?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Yes." Ryoga confirmed.

"Those are my thoughts exactly, Shark-chan!"

"Stop calling me Shark-chan!" Shark demanded Dennis. It sounded really stupid already.

"But strong Duelists in a place like this…" Gongenzaka murmured, thinking otherwise by the fact that the place they are being led to is in an alleyway.

"Strong Duelists here?" Gallagher interjected as he walked to the 4 Lancers. "You think that I, the great promoter Gallagher would spout nonsense? RAAAAH!" He proceeded to grab Gongenzaka's collar while dragging him with him.

 _Wow, to move Gong-chan like that, this person must have amazing strength!_ Dennis thought to himself.

"H-Hey!" After Gongenzaka's statement, Gallagher also took Dennis by the collar and dragged him as well. Shark and O'Brien looked at the trio before looking at each other. Shark sighed in defeat and O'Brien shrugged his shoulders as they followed Gallagher, despite the constant bickering and yelling from Gong and Dennis.

At the entrance, Gallagher let go of Dennis and Gong, who immediately retaliated.

"Hey! What the heck did you think you were doing? Dragging us to this place when we don't even want to be here!" Gongenzaka bellowed.

Despite his yelling, Gallagher ignored him and proceeded to enter a code for the door. A beeping sound was heard and the door slowly started to slide open, with bright light oozing to the outside. Gallagher turned around to face the Lancers.

"Ok, we're here. See with your own eyes whether or not I'm telling the truth." Gallagher stepped to the side to show a gigantic room with a stadium. There was a lane for Riding Duels that went in circles, there was hundreds of people watching a Duel commence between two Duelists. The four walked in so they could get a better view of the area.

"What is this place?" Gongenzaka asked Gallagher as he looked on in awe.

Gallagher threw his arms around Dennis and Gongenzaka. "This is the largest underground Dueling arena in the City. A social gathering of darkness where people bet on illegal gambling Duels."

"Underground Dueling…" Both Shark and O'Brien muttered. They had both told each other of underground Dueling in their home Dimensions, so the fact that they both knew wasn't so surprising to them.

"Duels of darkness and torture. Rio and I used to take part in these kind of Duels. Albeit, Rio did it much less than me. I used to do it to escape from the outside world. It was before I met Yuto and the others. Rio only took part in the underground Duels to look out for me and make sure I didn't do anything stupid." Shark explained his reason for knowing about underground Duels.

"A place like this…" Gongenzaka growled in anger. He could not accept a place where people bet illegally, in was just unforgivable and it was nothing a true an would do.

"Over there!" Dennis exclaimed as he pointed to the track where above there were pictures of the Duelists.

"What?" O'Brien asked as he looked at the pictures, surprised to see some of the Duelists.

"Shun! I told you he or Serena could have came here!" Shark commented at the sight of a Shun. He looked on to the Field to see Shun in his purple riding suit with a helmet on his head.

The Duel played out to the end. Shun Xyz Summoned Rise Falcons used its effects to defeat his opponent named Mukuro Enjo.

The crowd went ecstatic and they started chanting. "KUROSAKI! KUROSAKI! KUROSAKI!"

* * *

Later

"Why? To look for strong Duelists, of course." Shun answered Gongenzaka's question of why he was in the underground area.

"Alright, pay up." Shark told O'Brien as he held out his hand. O'Brien gave a look that said 'do I look like I have money on me at the moment?"

"I thought so, it's easier to find strong Duelists in underground arenas like this than our on the streets." Dennis pointed out.

"I heard that in this underground Dueling arena, people Duel seriously using their own skills. But it's been disappointing. Everyone here is all talk and no bite. No one has given me a worthy challenge." Gallagher chuckled at what Shun said.

"This guy here uses an astonishing Summoning method called Xyz so when I saw you and barnacle boy over there use Xyz Summoning, I knew I had to come and get you. Kurosaki here has 9 consecutive wins so far." Gallagher informed the four.

"It's not exactly shocking to us...or, to me at least." Shark replied calmly.

"Yeah, we're all pals!" Dennis told Gallagher.

"Hmph, no wonder." He whispered to himself so no one could hear him.

"Pfft, the Xyz you learn at LDS is a fraud." Shun scoffed. From the LDS Duelists he fought, some used Xyz, and they weren't much of a challenge at all to Shun.

"Oh, really? But your Xyz Monsters aren't that strong either, aren't they? And also, last time I heard, there were rumors going around about you and Reiji having a Duel and the latter kicking your ass with an Xyz Monster!" Dennis exclaimed in a challenging manner.

"What was that you bastard?!" Shun took a sharp turn around and glared at Dennis. A cold sea of tension growing slowly in between the two.

"Stop fighting!" Gongenzaka walked in between the two. He turned to Shun. "Kurosaki, where are Yuto, Serena and the others?"

"Who knows. I arrived in this Dimension alone, and got this far by myself. I tried contacting Shark and Yuto, but the inter dimensional travel must have messed with our communication system. I have no doubt Yuto is fine, he's a tough guy, he wouldn't falter that easily. When I first arrived though, I actually thought the others got lost in between Dimensions…"

"You didn't even bother to look for them?!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"I told you I tried contacting Shark and Yuto, I got nothing. I've been looking for strong Duelists. That's the reason why we are here." Shun responded nonchalantly.

"Looking for the other Lancers should be top priority!" Gongenzaka exclaimed out of annoyance for Shun's arrogance and reluctance to help find the others. For all they know, they could be in trouble.

"Lancers? What's that? And you've been going on and on about dimensions or something…"

Gongenzaka turned around to face Gallagher. "The truth is, we came here from the Standard Dimensi-GUAGH!" Dennis forcefully elbowed Gongenzaka in the Rin's, catching him off guard and leaving him in pain and in anger. "What are you…"

"No harm done!" Dennis smiled at Gongenzaka as if nothing had ever happened. "Now, let's save the complicated stuff for later." He moved closer to Gongenzaka and whispered into his ear. "Talking about other dimensions and whatnot is bound to be troublesome."

"Hey!" Gallagher pointed at Dennis suddenly. "What are you whisperin' about over there?"

"Ah, nothing." Dennis backed away from Gong. "Anyway, you called us because Kurosaki's so strong, right?"

"Yeah, I found you guys while looking for newcomers who don't use cheap tricks. Especially you, Dennis!" Gallagher pointed at Dennis while taking off his glasses, causing the boy to backup a little bit to maintain personal space. "You have what it takes to become a star! I've been making a living in this city for a long time. My eyes are never wrong."

"Yah...I'm so happy to hear Gallagher-san say that!" Dennis scratched the back of his head as he closed his eyes.

"Dennis don't tell me that you're going to…" Gongenzaka trailed off, waiting for Dennis' answer.

"Yeah, it's fine to give it a try." Dennis replied with a wide smile, no hesitation present in his voice at all.

"I would not advise that, Dennis. Duels like these really take a toll on your body after a while, and to some newcomers, it can be really bad." Shark warned Dennis.

"But the Duels here are different. And there is riding that motorcycle-looking thing."

"D-wheel." Gallagher out his glasses back on as he said the name of the object Dennis was referring to. "This the first time you guys have seen a Riding Duel?"

"Riding Duel?" Shark, Gong, Dennis, and O'Brien repeated in confusion. Shark suddenly realized something.

He bickered something to himself so no one could hear. "Actually, Yugo was on a d-wheel, and he does hail from this Dimension. Could it be that he also takes part in Riding Duels?"

* * *

Sometime after the 2 VS 2 Duel-Aki's home-Commons

"I'm back." Aki announcer as she walked through the door in her usual attire. (The clothes she basically always wears in 5D's)

"Where did you go?" Ruri asked the girl.

"To The Tops." Aki replied simply as she entered the same room that Ruri was in.

Aki's place was nice and a little clean, but even still it was nothing compared to a Tops house. So it was still considered a Commons house. It's basically Crow's house except a little bigger with 1 or 2 more rooms.

Ruri took a good look at Aki, the girl who saved her. She had difficulty trusting her because of what happened in the Duel where she...changed. However, she saved Ruri herself. So, she could be trusted for now. The first thing Aki said to a Ruri when they first came to her house was to take a bath if she would like to, as Ruri did kind of fall into a dumpster, literally.

From the get-go, Ruri could tell that living in the Commons wasn't easy if you weren't used to it. She wondered how Rin could live like this her entire life. Rin had said the Commons was a very messy place, small buildings and houses, and people on the streets struggling to survive. Oh yeah, and the occasional dangerous gangs lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on a victim. It's kind of survival of the fittest really.

However, as Ruri took another look around the place, it wasn't messy or anything like that. Which gave Ruri a question.

"Aki-san, how did you get some of this nice stuff, like a bath." From what Rin had told her, most people of the Commons couldn't maintain personal hygiene because of how poor most of the population was.

"Well, some stuff I...might have stole." Aki revealed with a small smile.

"You stole it!?" Ruri exclaimed while widening her eyes in shock.

"Yeah, not so good, so that, along with the fact that I attack some people of Security around here, is part of the reason that I am labeled a threat. Thankfully, no one has ever found me." Aki informed Ruri.

"So why do you attack Security? Do you have a grudge?" Ruri asked politely.

Aki's face slightly twitched from anger for a moment, but it wasn't very noticeable to a Ruri. "Well, Security and the Tops...well, they treat us Commons like trash. Hell, sometimes they even treat each other the same way. I should know. After all, I used to live in the Tops."

"You used to live in the Tops? Then why…"

"Why am I living in the Commons now?" Aki finished, Ruri nodded her head in response. Aki let out a sigh. "Well, let's just say I got kicked out of my home, so was my family. The reason why, is because of my father. But I don't blame him, it's because of the Tops. You see, my father used to be a senator in the Tops. He noticed the problem the Commons were having, and so, eventually, he revealed to the Tops that he wanted to help out the Commons and bring both the Tops and the Commons together, so they could live as one whole society, equally."

"That sounds like a great plan!" Ruri commented. "Your father must be a good man!"

"He was. The idea seemed very good, however, the other Tops didn't agree with the idea. My dad was bombarded with protests and outrage. Eventually, Security was sent over to my house in the Tops and they arrested my family and I. My mom, my dad, and finally me. There were these two trucks, they threw me into one, while I saw that they threw my parents into a different one for some reason. I never saw my parents again." Aki closed her eyes as she formed a fist with her hand and grit her teeth.

"I'm sorry." Ruri said out of sympathy. Ruri herself already knew how much it hurts to lose a loved one. She lost her parents when Academia attacked, and now she was separated from her friends, her brother, and Yuto…

"It's ok. I never said they were dead. They might still be alive, albeit captured by Security's hands. Anyways, that was 2 years ago, when I was 16-years old. Anyways, I was taken to a prison, and, I was stuck there for about a year, I'm surprised I didn't go insane. But I broke out, and when I did, I was chased, I was challenged to a Duel by Security, but I beat them, and I discovered my powers. The ability to inflict real damage through Duel Monsters."

 _Academia could do the same thing._ Ruri noted.

"I went back to my house to see it replaced completely, the house was kind of like a family inheritance, so I knew that my Dad didn't change the look, he never would. I decided to go to the Commons area before I would be found, and I found this abandoned house. So I tidied it up and called it home. And ever since I have lived here and attacked several members of Security." Aki told Ruri.

"So how did you adapt?" Ruri asked.

"I kind of knew already how the Commons lived. When my father said he wanted to help the Commons, I told him I wanted to help, so he said that my mom and I could go down to the Commons and supply them. I decided to put on some Duels to give the Commons a more positive outlook on life and have them temporarily escape the harsh realities of life. While down in the Commons, I saw how they lived, how they ate, and how they adapt really." Aki explained. Suddenly, her face grew a smile. "Anyways, enough about that. While in the Tops, I saw 4 people entertaining a crowd."

"Really?" Ruri remembered to how in Heartland, Sakaki Yusho would entertain the crowd after his sudden appearance. His shows were a hit.

"Yeah, it was a 2 on 2 Duel. Two guys stood out to me though, they used this weird Summoning method, where they would use Monsters with the same level as material and Summon a Monster. I think they called it...Xyz Summoning…" Aki said.

"Wait! Xyz Summoning!" Ruri stood up in shock. Could it be her comrades have come for her? They knew she was here?

"How do you know about Xyz Summoning?" Aki questioned the girl she saved.

"It's the Summoning method I use." Ruri revealed as she took a Card from her Extra Deck and showed it to Aki. "Anyways, what did these two people look like?"

"Hmm, well, one had orange hair, while the other had purple hair that looked like tentacles. Funny enough, he used Fish Monsters and Sharks. If I remember correctly, he Summoned a big boss Monster named Shark Drake." Aki thought back to the Duel.

Ruri widened her eyes, a smile creeping up her face. Purple hair with tentacles with an Xyz Monster named Shark Drake? That spelled Ryoga all over it.

"It's them. It's my friends." Ruri sighed in relief. "Yuto and my brother could be with them too! I can finally see them again." A tear started to form in Ruri's right eye at the thought of seeing the people she cared about.

"Do you know one of them?" Aki asked.

"Yes, the one with purple hair. He is one of my friends. Do you know where they are?" Ruri demand Aki for an answer.

"No, they probably left." The 18-year old woman told Ruri. "But don't get any ideas of leaving to go find them. Security probably would capture you in a second if they see you. I don't want you getting captured. We cannot do anything at the moment, we should just wait." Ruri grew sad at Aki's commands. Once again, she couldn't see her comrades. First she lost some friends from the war, then she was kidnapped, and now she can't see them. For all she knew, Shun and Yuto was with Shark. Despite her desire to sneak out and look, she obeyed Aki. However, she had a deep pain and sadness in her heart.

 _It's just not fair..._

* * *

Synchro Dimension-At night-Crow's home

" _Yuto. It's time."_ Yuya spoke to Yuto telepathically.

"Yeah. Let's go." Yuto responded as he slowly walked out of the room. He came to the door to the outside. However, right when he was about to open the door…

"Where are you going?"

Yuto jumped slightly out of shock from the sudden voice. He turned around and saw Serena sitting on Crow's table with her arms crossed.

" _S-Serena?"_ Yuya spoke the name of the girl.

"What are you doing? Why are you awake?" Yuto interrogated the girl from the Fusion Dimension.

"I would ask you the same question." Serena countered.

"Kgh…" Yuto grumbled our of frustration.

"You want to go out looking for Yuzu and Yugo, don't you?" Serena guessed. She had already heard the a little bit of the conversation Yuto and Crow had yesterday, so she already knew he was going out.

 _Damn it, how do girls know everything!_ Yuto thought to himself.

"Uhh, yeah. I'm going out to look for them. Alright, you already know why I'm up, but what about you?" Yuto asked the lookalike of Yuzu.

"Isn't it obvious? To go with you." Serena held up her own Duel Disk to Yuto.

"Oh no, we're not Dueling people at night, it could attract attention. Also, if the both of us went out, we could easily get caught." Yuto argued with Serena. They already sparked a bad reputation with the officials right as they arrived. Although they didn't do anything wrong, they still had the law against them now.

"You mean YOU will get caught." Serena said, referring to how easily she spotted Yuto moments before their conversation. "Of course, Academia taught us some skills to use in battle. One of these skills happened to be stealth. Unfortunately, I couldn't use any of the teachings. They were useless since the Professor wouldn't let me go out to the frontlines of the army that attacked the Xyz Dimension." At that statement, Yuto's face grew noticeably pale.

"Actually, speaking of the Professor, what is he like? Do you know anything about his Deck, how he rules Academia, anything?" Yuto listed examples of things that Serena could tell him.

"The Professor...what he's like huh…" Serena pondered on the questions for a bit, before coming up with an answer. "Alright, here's something. The Professor is basically Akaba Reiji, except for a couple of things, he's an enemy, and also he never shows any emotion at all, unlike Akaba Reiji who shows a tiny bit. Like Reiji, the man is intelligent, and he knows how to rule an army. At Academia, the Professor rules with an iron fist, and his orders are absolute. Those who disobey are either punished or executed."

"Executed as killed?" Yuto questioned.

"No. Executed as in Carded." Serena corrected.

"That's terrible, even for Academia soldiers. For the leader to treat his comrades and soldiers like that…" Yuto trailed off, not knowing what else to say. He had actually, for the first time, felt remorse for the Academia students. Could it be that this was why the soldiers were like this? So...sadistic? Could it be how they were taught?

 _Wait a minute, how they were taught...what if…_

"Serena, tell me, how much basic knowledge to Academia students have of anything?" Yuto asked.

"Other subjects are thought to be useless to learn at Academia. Only a Dueling and tactics of war and fighting." Serena answered.

"Thanks for the info, but that's not what I meant. I mean how well-educated are Academia students before they enroll?" Yuto questioned.

"I don't know. But from what I have heard, not much education. I've heard rumors that there more people who enroll that are orphans than people with parents or some kind of parental figure. Just like me, they had no parents, so they enrolled and the Professor took them in. Of course, they are taught in the ways that emotions and such other things like love will just hold you back." Serena explained.

" _So that's why they are merciless killing machines. They have never known anything else. Academia is really the only thing they know."_ Yuya muttered to himself.

"Oh yeah, one more thing, people who enroll that have parents or something like that, well, they never see their parents again. They become corrupt by Academia's teachings." Serena added to her explanation. "Anyways, stuff about Academia aside, let's go find Yugo and Yuzu."

"Yeah." Yuto nodded his head in agreement as the two left the house.

* * *

 **Alright! We got another chapter done. This will most likely be my last chapter before this story goes on hiatus. But who knows, there is a small chance I will be able to squeeze out one more chapter.**

 **No Duel this chapter, sorry guys, there will be one next chapter, but of course you guys might not be able to see it.**

 **Here's the preview:**

 **While Yuto and Serena are out trying to look for Yugo and Yuzu, they run into Mukuro Enjo, who out of rage, left the underground arena after being demolished by Kurosaki. Serena stays hidden and leaves Yuto to Duel Enjuro. However, as the Duel begins, Yuya opts to switch places with Yuto and Duel to let the latter rest…**

 **If you guys don't know who Mukuro Enjo is, it'd Hunter Pace in the dub. He appeared in 5D's, and of course he made a cameo sort of appearance in Arc-V by being destroyed by Kurosaki. If I remember correctly, he was arrested, but I decided to have him leave before that would even happen.**

 **Bridgey: Love hate relationship...I don't know about love, Yugo and Yuzu didn't really have a thing going on. (If you are a person who ships Yugo and Yuzu I really don't mind, I'm just saying what I think.) Thank you for understanding about the break by the way.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	64. Captured

It was dark, and very quiet in the Commons area. There were the occasional bickering from the people who unfortunately don't have a roof over their heads, but otherwise, it was quiet. No one went out for any Riding Duels at night. So, it was the perfect time of the day for Yuto and Serena to go sneaking around looking for Yugo and Yuzu.

They had been searching for about an hour by now. They had found an orphanage, however, they decided to go against going in there and sneaking around since it could scare the kids. Well, more like Yuto refused to go and had to convince Serena not to go, much to her annoyance.

"Alright, we have been searching for them for awhile, I think we should hurry back to Crow's place before we get into any trouble." Yuto said to Serena.

"What? Well, if we can't find Yugo and Yuzu then let's at least do what we were sent here to do. Find strong Duelists! Strong Duelists that can join us in our cause against Academia!" Serena rebutted, wanting to stay outside.

"But Serena, if we stay out here, we could risk getting caught by Security!" Yuto argued. They already made a bad impression. He didn't want to make it worse than it already was.

"Please, we already got in trouble for bullshit. I hardly think getting caught would do any harm." Serena stated nonchalantly.

"Not to us, but what about Crow and the kids?" Yuto questioned Serena's judgement.

"It's Crow's fault for getting involved and offering us to stay at his home then." Serena concluded.

"What kind of person are you? You only care about the mission at hand, you don't care if innocent bystanders get in the way and get hurt because of it!" Yuto told Serena.

"So, if people get hurt they get hurt. They should just get over it, and if they get hurt because they got in the way, then that's their problem that THEY should deal with." Serena put emphasis on the word 'they.'

"But that's not what the Lancers are for! The Lancers are supposed to protect people, not cause them to get hurt by our actions!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Then we must be really bad at doing our job as Lancers then." Serena closed her eyes and turned back.

"Hey! At least I've been trying! All you have been doing is saying that we should go Duel other people recklessly when we really should be laying low and finding our other comrades!" Yuto responded in an angry tone.

"If being in the Lancers bothers you so much you should have stayed in your pit at the Xyz Dimension!" Serena turned back with an expression that showed just as much anger.

That was the last straw.

"And maybe you should have stayed at your cage known as Academia!" Yuto snapped at Serena, his eyes flashing blue for a moment and Serena's bracelet starting to blink a little. "Defected or not you're still Academia! I have been trying my best to stay cool with you, despite you being with the enemy formerly. However, I can't do it!" The laughs of those soldiers and the screams of the citizens were forever ingrained in his head, sparking most of his hatred for Academia.

"I can't bring myself to work with someone from Academia! So you know what? Go! Go ahead and Duel all the Duelists you want, I don't care if you get captured, who knows, maybe Dueling all those people could make up for the fact that you couldn't have gone to the frontlines!"

"What was that?" Serena narrowed her eyes at the Xyz Duelist.

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten that you wanted to go to the frontlines of the army invading Heartland. You probably went as far as Carding someone too when you came here." Yuto jumped to a conclusion, which he unknowingly got right. "Academia hurt my friends and family and took some of the most important people away from me. And now to know that I have to work with a person who wanted to do the same thing, well...I can't do that."

Serena remained silent.

"As far as I'm concerned, you could backstab us at any moment. Hell, you don't even care about the other Lancers much less me and Shun! You just want to go out and Duel people! You don't realize the fact that we should be finding the others as soon as we can! You know, that's just like Academia. You said emotions are a hindrance at Academia. If that's the case, then I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't care about what would happened to your comrades either." Yuto closed his eyes and started to walk away on the roof they were on.

Just as Serena was just about to respond to Yuto's rant, she heard a sound nearby. She quickly jumped away, leaving Yuto, who also heard the sound. However, Yuto didn't react, so he was seen by the person who made the sound.

"What in the hell!" A male voice was heard yelling in surprise.

 _Damn, I was spotted!_ Yuto cursed inwardly as he decided to not run and look at the person who caught him. He saw a man with a semi-furious look on his face dressed in biker gear.

"Who are you?" The man asked with distaste present in his voice, and an impolite manner present around the man.

Yuto felt a burning air with this guy's presence. However, he held his composure and gave the man a stare with his two steel grey eyes.

"Who I am matters not to you." Yuto decided not to answer the man's question. "However, if I were to go by a temporary name, you could call me Phantom."

"Phantom? Hmph, no matter. Look, I'm not in a good mood today, I had to leave the Tops, since I am from the Commons to begin with. I got my ass kicked from some idiot who used some stupid birds! I don't need some weirdo sneaking around on my house right now!"

 _This is his house? Wait, birds? Could he be talking about Shun?_ Yuto asked himself.

"That so called idiot who uses birds, did you catch his name?" Yuto interrogated.

"You are in a position to be asking me questions when you are the guy who's standing on top of my house. If I didn't know any better, you probably snuck into my house to try and steal something! All of these other Commons, they'll do whatever it takes to survive...but then again, I don't blame them!" The man exclaimed as he pulled out his Duel Disk and strapped it onto his arm. "Oh yeah, so you know the man to fear, I'll tell you my name. "It's Mukuro Enjo!" The man now known as Mukuro Enjo activated his Duel Disk, Yuto was about to do the same, however…

" _Yuto, leave this to me."_ Yuya suddenly spoke as he appeared right next to his Xyz counterpart.

"Yuya?"

" _Get some rest. I can take the Duel. Besides, since I am inside of you, I am technically a Lancer now. So I have to contribute to the group in some way."_ Yuya explained his reason for wanting to Duel.

Yuto pondered on the thought for a bit. He decided to let him. He smiled and gave a nod of approval to Yuya, who gave a smirk in response.

" _Alright, let's do it."_ Yuya said.

"Umm, are you spacing out or something cause the less amount of time your ass is on my roof the better!" Enjo exclaimed.

Suddenly, the Xyz Duelist he was facing flinched and blended over in pain. Yuto put his hands over his eyes as he could feel Yuya possessing his body. When he opened his eyes, they were now red, meaning Yuya was in control. Yuya stood up to face Enjo.

"Alright, I guess I should get off your roof." Yuya proceeded to jump off Enjo's roof, performing a front flip in the process as he landed on his feet. He then took Yuto's a Deck out of the Duel Disk and put his own in. After the Championship had ended, Yuya and Yuto decided to separate their Decks, except for the Extra Deck. "Now, let's get this over with!" Yuya activated his Duel Disk as he stared down his opponent.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists shouted on unison, signifying the start of the Duel.

"Now, I shall begin this Duel! I Summon Skull Conductor from my Hand!" Enjo slammed the Card onto his Duel Disk as a man in a black suit appeared.

Skull Conductor: Level 4, 2000 Atk, 0 Def

"I activate the effect of Skull Conductor, by sending this Card to the Grave, I can a Special Summon up to 2 Zombie-Type Monsters from my Hand whose Attack is 2000 or less. I Special Summon 2 copies of Burning Skull Head!" Enjo took his 2 Desiree a Cards out of Hand to show Yuya, the two skulls appeared out of a bright flame.

Burning Skull Flame: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 800 Def

"When these Cards are Special Summoned, I get to hit you with 1000 points of damage! Take this!" Bright flames were released from the skulls, which reached over to Yuya, causing the boy to cover his face and wince.

Yuya: 4000-2000 LP

" _He halved your life already. Are you sure about this, Yuya?"_ Yuto asked his counterpart out of concern.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Yuya answered with determination present in his voice.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Enjo concluded.

"My turn, draw! I use the Scale 2 Entermage Gongcat and the Scale 8 Synthesis Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya declared as he swiped his two Cards onto his Duel Disk. Two pillars of light shined behind him as his Monsters flew up inside each of them, with their Scale number below them. Finally, a pendulum had began to swing in the middle of the two pillars.

"What is this?! A new Summoning method...just like that bastard using that stupid Xyz Summoning…" Enjo growled.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are 3 to 7! Swing! Pendulum of my soul, carve an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!" Yuya cried as he lifted his hand to the pendulum, 2 beams of light came flying out of the portal under the pendulum. "First up, Entermate Fire Mufflio! Next, wonderous and dichromatic eyes! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Fire Mufflio: Level 3, 800 Atk, 800 Def

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"Pendulum Summon? He Summoned two Monsters all at once, and one of them he didn't even tribute for!" Enjo gaped at the sight of Odd Eyes and Fire Mufflio.

"I will end it in one turn!" Yuya proclaimed as he made his move. "Attack, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya pointed to one of the Burning Skull Heads. On his command, Odd Eyes, at great speed ran to the Monster and prepared to whack it with his tail.

"Trap activate, Negate Attack! When a Monster you control declares an attack, I can negate the attack and end the Battle Phase!" Enjo explained to Yuya, who clicked his tongue out of annoyance.

"Alright, I activate the Pendulum effect of Synthesis Magician! Once per turn, I can grant a Monster on the Field the level of another Monster. I grant Fire Mufflio the level of Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, which is 7!" Odd Eyes roared after hearing his name being called.

Enjo sharpened his gaze at the 2 Monsters, remembering the setup. "2 Monsters with the same level on his Field. He couldn't be…"

"I overlay the level 7 Fire Mufflio with my Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Dragon with dual-colored eyes, step into a brand new stage of ice and snow, and show your absolute powers to the world! Xyz Summon! Show yourself, Rank 7, Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya chanted as he Xyz Summoned his Monster.

Absolute Dragon: Rank 7, 2800 Atk, 2300 Def

"Xyz Summoning…" Enjo whispered to himself as he swallowed.

"That is the end of my turn." Yuya said.

"So, you are connected with that bird bastard huh?"

"What?"

"You're using the same method as that bird bastard." Enjo repeated.

" _He really is talking about Shun."_ Yuto told Yuya.

"Yeah, then we need to get some answers out of him after this is over." Yuya nodded his head in agreement with Yuto.

"I won't lose this time! My turn, draw! From my Hand, I Summon the Tuner Monster Skull Engineer!" Enjo Summoned a skull with a wrench stuck in it.

Skull Engineer: Level 2, 600 Atk, 500 Def

"A Tuner Monster." Yuya noted, knowing what was going to happen next. After all, they were in the Synchro Dimension.

"I tune the 2 level 4 Burning Skull Heads with the Level 2 Tuner Monster Skull Engineer! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 10, Burning Skull Flame!" Enjo chanted as he Synchro Summoned his new Monster who wore a cloak and had a skull as a head. He had burning red eyes and a scorching smile.

Burning Skull Flame: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2400 Def

" _Careful Yuya, since it's a level 10 Synchro Monster, it's bound to be powerful."_ Yuto warmed Yuya telepathically, who nodded his head in response.

"When Skull Engineer is used as material for a Synchro Summon, I get to draw a Card. Next, I activate Burning Skull Flame's effect, when this Card is Synchro Summoned, by returning 2 Monsters to my Hand, I get to Special Summon Skull Flame from my Hand or Deck. However, it has its effect negated until the end of the turn." Enjo explained the effect to Yuya as he took a Card from his Deck and placed it in his Monster Zone.

Skull Flame: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def

"Battle! Go, Skull Flame, Attack Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon! I use Burning Skull Flame's effect! Once per turn, when a Monster other this Card I control attacks a Monster on the Field, I can increase that Monster's Attack by 1000 for every Burning Skull Head in my Hand or Grave until the end of the turn! There are 2, so, Skull Flame's Attack is increased by 2000!"

Skull Flame: 2600-4600 Atk

Enjo's Monster revealed a sword with the blade being made out of blue fire. The Monster slowly walked over to Odd Eyes, soon speeding up to unleash the blow that would kill Odd Eyes. However...

"Not so fast!" Yuya quickly thrusted his hand towards his Monster. "I activate the effect of Odd Eyes Absolute Dragon! Once per turn, when an attack is declared, I can negate the attack by detaching an overlay and Special Summon an Odd Eyes Monster from my Hand or Grave!"

"When the Monster increased by Burning Skull Flame's effect attacks, Card effects cannot be activated, however, the attacked Monster can't be destroyed by this battle. Now, go!"

"What?!" Yuya widened his eyes as he was thrown backwards by the attack connecting. "AAAAAAAAAH!" He hit the ground face-up.

Yuya: 2000-200 LP

"Burning Skull Flame, attack his Monster!" Burning Skull took of its skull and threw it at Odd Eyes.

"This time I can use my Monster's effect!" Yuya reminded Enjo as an overlay unit orbiting Odd Eyes disappeared. "By detaching an overlay unit, the attack is negated! Now, return from the Grave, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya's ace Monster lifted up his head and roared out loud, marking his return.

"I end my turn." Enjo concluded. "Damn, I couldn't finish you. No matter, next turn I will end it. At this moment, the Attack of Skull Flame returns to normal."

Skull Flame: 4600-2600 Atk

"My turn!" Yuya drew his Card in his Draw Phase. "I Summon Entermate Whip Viper!" Out came a Monster who had a bow, and a purple snake with a top hat.

Entermate Whip Viper: Level 4, 1700 Atk

"Hmph, your Monsters are still no match for any of mine. The only one you could get rid of is Skull Flame, and even still I can boost the Attack by 2000 when it battles." Enjo reminded Yuya, who paid no attention to the problem.

"That will be solved easily. I activate Entermate Whip Viper's effect, once per turn, I can flip the Attack and Defense of a Monster you control!" Yuya said.

"Excuse me!" Enjo froze in his tracks. Did he just say flip the Attack and Defense? If so, then Enjo was in trouble.

"I switch the stats of your Burning Skull Flame!"

Burning Skull Flame: 3000-2400 Atk, 2400-3000 Def

"Time to fight fire with fire! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Burning Skull Flame! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya yelled as his dragon jumped into the air and released a torrent of fire at Burning Skull Flame. The blast connected, however, Burning Skull Flame was trying to hold on. "Also, when Odd Eyes battles a level 5 or higher Monster, the damage is doubled! Reaction Force!" Odd Eyes gave one last push and the blast overtook Burning Skull, destroying the Monster. Enjo covered his eyes as he took damage.

Enjo: 4000-3800 LP

"Now, Odd Eyes Absolute, attack Skull Flame! Absolute Force!" Like Pendulum Dragon, Absolute jumped into the air, but this time, he had let out a torrent of ice and wind at Skull Flame, the Monster was destroyed easily. Enjo shivered from the cold harsh winds.

Enjo: 3800-3600 LP

"Now you don't have a Monster to defend you! Whip Viper, Attack him directly!" Yuya pointed to Enjo, who was whipped by the tail of Yuya's snake. Enjo dropped to the ground as he writhed in pain.

Enjo: 3600-1900 LP

"I end my turn." Yuya concluded as he witnessed Enjo get up to his feet with a ticked off expression.

"I am not losing to someone associated with that bird bastard! I was so close to getting to the top! If I kept winning, I could have gotten a free spot into the Friendship Cup! And I could have beat that asshole Jack Atlas!" Enjo was fuming with anger as he held up a fist and punched his open palm.

" _Friendship Cup? Jack Atlas?"_ Yuto repeated the two things that appealed to him the most. " _Yuya, we should question him about those things when we win."_

" _When_ we win? You sound confident." Yuya said to his lookalike.

" _Of course. This guy...he is reckless. If he couldn't beat Shun in the state my friend is now...then, I highly doubt he will be able top you, Yuya."_ Yuto explained his reason to Yuya.

"My turn, draw! Witness my true power! I banish the Skull Flame in my Graveyard in order to Special Summon this Card from my Hand! Appear, Speed King-Skull Flame!" A Monster in armor riding a horse galloped to the Field.

Speed King-Skull Flame: Level 10, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def

"I activate the Magic Card Skull Collapse! By banishing a Skull Monster in my Grave, I get to destroy a Monster you control. I banish Skull Engineer to destroy your Absolute Dragon!" A yellow orb appeared right in front of the Card, it flew over to Absolute Dragon, he was immediately destroyed.

"Odd Eyes!" Yuya yelled out of concern for his dragon.

"Now, I will end it here! Speed King-Skull Flame! Attack Entermate Whip Viper and end the Duel!" Enjo declared an attack as his Monster galloped towards the snake.

"From my Hand, I send Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir to the Grave to activate his effect! I get to reduce the next battle damage a player would take to 0! Which I will do now!" The attack collided, Skull Flame had trampled the snake, yet Yuya did not take damage nor did he flinch in the slightest.

"I end my turn here. Hah, you managed to make it yet another turn. I still have this game won however. You have 200 life points, I have 1900. And your only Monster is that dragon. I would just surrender now if I were you." Enjo told Yuya.

"If you think I'm giving up you are highly mistaken!" Yuya spoke, surprising Enjo a little bit. "I have been in many situations like this before, and in none of them have I ever gave up. No matter what, I will win! And I will get my friend back!" At that moment, the top Card of Yuya's Deck started glowing a light blue. "My turn!" Yuya drew his Card with a strong force. He glanced at the Card and gasped. "This is…" It was a Monster. A Card Yuya has never seen before. However, for some reason, Yuya had a feeling. He already knew what to do.

"Well, come on, are you just going to keep staring at your damn Card?! Make a move already!" Enjo bellowed, getting highly impatient.

"When I control Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and two Cards in my Pendulum Zones, I can destroy them all in order to Special Summon this Card! This Summon will be counted as a Pendulum Summon!" Odd Eyes and Yuya's Scales disappeared from the Field as Yuya held out his newest Card. "Pendulum Summon! Appear, the dragon whose dichromatic eyes can glare through all, Omni Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya slammed his new Monster onto his Duel Disk as he roared out loud to the sky. The roar was so loud it started to create shockwaves, blowing trash and dirt and other things around the area. The dragon had dual-colored eyes like Odd Eyes,

Omni Eyes: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def

The roar was also heard by people in the Commons. They felt little ripples in their houses, waking most out of their sleep and scaring the daylight out of them.

Meanwhile-At Aki's house

Ruri awoke with a gasp. A loud roar...which sounded like it came from a dragon had woke her up.

"What was that?" She asked herself, a little worried and afraid. She knew that certain Duelists could inflict real damage through Dueling. In fact, Ruri was pretty sure she was one of them. However, other than fear, she had this other feeling. A feeling of that someone was near...someone close to her...but who was it?

"Is everything ok?" Aki asked suddenly. Ruri gasped out of fright and looked to the door into her room and saw Aki and standing there in red night clothes. Her only set of night clothes according to Aki. "I felt those ripples too."

"Yeah, I am fine." Ruri assured Aki with a smile. She looked at a window in her room, the roar had stopped already, but the ripples were still continuing, albeit they were getting weaker. She whispered something to herself. "Just what is going on."

"Oh yeah, I was going to head out tomorrow to visit a friend I met while down here. Want to come with me?" Aki asked the girl.

"Huh? O-oh y-yeah thank you."

Back at the Duel

"Omni Eyes Pendulum Dragon…" Enjo whispered the name of the dragon currently glaring at him in awe.

"I activate Omni Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect! When this Card is Pendulum Summoned, I can target a Monster on the Field except this Card, the level of the targeted Monster determines how many times Omni Eyes can attack this turn. If the Monster's level is 3 or lower, this Monster can only attack once, if it is a level 4 Monster, this Card can attack twice, if the level is 5 or higher, this Card can attack 3 times this turn!"

"What?! But my Monster is…" Enjo trailed off as he dropped his hands to his sides, knowing he lost.

"That's right, your Monster is a level 10. So, Omni Eyes can Attack three times. However, it will only need two. One more thing, when Omni Eyes battles a Monster, the battle damage inflicted is doubled. Battle! Go, Omni Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack his Speed King Skull Flame, and remember the battle damage is doubled! Reaction Burst!" Omni Eyes Rank right into Skull Flame, destroying the Monster. Enjo flinched as he took damage.

Enjo: 1900-1100 LP

"It ends now! Omni Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Enjo directly! Transcendent Spiral Stream!" Omni Eyes Eyes glowed as the dragon let out a yellowish green stream of fire, which enveloped Enjo, who cried out in pain. His life was reduced to 0 as he dropped down to his knees.

Enjo: 1100-0 LP

Omni Eyes disappeared. Yuya started at Enjo and started to walk to him. However, right as he moved, a sharp pain ran throughout his (really Yuto's) body.

"Gaagh…" Yuya growled as he clutched his chest in pain. He started to breath heavily as sweat rolled down his face. His vision became blurry as he started to lose control. The next thing he knew, he was right next to Yuto, whose body's eyes had turned from crimson red to grey, Yuto's normal eye color.

"Yuya, are you alright?" Yuto asked in concern. Yuya stopped breathing and gave Yuto a nod.

" _What about him?"_ Yuya asked, referring to the defeated Enjo who was on his knees.

"We'll question him. He knows where Shun is, so, Shun might be with the others. We should also ask him about the Friendship Cup and this Jack Atlas persona." Yuto answered calmly as he slowly walked over to Enjo.

A sea of silence rushed between the two as Yuto waited for Enjo to look at him. When he finally did, he asked a question.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Enjo asked Yuto.

"Not much. I just want some answers." Yuto replied, taking a slightly more cold tone that is used better for interrogating. "Start with this. Where were you when you were beaten by that Duelist who used Xyz?"

"What makes you think I will tell you?" Enjo questioned. He didn't know this person. He saw him on top of HIS roof, the roof of HIS house. Why should he answer anything he has to ask?

"Because, you're not leaving until you give me answers." Yuto took a step forward, falling deeper into his interrogation mode. "Answers, now!"

Enjo slightly jumped out of fear at Yuto raising his voice. "O-ok I'll tell I'll tell. I was in the underground Dueling area in the Tops."

"In the Tops...damn it." Yuto cursed under his breath. There was no doubt that there would be a ton of Security in the Tops. Plus, there could be some people disguised as normal people who could be working with the Tops. It would be too risky. "Alright, looks like we have to wing it with that one. Here's another question. What is the Friendship Cup?" Yuto leaned in slightly closer to Enjo, making the latter feel uncomfortable.

Yuya merely stared at Yuto in surprise. It was as if Yuto was a completely different person when interrogating people. He had to make sure not to get on his bad side. He looked back to Enjo, who was answering Yuto's question.

"The Friendship Cup is a yearly tournament. It is the only time of the year where the Commons and Tops are one and in the same area. It is really used to ease the tensions between the Tops and Commons." Enjo explained.

" _Hmph, that doesn't seem like the case from how this wonderful society is."_ Yuya muttered coldly and sarcastically when mentioning a wonderful society.

"16 people duke it out to reach the top, the winner of the 16 get to go to the true finals. The winner gets to Duel against the King Jack Atlas to challenge him for his title as King. Ever since the Friendship Cup 3 years ago, where he became King, Jack Atlas has never lost. As the King, Jack Atlas is the symbol for both the Tops and Commons. Both groups look up to him in some way." Enjo informed Yuto and unknowingly Yuya.

"Is that so? Anything else you would like to tell us?" Yuto questioned Enjo even more.

"Are you serious?! I answered everything you needed to know! What more do you want from me!?" Enjo shouted at the boy very loudly, standing up and throwing a punch at Yuto.

Yuto caught the punch in his hand and threw Enjo to a wall, where he ran up to him and pinned him, where he glared at him and spoke softly to the man.

"Do you want Security to hear you and potentially capture BOTH of us? Because as far as I am concerned, Security doesn't like Commons. I'm sure they'll consider me Commons, and since we are both involved in this situation, they will arrest us both, regardless of if they believe you or not. Heck, knowing them, they will even arrest nearby Commons who weren't even involved with this situation. Do you want that?";

Enjo simply scoffed. "I don't care what happens to the other Commons! I just want to get out of this stupid trash heap! Down here, it is survival of the fittest! There are gangs everywhere! People who mug others just to survive! There is no room for caring about others and forming bonds! Down here, you have yourself and only yourself!"

Yuto could feel that the words Enjo were saying weren't lies. He actually meant it. Crow told him about how the people down here struggle to survive, but not about gangs and people who mug others. However, Yuto had already suspected those kinds of things in the Commons when hearing about it.

"Such a horrible place." Yuto murmured. "Just how did Yugo live here with this kind of stuff all his life? We're done here." Yuto turned around and started to walk away. Suddenly, he froze. "Oh yeah, don't speak of this encounter. Not. To. Anyone."

"Y-yes. Of course not." Enjo said with a fake smile while lying.

"I can tell you're lying." Yuto told Enjo while glancing back at the man.

"And how would you know if I was or not?"

"Simple. Your personality, body language. Also, your putting up a fake smile. You don't really seem like the trusting type."

"This coming from the guy who was on top of my roof for no reason." Enjo muttered.

"I heard that. Now, I'll only say this one more time. Don't speak of ANY of this to ANYONE." And with that, Yuto ran off, leaving a very confused Enjo.

"Hmph, bastard, of course I'll tell someone." Enjo said to himself as he stood up and walked into his house.

As Yuto ran, Yuya appeared next to him with a serious expression on his face, then again, that was all he had on his face other than hate and rage ever since being absorbed. He had barely smiled.

" _I heard your fight with Serena."_

"I bet you did, Yuya."

" _I know what Academia did to you. But, Serena is different from those bastards. I now realize that what I experienced and felt in your memories is nothing compared to how you really felt. I can feel it, you're breaking apart from the inside Yuto, and it's going to show soon. But, despite you breaking apart and your hatred for Academia, I can feel that you want to trust Serena, truly call her a comrade."_

"And?"

" _And nothing. All I'm saying is that you and Serena need to accept each other and get along. Serena was former Academia, she isn't going to see things like you all the time. You have to deal with and reconcile. You know, the Lancers, if all of us could work together and get along, we could be an unbreakable team. Serena is on our side now. You have to accept her for what she is doing now, and stop wandering around in what she used to be."_ Yuya told Yuto.

"..." Yuto remained silent as he continued running. Perhaps Yuya was right, he kind of did overreact back then with Serena. And he was also right about how he should accept how she is now. Perhaps, that is the true way to defeat Academia.

Unfortunately for Yuto and Enjo, they never noticed the recently installed camera while they had their conflict. And there was a man watching. It was Director Roget. He looked on with a nonchalant expression on his face as he moved a piece forward to win.

Checkmate.

"Attention! Members of Security, this is Director Roget…"

The next day

Knock knock knock.

"I'm coming!" Crow yelled as he ran to his front door and opened it. On the other side, he saw Aki in her normal attire (what she wears in 5D's most of the time) along with another girl who her back turned away from Crow. Crow knew that he had never seen the girl before, she had long dark purple hair. "Yo, Aki!"

"Crow, nice to see you." Aki greeted. She glanced behind her at Ruri. "Come on, stop being so shy!"

For Ruri, she didn't know how to start. The only person she got along with from another dimension was Aki, and she went all rage mode when she first met her. In fact, she only met Aki a couple days ago.

 _Ok, just caaaalm down Ruri. This is like greeting a new person. Well, it is greeting a new person...except, this person is from another dimension...OH CRAP I'M GOING TO SOOOOO SCREW THIS UP!_ Ruri felt multiple drops of sweat roll down her face as she took a deep breath, turned around and closed her eyes.

"H-hallo!" Ruri screwed up her greet by not only stuttering, and pronouncing 'hello,' but she also had a voice crack at that very moment.

 _Damn you puberty!_ Ruri cursed at the back of her head.

"Hello there! My name is Crow! Crow Hogan!" The man now known as Crow to Ruri introduced himself.

 _...Roll with it!_ Ruri thought as she continued.

"M-my name is R-ruri K-k-kurosaki!" Ruri continued to stutter.

"Hello there R-ruri K-k-kurosaki! Nice to meet you!" Crow laughed as he made fun of Ruri's constant stuttering. "Quite the nervous friend you got here, Aki!"

Ruri took an immediate liking to this Crow fellow. Not only did he seem like a nice and cheerful guy. Plus, his name was a bird. And Ruri liked birds a lot.

"Well come on in you two." Crow opened the door even wider, allowing the two girls to walk in. They noticed five people, Tanner, Frank, Amanda, Reira, and Sawatari, who was flicking his hair. "Oi! Kids, it's Aki!"

"Nice to see you again, Aki!" The three kids greeted, with Amanda taking a bow to Aki.

"Hey you three! Oh, you have two more guests." Aki noted Reira and Sawatari's presence.

Sawatari stood up from the green couch and walked over to Aki.

"I am Sawatari Shingo!" Sawatari boasted as he pointed to himself. "I'm the strongest Duelist here!"

"We don't know that for sure! I haven't even seen you Duel!" Crow exclaimed with a chuckle.

"I'm Izayoi Aki." The woman ignored Crow and introduced herself. At that moment, Ruri walked out from behind Aki, catching Sawatari's attention.

"S-Serena! There you are! Wait...no, is that you, Hiragi Yuzu?" Sawatari questioned the girl without even introducing himself as he took a step closer to the girl.

"I am neither of those people." Ruri said.

"What?"

"Her name is Kurosaki Ruri." Crow corrected Sawatari, much to the boy's shock.

"K-Kurosaki?!" Sawatari gasped in shock. That was Shun's surname. If she has the same surname as Shun, could this be his sister. Actually, now that Sawatari thought about it, he swore either Yuto or Shun said the name of the latter's sister. Yes...it was Ruri! "Wait a minute! Y-you're the sister of Shun! Kurosaki Shun!"

"You know my brother?!" Ruri was surprised. She didn't expect anybody of this Dimension to know who her brother was.

"Yes. He is one of my missing comrades! When we came to this Dimension, we were separated along with some of our other comrades!" Sawatari informed Ruri.

"Missing? Came to this Dimension? So you don't live in this Dimension?" Ruri asked to be sure. She was overjoyed to hear about her brother again and that he was ok. However, she immediately got worried about him being missing.

Aki looked at what was happening in confusion, and so was Crow and everyone else except Reira.

"No, I come from the Standard Dimension! I am in a group called the Lancers! Our leader is Akaba Reiji!"

"Akaba...Reiji…" Ruri ushered out the name. That was the Professor's son! It might not be a good idea to say something like that at the moment, so Ruri kept her mouth shut.

"Oh! Your brother and a guy named Yuto along with a guy named Shark or...Kamishiro Ryoga came to my Dimension to look for you, and they got mixed into our Lancers business, so they are part of us. Actually, Yuto was with me, and so was Serena, a person who looks like you. They both left. Actually, why do you and Serena have the same face...and Hiragi Yuzu too?" Sawatari pondered on that question.

Hold up a second!

"DID YOU JUST SAY YUTO, SHARK AND MY BROTHER CAME LOOKING FOR ME!" Ruri shrieked out of shock, joy, and sadness.

She could finally see her brother and Yuto again.

Finally.

Finally, after all of that time separated from them.

She wanted nothing but to bolt out of that stupid door and find her comrades.

Whatever it took, as long as she could see them.

But she stayed where she was. She had to. If she had left, then the others would have gone after her, and with Security on the lookout for her, they could get in danger. And she could get captured as well. And then she would be even farther away from them...Yuto, Shark and Shun.

Tears ran down her eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by the others. Despite the fact she couldn't see them, she gave a small smile. They had came for her, they were alive, they were well. Now she had hope her other friends and comrades were doing just as well.

Then, another detail cm back to her head. He said Yuto left, which means that he was with him, and that he might come back.

"Yes…" Ruri whispered in happiness. For the first time since the war started, Ruri found genuine happiness once again. She could smile again. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to move on to another topic, but her voice was groggy. "Thank you for telling me that."

"Uhh…" Sawatari looked at the girl with a confused look on his face. "Your...welcome…?" It was more of a question than anything else.

"Ruri, you never told me that you had any friends." Aki said to the girl she saved.

"Huh? Oh yeah, it kind of slipped by me, I forgot to mention it. Sorry, Aki!" Ruri apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Now then, shall we settle down then?" Aki asked.

"Yeah! And Ruri, don't worry, Yuto should probably be back soon." Crow mentioned a Ruri's boyfriend.

"Oh, you said there was someone who looked like me. You said her name was...Serena." Ruri reminded Sawatari.

"Yeah, she is a former Academia soldier, but she defected and joined the Lancers." Sawatari spoke, completely forgetting the fact that Ruri is from the Xyz Dimension.

Ruri grew pale and uneasy at the mention of Academia.

"What's Academia?" Crow asked Sawatari.

"Umm...it's a long story…" Sawatari was about to say more, however, everyone in the room froze when they heard a d-wheel nearby along with a man yelling.

"CROW!"

Outside

Serena had decided to keep Dueling people. Eventually, she decided to stop and make her way back to Crow's house.

Yuto, decided not to come back after he beat Enjo. Crow might have found out he left and get pissed at him. So he decided to come back, unknowingly at the same time as Serena.

So when they came back, imagine their surprise when they saw each other. However, they made a distance away from each other the moment they did see each other. Silence filled the air as they glared at each other. At that moment, Shingi came rushing in on his d-wheel.

"CROW!" Shinji called the name of his friend. Said person heard his name and opened the door and walked out, he immediately noticed Yuto and Serena.

"Where the hell have you people been?! I've been worried sick about you!" Crow exclaimed in anger as the others were behind, with Ruri in the very back so she could not hear or see Yuto and Serena.

"That doesn't matter!" Shinji interjected. "Crow! Security is coming here right now!"

"What?!" Crow widened his eyes in shock.

"Security?!" Yuto and Serena repeated in unison. Then from the top of Crow's roof, members of Security released nets that captured the people at the door, since Ruri was in the back, Yuto could not hear her yelp of surprise and fear nor could he see her. Shinji also caught in a net.

" _Yuto, you need to run, now!"_ Yuya bellowed. As a response, Yuto cursed under his breath as he grabbed Serena's wrist and dragged her with him.

"What are you doing?! We should be fighting back, not running away! Why are you even rescuing me anyway?"

"Because, I overreacted. Don't get me wrong, I still have problems with you, but you are one of my comrades, you are a Lancer, I don't leave anyone behind! Even if it is someone I have problems with!" Yuto explained his reason as he and Serena dashed out of the area, jumping onto a roof, however, on their way up, a net caught Serena.

"UAAGH!" Serena cried out as she hit the ground in her net as she struggled to get out. Serena looked back at Crow's place, to see Tsukikage suddenly appear, grab Reira, and disappear

"Damn it!" Yuto cursed as he continued to run on, he had failed to save his comrades once again.

"Oi! Don't you dare touch the children!" Crow shouted as he witnessed Amanda, Frank, and Tanner being barred off.

"Damn it! We failed again!" Yuto yelled out as he stopped in his tracks. Just like in Xyz, he failed to save people. Why couldn't he save them all? Why did there have to be people that still got hurt? It just wasn't fair! He continued on to see Security take his comrades out of their nets and immediately handcuff them and throw them into a truck. He saw Crow, Sawatari, Serena, a girl he didn't know, and then he saw the last person. He saw…the person he had lost and failed to protect. The person he had missed ever since she was kidnapped.

It was Ruri.

Immediately, without taking moment more to think of a plan, Yuto jumped off the roof and dashed towards Ruri.

"RURI!" Yuto shouted for his dear comrade as he held his hand out with tears flowing in his eyes. He saw Ruri turn her head to see Yuto. Their eyes met, and the amount of the time they looked at each other seemed like it lasted for an eternity. Everyth8ng went slow motion as the look on sadness on Ruri's face became mixed with terror.

"YUTO!" She cried out, trying to warn her friend about the net that was sent flying behind him. It was too late though, the net captured Yuto as the boy's face was met with the cold hard ground with a loud thud, the impact was so hard he began to lose consciousness. His vision began to fade as he slowly looked up. It was the slowest he had ever moved before. The last thing he saw before blacking out completely…

Was Ruri's face, filled with despair, before she was thrown into the truck while Yuto was thrown into a different truck, which once again, separates the two comrades.

 **Card Catalog**

 **Skull Engineer, Zombie, Tuner, Dark: When this Card is used as Synchro Material, you can draw a Card.**

 **Burning Skull Flame, Zombie, Dark, Synchro: When this Card is Synchro Summoned, you can return to Monsters in your Grave to your Hand, then, Special Summon Skull Flame from your Hand or Deck, however, it has its effect negated until the end of the turn. When a Monster you control battles with another Monster your opponent controls** **, you can increase that Monster 's Attack by 1000 for every Burning Skull Head in your Hand or Grave until the end of the turn, except Burning Skull Flame. When the Monster increased by this Card's effect attacks, Card effects cannot be activated, however, the attacked Monster can't be destroyed by this battle.**

 **Omni Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Pendulum, Dark, Dragon: Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, you can Special Summon Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon from your Hand, Grave, or Extra Deck. When a level 5 or higher Monster attacks a Monster you control, halve the damage, then, destroy this Card. When this Card in the Pendulum Zone is destroyed, you can add it to your Hand.** **Monster Effect: When you control Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and two Cards in your Pendulum Zones, you can destroy them all, Special Summon this Card. This Summon counts as a Pendulum Summon.** **When this Card is Pendulum Summoned, you can target a Monster in the Field, except this Card, the level of the targeted Monster will determine how many times this Card can attack this turn. Level 3 or lower, one attack. Level 4, two attacks. Level 5 or higher, three attacks. When this Card battles a Monster, the battle damage inflicted is doubled. When this Card is destroyed, you can place in the Pendulum Zone.**

 **Finally! Sawatari did something good for once other than being comedic relief! So, I said I wouldn't update while on this hiatus, except for editing this chapter. But I decided to suck it up and do it. I had a lot of time on the plane trips to get some chapters done. I got 2-3, whether I will put out the next 1 or 2 chapters is a mystery. But I only updated the story cause I felt like to end last chapter as it did was horrible to you guys. I think ending it like this is a much better place to stop the story for the rest of the hiatus. So, sorry about misleading you guys.**

 **No preview, cause, hiatus and also I am evil deep inside my heart. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **Venomous Blade: Sorry about not reviewing your story in a while, as I said in the note, while on hiatus, I won't be responding to PM's or reviewing that much.**

 **Guest: What the heck did I say in the note?! I said don't send anything like 'Chapter 64' or 'Chapter 65.' I'm sorry, but the fact that I put that down and that I bothered writing that down and that you didn't listen is kind of infuriating. Please don't do it again. I'm not trying to be mean to you or anything, but you have to be patient while I am on hiatus.**

 **Anyways, rambling over.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your Summer.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**

 **P.S. I completely forgot to mention this when finishing this off. Happy 4th of July to any Americans reading this!**


	65. Put Behind Bars

"Yuto! Stop the truck, please! Yuto!" Ruri squealed the name of her comrade as she was pushed into the truck. The person that pushed her in shut the door and locked it so no one could escape. Ruri got a sad look on her face as she turned around to face the others. She saw Sawatari against the wall, who was pushed there by Shinji, who was pushed into him by Crow, who was thrown into the truck by Security. The two commoners got off the Lancer, who had his Abyss Actor Monster circling around his head.

"Ugh, calm down, Ruri." Crow told the girl as he stretched his arms out. "Damn it, at the very least I could have said something to the kids!

Ruri noticed Aki, who was looking at her in concern, along with another girl with purple hair. The thing that caught Ruri's attention was the fact that…

"You have the same face as me! You must be Serena!" Ruri guessed from what Sawatari told her earlier. It was really weird. Seeing a person with the same face as you. Well, seeing a person chasing you who has the same face as one of your best

friends, comrades, and boyfriend is also weird. Did this girl have a connection with the boy who kidnapped her?

Serena looked at Ruri and slightly twitched after seeing face, however, for the most part, she remained neutral.

"The same face as me...so, I take it that you're Ruri. The sister of Kurosaki Shun." Serena said. "Weird, weren't you captured by Academia? What are you doing here?"

"I was captured by Academia." Ruri put up a grim face. "By a boy who had the same face as my comrade Yuto." Serena flinched at the mention of Yuto, remembering their argument. "There, at Academia, I met a person who had the same face as me, her name was Rin."

"Rin? So, there are 4 of us lookalikes." Serena muttered, which didn't go unheard by Ruri.

"There is another person who looks like us?" Ruri questioned, not aware of who Yuzu was.

"Ok, before you answer that." Aki interjected, joining the conversation. "Answer this, why do you two have the same face? Are you long lost sisters or something?"

"We don't know why we have the same face. We aren't long lost sisters either." Serena corrected Aki. Then, a question for Ruri sprouted in Serena's head. "Wait a minute, you said you were captured by someone from Academia. What Deck did he use?"

"He used...something called Predator Plants I think. He also had a dragon...called...Starve Venom Fusion Dragon." Ruri recalled to her Duel against the boy that night when she was taken.

"I might know who it is! The boy who took you! I haven't seen him in years, so I forgot about him and what he looked like. I even forgot he had the same face as Yuto. His name is Yuri."

Ruri gasped as he remember what the boy said when they met.

" _Who's Yuto? I am Yuri."_

"I remember now, he told me his name!"

"So Ruri is from another Dimension." Crow pondered on that for a bit with a slightly frustrated face. "Ok, so first we have Yuto, next you say that there is a person who looks like Yuto named Yugo that you and the former tried looking for. Now, there is a third person named Yuri?! What's next, there is a fourth lookalike with the name Yusei?!" Crow exclaimed questioningly.

"Well, there is a fourth lookalike." Sawatari suddenly said, causing everyone to face him. "Sakaki Yuya. But if I remember correctly, something happened to him...Yuto claimed that he absorbed Yuya and that they are one now."

"Wait a minute! Sakaki? That's the last name of Yusho-sensei!" Ruri realized.

"Yusho? Wait, that's the name of Yuya's father! He disappeared from the Standard Dimension 3 years ago suddenly when he had a big match with Strong Ishijima! Everyone deemed him a coward, and his son was bullied for it." Sawatari informed Ruri of what happened 3 years ago.

"Poor Yuya." Ruri felt sympathy for the boy, he lost his father, and then he was bullied. "But I know Yusho-sensei, he would never run away! Sure, he did disappear when Academia attacked...but, I'm sure he's out there! But another curious thing, you said he disappeared from Standard, he appeared suddenly in Xyz 3 years ago!"

"3 years ago? So maybe that was where he ran off to! But why would he do that? You know, leave his wife and kid like that? That's a really bad dad if you ask me." Sawatari spoke bad of Yusho.

"Yusho-sensei wouldn't just ditch people! He's not like that! I'm sure there is a reason!" Ruri bellowed angrily at the fact that Sawatari would openly say that Yusho-senses was a coward. "Anyways, moving away from there. You said that his son was absorbed...into Yuto?"

"Mmmhmm." Sawatari confirmed.

"What the hell is going on?" Crow asked Shinji. "I thought these people were weirdos, but I was kind of joking when I said that."

"Yeah, I know what you mean...damn it!" Shinji cursed as he tightened his fist. "We got captured by the damn Security! How are we going to make the Commons a better place now?"

"We'll just have to deal with it." Crow replied gravely. "Believe me, I am worried about the kids, greatly. They are the only saving grace of living in the Commons for me."

"Crow… I'm sure those three are fine." Shinji put a hand on his friend's shoulder to comfort him. Crow smiled softly in response.

"This is my question." Serena suddenly spoke. "Why is the Professor capturing people who look like us? He captured, you, that Rin girl, and he didn't let me go around Academia that much and I was kept at the Osiris Red level."

"Wait, you're from Academia?!" Ruri widened her eyes as she took a step back.

"Not anymore, I defected and joined the Lancers." Serena told her.

"Yup! She is very strong-willed and stubborn, but she is a very strong Duelist also! We're lucky to have as a comrade!" Sawatari complimented Serena, who made no reaction except giving Sawatari a weird look.

Ruri still felt uneasy around Serena because of her being with Academia at one point. She decided to change the topic to ease her worries.

"Aki, you have been at the prison or...Facility before, haven't you? Is there anything we should know?" Ruri asked the girl.

"Yes. At the Facility, obey the rules. Don't speak up or get into fights. If you fight, you could be severely punished or thrown into Solitary Confinement." Aki told everyone.

"Wait a minute, you went to the Facility? You never told Shinji and I that." Crow said.

"Yeah. I kind of didn't want to tell you cause I thought it would change your opinion of me. I was thrown in because my Dad protested in the Tops and tried to convince people that the Tops should help out the Commons and unite with them. However, he got a lot of outrage. The truth is, I lived in the Tops." Crow and Shinji gasped after hearing this news.

"So you lied to us!" Shinji yelled in anger. "How could you!? You're just another one of those Tops scum!"

"Stop, Shinji! Let's hear the rest of what she has to say!" Crow told his friend. He gave Aki a serious nod to continue.

"My family in the Tops weren't fans of the separation of Tops and a Commons and how the Commons struggled to survive. My father was senator at the time, he protested and tried to unite the Tops and Commons. In fact, he made me go down and help the Commons, whether it would be having people escape from the harsh realities of the world through Dueling or by giving out supplies and food and such. It was short lived."

"That's probably why I never heard of it." Crow admitted that he didn't Aki came down into the Commons to help people.

"Eventually, it got to a point where Security broke into our house and captured us, I was taken to the Facility while my parents were taken somewhere I don't know. At some point, I escaped. Eventually, I found I couldn't go home, so I came to the Commons and have lived here, and as you know, I have been attacking any members of Security that comes down here." Aki explained her story to the people in the truck.

"Well, moving from that, I just noticed something, where is Reira?" Sawatari asked.

"Crap! I totally forgot about her!" Crow exclaimed.

"Wait? Her?!" Sawatari widened his eyes, thinking Reira was a boy.

"Don't worry, I saw Tsukikage slip in and take her away during the confusion." Serena spoke.

"Who's Tsukikage?" Aki asked.

"He came from another dimension like you guys, didn't he?" Crow guessed.

"Tsukikage must have been sent to retrieve us and Reira under Akaba Reiji's orders."

"Well, good. That's one less thing to worry about." Crow gave a smile.

"It's not good!" Sawatari panicked as he ran to a camera he noticed facing them. "This was just a misunderstanding! Wait till my father hears about this, he will get them fired!"

"You need to calm down." Serena told Sawatari, kicking him in the leg.

Sawatari shrieked like a girl. "OW! WHAT THE HELL WOMAN!l

Meanwhile, Roget was looking at a screen with pictures of the captured people including Yuto, although he was in a separate truck alone.

"Good, all 7 have been apprehended. Take the girl who used Fusion to a special containment room. The boy who used a Xyz, Pendulum, and was spotted last night shall be put under Solitary Confinement along with the Black Rose Witch. The rest, do with them and treat them like your other prisoners. However, keep an eye on the girl with the purple hair. Since she has the same face as the girl who uses Fusion, she must be watched. When I command, move her to a special containment room as the girl who used Fusion."

"Understood." A man with black hair responded through a camera before his face disappeared as he hung up the line.

Roget smirked. "We have time. We can take our time, and I will investigate them thoroughly."

* * *

 **With Yuto-Just as the Lancers were captured**

As he was thrown in the back of the truck, Yuto immediately stood up and ran t9 the door, which was immediately shut. He hit the door continuously.

"No...No...No! Damn it! Open the door! Ruri! Ruri!" Yuto stopped as he broke down into tears. She was right there, and he had failed to get her. The truck he was in started to move.

" _Yuto...I'm sorry."_ Yuya apologized. " _I should have done something. But, I swear, I will help you reunite with Ruri! I swear it!"_

"Yuya, you don't have to worry about it. Besides, I dragged you into the war, why would you have to do something for me?" Yuto asked, not even bothering to face his partner.

" _Cause, it's the right thing to do. Dragged in or not, we're comrades now. And if you couldn't tell...haha...we're kind of stuck together. It's just, if I had my own body back, I could do more!"_ Yuya told the boy.

"Yuya...I'll do it. I'll sell my soul…"

" _What?"_

"I'll do it, as I am now, I won't be able to protect my comrades. I can't stay like this. I need to get stronger, to protect my comrades!" Yuto exclaimed.

Yuya chuckled. " _You know, Yuzu learned Fusion for the same reason. To protect the You Show Duel School."_

"I know, she told me she wanted to protect her friends with Fusion. Which brings me to my next point...I need to be strong enough to protect my comrades...and so…" Yuto looked up, revealing determined eyes.

"I'll use Fusion…"

* * *

 **Back with the group-In the truck**

The group was silent in the truck. For some reason, after Sawatari's exclamation, they all stopped talking. Then, they was surprised to feel that the truck had stopped.

"Have they arrived at the Facility?" Ruri asked the question that was on everyone's head.

The door to the truck opened, revealing multiple members of Security. Since the group was in handcuffs, they couldn't do anything to escape. The next thing they knew, they were all lined up in a prison setting, with grey dull high walls with fences at the top with watchtowers.

"We've brought in 7 new prisoners." An officer spoke to a woman.

"Confirmed." The woman replied.

"Prisoners he said?! I'm Sawatari Shingo, I'm definitely not-"

"I've never heard of you! Be quiet!" An officer behind Sawatari interrupted as he grabbed the boy by the back of his jacket.

"You, the girl with purple hair. You're being placed in a separate containment room then those guys.

Ruri gasped as she looked at Serena.

"It's ok." Serena assured her as she started to walk forward. "Don't make a scene."

"You…" A man spoke grimly to Aki. "The Black Rose Witch!"

Crow was about to say something, but Aki stepped on his foot before he said anything. "OWW!" Aki grimaced just at the mention of the nickname the Black Rose Witch.

"You have to be sent to Solitary Confinement because of your actions against Security." The man waited for a Aki to move as the girl started to move slowly. "Well come on! We're losing daylight!" The man grew impatient and grabbed Aki by one of her bangs and began to pull her. Aki helped in pain as she was forced to walk.

"Aki!" Ruri and Crow exclaimed in concern as the girl was pulled away.

"Now, you four, you guys are coming this way." Another man said as the Lancers (including Crow and a Shinji) were forced to walk with him. "We're confiscating your Disks. Unauthorized Dueling isn't allowed here. Take this with you." They handed the five their Decks.

"You're not going to confiscate our Decks?" Crow asked as Ruri was handed back her Deck.

"Here, your Deck is as valuable as your own life! You better make sure to treasure it while you can. And with that, I welcome you to this gathering place of scum." A door was slid open slowly in front of the group as they witnessed the inside. It was a circular rooms with a circular Field with tables for eating. There were multiple floors harboring multiple cells with prisoners.

"Aside from a select few dangerous ones, almost everyone here is a Common arrested on false pretenses." Crow revealed to the others.

"There are easily 100 or 200 held here on false charges. Possibly more." Shinji added to Crow's statement.

"False charges? Then that's just like us isn't it?" Sawatari questioned.

"That's right, but here there are only two types of people. People with no life in their eyes...and the ones whose eyes still glow." Shinji looked up to his right to see 3 people in a cell, two grinned while the other smirked and nodded his head at Shinji, who kept a stoic face.

* * *

 **Later-In the Cell**

The handcuffs disappeared from the four's wrists as they looked at their hands in confusion.

"From now on, this shared cell will be your home sweet home!" The man closed the door to the cell as he smiled, his eyes void of emotion. "Make sure to get along with your fellow trash roommates." He chuckled as he walked away.

"Like hell this is our home sweet home." Crow murmured when the guy was gone.

The guy froze. "Hmm...shared cell? Was I told something about that…? Oh well!" The man continued to walk carelessly, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to separate the four in different cells, not have them share one.

"What do we do?" Crow asked himself. The four heard a laugh and faced more into the cell.

"Looks like we've got some newcomers." A male in a green prison suit said. "Well, aren't you gonna greet us?"

"N-nice to meet you…" Ruri put on a nervous smile as she greeted the two.

"Huh? You call that a greeting?" The prisoner in red mocked Ruri's greeting.

"You should be sitting down with your head bowed saying, "Nice to meet you, sir!"

"I umm...o-ok…" Ruri stuttered as she proceeded to do what the man said to do.

"Ruri…Don't…" Crow whispered.

"Nice to meet you, sir!" Ruri greeted politely as she felt the cold grey floor. She stood up and got off her knees.

"Good, now you three!" The man in green demanded.

"If you want me to sit down you should at least bring out a sofa for me!" Sawatari spoke in a smug manner.

"What was that?!"

"You…" The green prisoner started as he ignored the clamping of a certain man walking towards them.

"Stop being so unseemly." A familiar voice to Sawatari spoke.

"G-Gongenzaka!" Sawatari blurted out the name of his fellow Lancer.

"Sawatari, so you're here too. Where are Yuto and the others?" Another voice asked as two people walked to the four, revealing themselves to be Shark and O'Brien.

"O'Brien! Shark!" Sawatari exclaimed in surprise. Shark gasped as he saw Ruri, and so did the latter.

"RURI!" Shark ran up to his comrade. "I-I thought you were captured by Academia! This is great!" Shark put a wide smile on his face. The happiest smile Ruri has seen him give since the time before Academia attacked.

"Ryoga!" Ruri pulled Shark in for a hug as friends, tears streaming down her face. Ryoga also tried to hold back tears. They hadn't seen each other in so long. Ruri actually thought she wouldn't ever see Ryoga again at some points. She finally properly reunited with one of her comrades.

"Alright! Shun and Yuto will be so happy!" Shark exclaimed.

Ruri's expression on her face saddened. "Actually, I saw Yuto, he was captured also, just like the rest of us. He knows I'm here." Ruri's face showed a smile of hope. "Where is my brother?" Ruri wanted to know where her older brother was, she kissed him so much.

"Shun...he changed when Academia attacked, but when you were kidnapped...he went rogue kind of. He and Yuto argued a lot and he became more rebellious. Because of this, he got in a fight and was sent to Solitary Confinement." Shark answered with a serious face.

Ruri froze. What did he say?

" _...he got in a fight and was sent to Solitary Confinement."_

" _...he got in a fight and was sent to Solitary Confinement."_

" _...he got in a fight and was sent to Solitary Confinement."_

Those words replayed in Ruri's head like a record player. He went rogue. Also, he and Yuto argued a lot? And this was all because…

"All of this was because I was kidnapped and went out carelessly…" Ruri whispered, a worried expression came to her face as she got out of the hug.

"No, it's not your fault! It's mine! I should have looked out for Shun after you disappeared. Yuto tried to, but it wasn't enough! I should have done something!" Shark bellowed in frustration.

"You must be Kurosaki's sister, Ruri." Gongenzaka spoke after a long moment of silence. "Nice to meet you, I am Gongenzaka Noboru. Hmm, you really do have the same face as Serena and Yuzu."

"Nice to meet you too. Serena...she was with us, but she was taken to a separate holding room." Ruri revealed.

"R-Ruri!" A voice stuttered, the group looked in the direction of the voice to see Dennis standing there in shock.

"Dennis!" Ruri exclaimed in shock.

"Wait, I know Shark, Shun, and Yuto know her, but he does Dennis know Ruri?" Sawatari asked the question Gongenzaka, Shark, and O'Brien were thinking.

"Yeah, you said you took classes at LDS and was a student under Sakaki Yusho...at least, Yuto told me the last part." Shark said.

"I met Dennis in the Xyz Dimension." Ruri said in a confused manner. "We Dueled after I saw him entertaining an audience, I saw him again at the Resistance Camp at some time before I got kidnapped by the guy who looked like Yuto."

Shark sharpened his gaze at Dennis after hearing Ruri's explanation. "You lied! And you were at the Resistance Camp too!" Shark started to get suspicious.

"Well, I did leave a little bit out, you see, I originated from the Xyz Dimension, but when Academia attacked, I Dueled a soldier and was teleported to Standard." Dennis lied to the others.

"You know, it's weird that you saw Ruri a time before she was kidnapped." O'Brien took a step towards Dennis.

"Y-you have to believe me! I hail from the Xyz Dimension! I got my style of Dueling when Sakaki Yusho came, and he taught me!" Dennis stammered, which didn't go unnoticed by Shark and O'Brien.

"Wait a minute, Yuya's father taught you?! And he was in the Xyz Dimension! Why did you keep that from Yuya?!" Gongenzaka shouted at the boy.

"Cause if you remember correctly, I haven't ever met Yuya. I met Yuto, who was playing dress up as Yuya to fill in for his spot in the Miami Championship!" Dennis responded nonchalantly.

"Yuto did what?" Ruri jumped in with her own question, which never got answer.

"Gong-chan! You have to believe me! Besides, I haven't done anything bad! Ruri, Yuto, Shark-chan and Kurosaki are from Xyz and you guys trust them! Hell, I'm pretty sure O'Brien said he was from the Fusion Dimension at one point, but he was sent by his leader to help out people Xyz!" Everyone paused when they heard Dennis counter-argument.

"What is going on here?" Crow merely gaped at the sight of what was unfolding.

"Mmm...I believe in Dennis." Gongenzaka spoke for Dennis firmly with confidence.

"I...do…" Sawatari muttered, although it was nowhere near as confident as Gongenzaka.

"I do." Ruri said softly. "If I were transported to another Dimension, I would do the same thing and say I was from that Dimension I came too." Albeit, Ruri was a bit skeptical of Dennis now.

"I do." Shark fibbed.

"I do." O'Brien also fibbed. They didn't believe Dennis at all. They glanced at each and gave each other a look, before looking at Dennis.

"You know these guys, Boss Gong?" The prisoner in red questioned his leader.

"Mostly. This is Kurosaki's sister. You know Kurosaki, the guy who got in a fight and got sent to Solitary Confinement." Ruri flinched at the mention of that. "That guy over there is Sawatari Shingo, who is not my best friend." Sawatari frowned at that. "And if what Ruri said is correct, then another person I know is coming...who...has a connection to my best friend."

"A person with a connection to Gong's best friend!" The prisoner in red gasped in shock.

"And just his acquaintance along with the sister of the guy in Solitary Confinement?" The prisoner in green, like his friend got down to their knees and alternated bowing while saying 'We're so sorry!'

"By the way, Sawatari. Do you know what happened to Akaba Reiji and the others?" Gongenzaka took the moment to ask.

"As we said, Yuto should be on his way here. Serena is somewhere in a different holding place. And finally Reira was with us, but while we were being captured, Tsukikage appeared out of nowhere and took her. No doubt orders from Akaba Reiji." Sawatari concluded. "Also, we have reason to believe that you're friend Hiragi Yuzu is in this Dimension as well."

"What?! Yuzu, here?!" Gongenzaka widened his eyes.

"Yeah, along with a guy named Yugo." Sawatari played with his hair.

"Yugo...he's the guy who beat Yuya in that Duel Yuto talked about, right?"

"I don't remember." Sawatari did a Sawatari and acted stupid in response to Gongenzaka's question. "Anyways, we need to get out of here! You're the boss!"

I'm not actually the boss of this place." Gongenzaka admitted.

Dennis popped in next to Gongenzaka. "The real boss of this place is in another cell. From what I have heard, he has been stuck in here for over 10 years."

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

"You're lucky, this is the last cell! If it was full we would have to put you in with another person! It wouldn't be called Solitary Confinement then, though." The man holding Aki by the bangs told her.

Aki remained silent, slightly wincing from the man holding her hair. The man pulled Aki close to his, much to her surprise.

"Now listen here, we confiscated your Deck and Duel Disk, after all, this is Solitary Confinement and we know what you can do in a Duel. It's sad, after breaking out and trying to overthrow Security, you just end up getting captured again, and now you are in an even worse place than last time."

"I don't regret attacking Security. I was doing the right thing. The Tops and Commons should be equal. The Commons have been treated like trash ever since this society began, they deserve the right to walk among the Tops and Commons!" Aki rebutted against the man. The man growled out of annoyance and slapped Aki hard on the face. Aki gasped as she was hit and glared daggers at the man.

"The Commons are just trash. They are ruining this society. They are ruining this beautiful city! When one looks out the window, one could sometimes see the slums of the Commons! Face it! The Tops and Commons will never walk amongst each other, and it damn sure won't work out!" The man shouted as he punched Aki in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the girl as she was thrown into her cell. The cell was locked, and Aki was too winded to even get up. "Goodbye. Black Rose Bitch."

And with that, the man walked away. Aki rose to her feet in her cell, her anger slowly building up, however, without her Deck and Duel Disk, she couldn't do anything.

* * *

 **With Ruri and the others-Prison-Lunchtime**

The prisoners had been released from their cells to eat food, and they had formed a line to get some food. Dennis was up first. He got a good amount of food that was satisfactory. All of the prisoners received the same food, but in different quantities for each prisoner. So when a Ruri stepped up after Dennis, she was very surprised she got much less food than Dennis. It was definitely not good for lunch or dinner or whatever. Heck, it could even be called a snack at best.

"Huh? That's it?" Ruri complained to the guy who gave her food, and for very good reason. How was she supposed to be full with this? If this is how they treated their prisoners, then it is a wonder how many people wouldn't die of hunger or stay sane.

"We've got to make sure there's enough for everyone!" The man who gave Ruri her food told the girl, much to her dismay.

"What are you talking about? There is plenty left!" Ruri viewed the abundance of food that was left on the table.

People behind Ruri in the line started to get impatient. She heard 'Keep the line moving' 'I'm hungry too' and 'If you're going to just complain don't eat.' Ruri swore she even heard someone call her a 'Princess.' And that was not said in a good way.

"You heard them, get going." The man urged Ruri. Ruri grit her teeth as she walked out of line. Sawatari was next.

"Hey. I'm Sawatari Shingo. Go ahead and try to pull that crap with me." Sawatari started to rant. "I'll tell my Papa on you and you'll get punished so hard you'll regret it!"

Unfortunately, the next thing Sawatari knew, he was out of the line with the same amount of food as Ruri, Crow, and Shinji. He looked down out of failure.

"Damn!" He cursed comedically.

"So I'm the end, we all got treated the same." Shinji noted. Was this how they treated newcomers?

"Forget about it, let's just eat." Crow told Shinji and the others as he started to look around for a table. Sawatari started to rant, while Ruri caught something at the tip of her eye. She saw a prisoner giving a Synchro Monster to a man giving out food. In return, the person who gave the Card got a lot of food to eat.

Ruri gasped. "How horrible…"

"Ruri! What're you doing? Get going!" Crow called out Ruri.

"Y-Yeah." Ruri started to walk to the others. However, as soon as she began walking, someone sitting down put his foot out and tripped Ruri. "WHOAAAA!" Ruri hit the ground with a loud thud and dropped her tray, and her food.

Shinji, Sawatari, and Crow stopped at the sound and looked back to see Ruri on the ground.

"Ruri!" Crow called out to Ruri in concern.

"Oh what a waste! You'd better watch where you're going!" The man who tripped Ruri exclaimed. Ruri looked back with a glare, she knew better than to be fooled like that. The man did it on purpose. She saw another prisoner step right next to her, she saw a bucket of water in his hand, which he threw the contents at the food Shinji, Sawatari, and Crow had, much to their surprise.

"Sorry about that, I just tripped over this girl!" The man said nonchalantly, clearly trying to give off the fact that he did on purpose. "Oh and, this is Water I squeezed out of the cloth used to clean the bathrooms." The man had a smile on his face, Ruri could see it. Both recent acts were done on purpose.

"You bastards!" Sawatari tightened his fist in anger.

"Are you picking a fight with us?" Crow asked.

"Hey! You people!" A guard yelled. Shinji, Crow, and Sawatari looked at the guard, who was by a door, with a weapon on his hand. "If you fight, it's straight to Solitary Confinement.

Sawatari clicked his tongue as Gongenzaka spoke with Dennis, Shark, and O'Brien with the former looking like he wanted to punch the daylights out of the guy who tripped Ruri, but he barely managed to remain composed. "You guys don't cause any more trouble. We'll share our food with you."

"That aside, look over there." O'Brien pointed in a direction, the group looked over to see a table it's a cloth over. A man was the only one there. He looked very old, his hair was even shorter than his facial hair. He wore an olive-green threadbare robe. He and a fork and knife and was eating with his eyes closed and very formally, despite his appearance.

"He's the boss." Dennis informed the group.

"He's the boss?" Ruri repeated, who was now back on her feet.

The prisoner in red and green suddenly appeared next to Ruri asking her if they were alright. Ruri told them that that she was fine.

"He's got some exquisite food over there…" Ruri whispered to the two.

"The boss of the prisoners is in an even higher position than the guards here!" The prisoner in red explained why the man had such good food.

The boss paused and opened his eye, his eye staring at the group looking at him.

* * *

 **Later-In the Bathroom Area**

"Alright, you lot are going to clean this place until it shines." A blonde haired man commanded Ruri, Crow, Shinji, and Sawatari.

"Right now?! Hold up a second! We just finished washing all of the prisoner's dishes!" Crow exclaimed out of disbelief. They just did that and now they have to do even more dirty work?

"Shut up and do it. Cleaning the bathrooms is the job of the newcomers for that week. And just to warn you, the boiler for the baths has been turned off." The man revealed to the group and four other prisoners who looked like they didn't even want to be there. "So if you try and take a shower when you should be cleaning you'll on be getting a cold one!"

"Umm excuse me…" One of the prisoners walked up to the man. "I came down with a cold this morning…" The man showed the guard a Card.

Ruri and the others gasped.

"Card bribes!" They all started in unison.

The guard didn't say anything and took the Card.

"And I'm suffering from muscle fatigue!" Another prisoner stated, holding up a Card.

"I'm currently suffering from malnutrition!" A third prisoner held up a Card.

"I'm feeling sleepy!" The last of the prisoners spoke nonchalantly. The three gave the man Synchro Monsters and left.

The man smirked out of satisfaction. "You guys are all free to go back."

"Thank you!"

The guard turned to the only ones left. "You guys are going to do the rest!" With that, he left.

"Hey! There is definitely something wrong with this!" Crow bellowed while the others looked on in shock while Sawatari looked like he wanted to die.

"And if you don't do it right, then you'll have to do it over, got it?" The man ignored Crow's complaints and closed the door.

"Hold it!" Sawatari exclaimed right when he closed the door, and the man kept on walking away. "Damn it! What the heck is going on?!"

* * *

 **Back at their Cell-Later**

"They didn't tell you? Cards are as valuable as your life here." Dennis told the four, who just came back from cleaning the bathrooms. "Cards are essentially currency here. If you bribe the guards with Cards, you get treated better." Dennis put his hands over his head.

"That's why they gave us our Decks back…" Sawatari mumbled out of frustration. "If I had known that, I would have handed over some Cards so I could eat!"

"But, Sawatari! Cards aren't money!" Ruri scolded Sawatari for how he wanted to get rid of his Cards that badly. "You shouldn't use them to bribe people! It's just wrong!"

 _That sounds like something Sakaki Yuya would say… Sawatari thought as he tuned out as Ruri was talking to him._

"Wait! Please don't tell me you guys used your Cards!"

Shark and Gongenzaka grumbled in response to Ruri, conforming her fears.

"Ryoga! I never thought that you would use your Cards for something like this!" Ruri told her friend, disappointed that he would do that.

"No! That's not it! Boss Gong and Ryoga...for us…" The prisoner in green started with a pained expression on his face.

"He didn't have a choice…" The prisoner in red finished. He sounded like he was about to cry.

"Huh?"

"Don't say unnecessary things." Gongenzaka said with his eyes closed.

"No please let me tell them!" The red prisoner insisted. "Before we came here, we had lost a Duel, had our Decks stolen, and came here without a single Card! So then we got bullied horribly! And then Gong went to the guard and…" His words still replayed in his mind.

He remembered Gong throwing a punch at the man with blonde hair, purposely missing and frightening the man.

" _Wh-what are you-?" The Guard was cut off when Gongenzaka held up two Cards. "Huh?"_

" _Cards. Now you better make sure those two can eat." Gongenzaka demanded._

"If it wasn't for him the two of us…Ryoga also gave his Cards too…" The green prisoner remembered Ryoga with a stoic expression on his face holding up two of his Cards and throwing at the person who gave lunch.

" _With that, you better let those two eat their fill, have I made myself clear?" Ryoga asked the man._

"Well Gong-chan was going off, making only himself look cool! I was going to do it too, but Shark-chan here beat me to the punch…" Dennis said slightly nervously because of what had occurred earlier.

"So that's why…" Ruri trailed off as she gave a smile. "Gongenzaka, you're a good person. Ryoga, I never thought you would do something like that, you've made me change how I look at you."

"Hmph, it's more like you, Rio, or Yuto rubbing off of me." Shark muttered.

"But my opinion hasn't changed." Ruri's smile turned into a frown. "Cards are not supposed to be for something like that!"

"Yeah, I know." Gongenzaka responded. He opened his eyes. "You know, you are a lot like Yuya. I think it's because of his father arriving in your Dimension…"

The next thing everyone knew, they heard the door to their cell open. They looked at the door to see the damn blonde haired guy.

"You lot have been called on! Get out!" The man commanded.

"Called on?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Yuto**

 _So, they're taking me to Solitary Confinement. But my question is, why? For what reason?_ Yuto asked himself in his thoughts as he was being dragged towards his cell. _Don't tell me that I was caught on camera last night! That's the only way to explain it._

"Unfortunately, we ran out of cells. People are big idiots in this prison so they end up here! You're gonna have to share a cell with this guy! I'll warn you, he's a rebellious one. He got in a fight not long after arriving." The man dragging Yuto warned the boy. He opened the door to the cell and quickly pushed Yuto in while shutting the door and walking away.

"Alright, who's my cellmate?" A familiar voice asked to Yuto. Yuto gasped as he looked in the corner of the cell, he saw his best friend, Kurosaki Shun.

"Shun!" Yuto spoke the name of his friend as a smile appeared on his face.

"Yuto?!" Shun exclaimed with a shocked expression present on his face. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be the last person to get locked into prison!"

"It's good to see you again, Shun! Did you come here with anyone?" Yuto questioned his friend.

"No, I found myself alone. Later, I took part in an Underground Dark Dueling competition."

"Dark Dueling competition? Wait, you mean…" Yuto trailed off. "Shun! Why would you do that?!"

"Because, our goal was to find strong Duelists to recruit. So, I decided to try and look for some. Also, if you got 10 consecutive wins then you got a free space into the Friendship Cup! That would be where I would try to look for more strong Duelists. Unfortunately, I didn't find anybody worthy. However, i met up with Dennis, Gongenzaka, O'Brien and Ryoga. Dennis and I were put into a Riding Duel, but there was no decision on who won because Security came out of nowhere and arrested us." Shun explained to Yuto.

"I found myself with Serena, Sawatari, and Reira. We took refuge with a man named Crow, who saved us from Security. However, we eventually were found, and we were all captured. Reira disappeared though. However, the thing is...there was one person I didn't expect to see…" Yuto said cryptically as he gained a sad expression on his face, tears daring to form.

Shun widened his eyes at the sight of tears forming in Yuto's eyes. Who was it that he saw that it would get Yuto crying while talking about it?

"Well, who is it?!"

"Shun…" Yuto started as he looked at his friend dead in the eye. "You are not going to believe this...but the person I saw was her…"

"Her?"

"She here's Shun…Ruri's here…"

* * *

 **Yet another chapter down!**

 **Lol, at this point I might just call of the hiatus and just say the update schedule will be slower than usual. Cause I have realized that I can get tiny bits of progress on the story when my family sleeps.**

 **Alright, so, I am not on hiatus, from the fact that I uploaded 2 chapters when I said I wouldn't. God dang am I bad at keeping my word.**

 **I have a lot of time to write thanks to the time my family sleeps, plus, I cannot resist the urge to keep writing.**

 **Updates will still be slow, as I said. Mostly cause one, I might be updating and editing past chapters. I only edited two chapters so far. Chapters 13 and 53.**

 **Another thing, I will be doing something new with how I write a Duels and when I transition to a different scene. You can see what I have done with the different scene by holding the location. I'm doing so it is much more clear when a scene changes.**

 **The Dueling changes I am going to do you can see if you reread chapter 13. All I did was bold a Summoned Monsters name and stats. And I bolted a character's name when their life points changed or something like that.**

 **Sorry for no Duel guys.**

 **Next chapter, all you need to know is Ruri against Tokumatsu...that is going be a pain to write because of the Deck Tokumatsu runs.**

 **I think I have good news. I made some previews for future chapters, the next 15 or so. And I am proud to say that if everything goes well, we will get to first Duel if the Semi-Finals of the Friendship Cup by Chapter 75. As in, 10 chapters from now.**

 **One more thing, although I am calling off the hiatus, that does not mean I will be answering PM's and reviewing other people's stories that often.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: Glad you 'ENJOYED' the ending.**

 **Bridgey: Don't worry about the hiatus, I'm not letting something like that keep me down!**

 **You know, the more I write this story, the more I realize I have certain personality traits from all of the Yu-boys that show from time to time.**

 **Before I take my leave, I want to mention that if you guys were wondering why Serena got put in a special room and a Ruri didn't is because Serena used Fusion. Since Roget used to a member of Academia, he got interested in Serena. Also keep in mind that Ruri has not Dueled once in the Synchro Dimension, not until next chapter.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now, hope you guys continue to have a great summer.**

 **Take care goodbye!**


	66. The Man Who Threw Away His Draw

"What did you say?!" Shun took a step back out of shock, not believing what Yuto said to be true.

"I said Ruri is here, Shun. In this dimension, in this prison." Yuto informed Shun once again that Ruri was here.

"RURI!" Shun shouted as he ran to the door of his cell and started banging on it. "Let me out you bastards!"

"Stop, Shun! That isn't going to do anything except possibly get us in trouble." Yuto said. "Listen, I want just as much as you to get Ruri, but unfortunately, we have to wait and bide our time. So please, Shun…"

Shun stopped banging on the door. He wanted nothing but to rush out and save his sister. He didn't want to lose her again. He didn't want to lose this chance. However, Yuto could have gotten in danger thanks to his recklessness in Standard. It is best not to do something like that. Life wouldn't be the same without Yuto, even with Ruri in it.

"I-I" Shun stuttered as he was at a loss for words. Finally, he sighed and gave in. "Alright. I will wait. But not for long. Soon, I'm barging out of here to save my sister."

Yuto let out a soft chuckle. Although, he was still very surprised. Shun actually listened without arguing. Although Yuto could feel Shun dislike the idea, he still went with it. He shrugged this off and put a hand on Shun's shoulder to comfort him.

"Don't worry. I will help you reunite with Ruri...if it is the last thing I do…"

* * *

 **With Ruri and the others-Facility**

"So you're here?" An unknown person with a scar and a mark on his face spoke when he noticed Ruri and the others. "Our boss, Tokumatsu, has called you out himself."

"Tokumatsu?" Crow repeated the name as he slipped into his thoughts. He could have sworn he had known someone named Tokumatsu.

"And where does he get off calling us out personally?" Sawatari questioned, getting slightly ticked off for being forced to come here.

"What was that?!" Both men rose their guards, as if they wanted to fight Sawatari for acting disrespectful about Tokumatsu.

Dennis moved close to Sawatari, a smile not present on his face. "You shouldn't fight against these guys here. It'll just make this a hassle!" Sawatari simply scoffed in response, not even bothering to face Dennis.

"Bring them out." The man now known as Tokumatsu commanded. "Your Cards!"l

"Cards?!" Ruri repeated in confusion.

"If you want to enjoy your life here you better bring some over!" The henchman of Tokumatsu in light blue told them.

"I refuse!" Ruri bellowed with determination strongly present in her voice.

"Excuse me!?" The henchman in green widened his eyes. Tokumatsu, who had his eyes opened his left eye to look at Ruri.

"I also refuse! If it's just giving out Cards to only get on the good side of the boss, then I, the man, Gongenzaka, don't have one Card for that purpose!" Gongenzaka states his opinion alongside Ruri.

"I-no, WE have to get out of here as soon as possible! We are not planning on settling down and enjoying ourselves here! Even if we did, I don't think it would be possible in a place like this!" Ruri added to Gongenzaka. They had just got here and they were required to do SO much. Plus, Ruri just wanted to see Yuto and Shun again.

"Boss!" The green prisoner next to Gong clapped his hands together out of worry.

"It's fine, stay quiet." Gongenzaka said.

"Listen up. I'm the boss here, which means I am the top of this place! So that means I make the rules! You're all beneath me so you can obey me! That's the common sense of this world!" Tokumatsu spoke in a slow, cold voice, void of emotion.

"That's the common sense of the world' my ass! If you're the boss here, that means that you have to act like a symbol for the people you rule over! That doesn't mean treat them like crap!" Shark yelled as he threw his hand to the side. "And seriously? You want us to give you our Cards, the most important thing to a Duelist?! Cards are not meant for bribery or anything to be stolen. They are meant to be used for Dueling!"

"More brats who won't listen to reason…" Tokumatsu muttered out of sheer disappointment. "I am a symbol to those below me...a symbol of power! Take a look at this!" Tokumatsu gripped his hands on top of what everyone except the henchmen thought was a table. He launched himself off as the henchman revealed what was underneath the white cloth. It was multiple stacks of Cards. So many Cards! Ruri wouldn't surprised if there was more than a thousand Cards!

"Those are…" O'Brien ushered quietly in shock as he saw the table of Cards. When Tokumatsu hit the ground, strong dusts of wind threw themselves at Ruri, Crow, Shinji and the Lancers as they struggled to stand up, with the exception of Gongenzaka, who stood up as he looked at Tokumatsu in shock.

"Do you know what this is? These are the Cards of those who have lost when they challenged me in Duels in the 10 years I have ruled here!" Tokumatsu informed the group who was in awe.

"Duelists who've lost?! Just how many people as he Dueled?!" Ruri exclaimed in shock.

"Here, Cards are the proof of who's on top! And Dueling is a sign of power!" Tokumatsu spoke nonchalantly.

"A sign of power…" Ruri murmured. "No! That's not right! Duels are not meant to be used to fight, they are meant to be used for fun!" That is what she learned from Sakaki Yusho. She already knew before he came that Duels were meant to be fun. However, her beliefs had strengthened significantly since Sakaki Yusho came. Even when the war started, when Ruri had to start to a Duel to survive, Ruri still kept those beliefs stuck inside her head.

"What?!" Tokumatsu slightly weakened his sharp gaze on Ruri.

"For fun, she says!? Boss, this girl says Dueling here is for fun! Hahahahahaha!" The henchman in green laughed, a tear forming in his eye.

"Don't show me that disgusting cackling face of yours!" Tokumatsu shouted at his subordinate, scaring the poop out of the poor guy.

"S-sorry!" The man immediately got in a formal position.

"If you had just given your Cards to me I would have let this slide, but, I've changed my mind. Guard!" Tokumatsu called out to the blonde haired guard.

"Yes, yes, what do you need?" At that moment, Tokumatsu threw a Magic Card at the guard, it landed on one of the bars of the cell. Just by this action, the guard jumped out of fright.

"Bring me some Duel Disks." Tokumatsu commanded sternly. "We're going to Duel now."

"Th-this is a rare Card!" The guard gawked. He gave Tokumatsu a grateful smile. "Yes, I'll bring it right away!"

"Here, it is said that the Cards determines your fate. If you won't listen, you'll have to learn the hard way. You better prepare yourself." Tokumatsu threw out a finger pointing at Ruri. "I'll knock some sense to you through a Duel!"

* * *

 **Later-When the two Duel**

Ruri and Tokumatsu faced each other dead in the eye, while the others stood off to the side to spectate on the Duel.

"It seems that you don't get it yet. Those who fight against those on top are always crushed!" Tokumatsu lifted up his hand and formed a fist with it.

"We'll see if I get crushed or not!" Ruri exclaimed as she pulled out the Duel Disk she had received from the guard and activated it.

"Brat...let's go!" Tokumatsu also activated his Duel Disk in response.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists declared in unison.

Immediately, Tokumatsu took a step forward and crouched down to assume a familiar stance to Crow and Shinji.

"Hey, that stance is…" Shinji whispered to Crow, memories coming back to the both of them.

"Yeah. I've seen him somewhere before." Crow nodded his head in agreement with Shinji.

"My turn!" Tokumatsu wasted no time and he declared having first turn, causing Riri to grit her teeth, as she works better when she goes first. Tokumatsu showed a Magic Card from his Hand to Ruri. "I play the Magic Card Hana Awase! This Card allows me to Special Summon four Cardian Monsters with 100 Attack from my Deck in Attack Position!" Four board like Monsters with a drawing in them combined together and slid onto the Field. "I Summon the Cardians Matsu, Susuki, Yanagi, and Kiri!"

 **Matsu: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

 **Susuki: Level 8, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

 **Yanagi: Level 11, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

 **Kiri: Level 12, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"He Summoned four Monsters as once!" Sawatari noted, slightly worried about what he was going to do.

"Furthermore I activate the Magic Card Hanazumi! This Card allows me to choose 3 Cardian Monsters from my Deck and arrange them on the top of my Deck in the order I choose! The Cards I choose are Cardian Susuki ni Tsuki, Kiri ni Houou, and Yanagi ni Ono no Michikaze!" Tokumatsu took his desired Cards out of his Deck and ordered them and placed them on top.

"Those 3 Monsters have similar names to 3 of the ones on the Field." O'Brien pointed out.

"And here, I activate the effect of Cardian Matsu ni Tsuru from my Hand! With this, I am able to release Matsu and Special Summon it!" Tokumatsu took Matsu off his Duel Disk and swiped his new Card onto his Duel Disk in its place.

 **Matsu ni Tsuru: Level 1, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Now, I get to draw a Card! Next I release Susuki to Special Summon Susuki ni Tsuki!"

 **Susuki ni Tsuki: Level 8, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"When it is Special Summoned I draw a Card! Like last time, I release Kiri to Special Summon Kiri ni Houou!"

 **Kiri ni Houou: Level 12, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"When this Card is Special Summoned I can draw a Card! Next I activate the effect of Yanagi ni Ono no Michikaze! I release Yanagi to Special Summon this Tuner Monster!" Tokumatsu placed the Card onto his Duel Disk. A board appeared with a person and dark leaves on it appeared.

 **Yanagi ni Ono no Michikaze: Level 11, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Amazing!" Dennis exclaimed as he looked at the Field in awe. "He got four Monsters with over 2000 Attack in an instant!"

"When this Card is Special Summoned, I get to draw a Card!" Tokumatsu showed Ruri the Card he drew. "The Card I drew was Cardian-Sakura ni Maku! However, there is no Sakura Card on my Field. So, this Card is sent to my Graveyard. Now then…" Tokumatsu stamped a foot onto the ground. "I'm not done yet! I'm just getting started! I activate the effect of Yanagi ni Ono no Michikaze! When this Card is used as Synchro Material, it makes all Monsters level 2!"

"A Synchro Summon!" Ruri readied her guard.

"Let's go! I tune my Cardian-Matsu ni Tsuru, Susuki ni Tsuki, Kiri ni Houou with my level 2 Tuner Monster Yanagi ni Ono no Michikaze!" Tokumatsu lifted his hand to the air, where his Monsters broke apart and started to tune with each other. "Rain of tears! Become light and rain down! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8, Cardian - Ameshikou!" A man with an umbrella and in a blue kimono appeared.

 **Amenshikou: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 3000 Def**

"I set two Cards and end my turn!" Tokumatsu concluded as two set Cards appeared for a moment before disappearing in front of him. "Brat! I'll say this again! Cards is the sign of those on top and Dueling is the sign of power!"

"I don't care how many times you say it! I will never change the beliefs that I have held onto for so long! My turn, draw!" Ruri glanced at her drawn Card. However, she put her eyes on Tokumatsu when he started talking.

"You naive brat! I activate Ameshikou's effect! When my opponent draws a Card, they are dealt 1500 damage!" Tokumatsu's Monster threw the umbrella up into the air, yellow Cards rained down on Ruri, who covered herself with her arm as she grit her teeth.

 **Ruri: 4000-2500 LP**

"So this means that when she draws a Card, Ruri is going to take huge damage." O'Brien said as he continued to watch and analyze the Duel.

"So that means Ruri has to defeat him or destroy his Monster either this turn or next turn." Sawatari deduced from the situation.

"Hmph. Ruri won't have to worry about destroying the Monster." Shark told the group, who all except Dennis looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean, Shark?" Gongenzaka asked his fellow Lancer.

"Oh, I know what he is talking about! Ruri's Monsters aren't very strong. However, they make up for some incredible defensive ability! Heck, her ace Monster can Attack directly!" Dennis answered the question instead of Shark.

"Also, Tokumatsu isn't the only one who can Summon tons of Monsters." Shark said that sentence loud enough so Tokumatsu could hear.

"What?!"

"He's right!" Ruri confirmed. "I will show you now! I Summon Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow from my Hand!" A humanoid sparrow flew to the Field.

 **Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"Hahahahaha! A Monster with 0 Attack! What can she do with something so weak?!" One of Tokumatsu's henchman cackled.

"I don't want to hear your high-pitched cackling playing in my head!" Tokumatsu gave his minion 'the eye' and he immediately shut up.

"When I control a Lyrilusc Monster, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand along with another level 1 Lyrilusc Monster! Come forth, Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow, and with her I Special Summon Turquoise Warbler!"

 **Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Turquoise Warbler: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def**

"When Turquoise Warbler is Special Summoned, I get to Special Summon a Level 1 Lyrilusc Monster from my Hand! Come forth, Cobalt Sparrow!"

"Not so fast! Continuous Trap, Fraud Freeze! When I control a Cardian Synchro Monster and you control Monsters Special Summoned from the Hand, your Monsters are returned to your Hand!" Tokumatsu exclaimed as a gust of wind blew Ruri's Monsters off the Field.

"No!" Ruri reluctantly put the Cards of the Monsters back into her Hand.

Everyone gasped in shock while Dennis spoke. "Her usual Special Summon slam strategy just got shut down like it was cheating!"

"So that means as long as that Card exists, Special Summoning from the Hand for Ruri in general would be considered cheating…" Shinji murmured under his breath as he looked at Tokumatsu.

"Don't forget, Tokumatsu has Amenshikou on his Field. Every time she draws, Ruri will suffer from 1500 points of damage." Crow summarized Tokumatsu's strategy of defeating Ruri.

"Dueling has changed during the 10 years I've been in here it seems. But I'll take my undefeated Dueling from the past 10 years and break it like nothing!" Tokumatsu clenched his fist as he stared down Ruri.

"He's changed." Crow suddenly said. "This isn't Enjoy Chojiro's Dueling style."

"Enjoy Chojiro?" Shark, O'Brien, Ruri, Dennis, Gongenzaka and Sawatari repeated in a confused manner.

"Don't you dare use that name!" Tokumatsu snapped at the group who used the name. At this point in his life, he had walked the path away from Enjoy Chojiro. Now, it was as if the name was taboo. Enjoy a Chojiro was just a little memory from the past stuck inside a little piece of his heart. Crow and Shinji both gasped at Tokumatsu's rejection of the name. "I am now Chojiro of the Autumn Rain now."

"Everyone who has Dueled the boss have been driven off in defeat, thus losing their Cards and shedding tears of sorrow." The follower of Tokumatsu in blue spoke with a smile on his face. "That is why he goes by that title."

"You don't even have any defensive Monsters now." The other follower of Chojiro stated. It's only a matter of time before you shed your own tears of sorrow!"

Little did he know, that Ruri has long since shed her own tears of sorrow during the war.

"I set a Card from my Hand and end my turn." Ruri inserted a Card into her Magic and Trap Zone.

"Ready an umbrella so you won't be drenched by your own rain of sorrow! My turn! If I draw now, the effect that Ameshikou has that inflicts 1500 damage will be negated. However, due to Ameshikou's effect, I can choose to give up my draw." Ruri gasped when she heard this. "When you draw in the next turn, you shall take 1500 damage. Tumble down the slope of self-destruction."

"Great, boss! Your victory combo's decided!" One of the henchman cheered.

"I know that without you telling me! No need for cheering!" Tokumatsu scolded, causing the guy to flinch from terror. "I don't need cheers or support. Winning Duels. That's enough to show that my strength puts me on top!"

"What a weird guy. Cheers are proof that you're exceptional." Sawatari said.

"That's just you." Gongenzaka told Sawatari in an annoyed tone.

"My lethal combo is already complete. If you surrender and hand over half of your Cards. I'll pardon you." Tokumatsu proposed to Ruri.

"Your combo may be complete, but I haven't lost yet." Ruri refused to surrender. "There is still a chance, a chance for me to turn this Duel around into my favor!" She didn't give up in Heartland. She didn't give up when she had to spend time locked up in Academia, so why should she give up now?

"There is nothing you can change in the fact of overpowering strength!"

"As I said, if I don't give up, I could still turn around and win this!" Ruri countered.

"Looks like I'll have to make you understand after all! Battle! Ameshikou, attack her directly!" From under the umbrella, Ameshikou revealed a sword, which he used to try and hit Ruri with.

"I can't Special Summon from the Hand, but I can straight from the Extra Deck! Reverse Card, open! Trap Card, Lyrical Xyz Recite, activate!" Ruri clicked a button on her Duel Disk and opened her set Card. "When a direct attack is declared on me, I can activate this Card! I get to target Monsters with the same level in my Hand or Grave to use as Xyz Materials for the Summon for an Xyz Monster!"

"What? A new Summoning method?!" Tokumatsu widened his eyes in shock.

"I overlay from my Hand the 2 level 1 Cobalt Sparrows, Turquoise Warbler, and Sapphire Swallow! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilusc- Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri chanted as her beautifully Xyz Monster gracefully flew to the Field.

 **Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"First of all, Assembly Nightingale's effect activates, for every overlay unit attached to this Monster, she gains 100 Attack. There are 4 overlay units, so Assembly Nightingale gains 400 Attack! Then, I will chain the additional effect of Lyrical Xyz Recite, when the Monster is Xyz Summoned, the Battle Phase immediately ends!" Ruri explained the additional effect of her Card as Tokumatsu's Monster halted and backed up.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 0-400 Atk**

"I end my turn." Tokumatsu concluded.

"My turn." Ruri drew her Card and looked at it. It was another Cobalt Sparrow. Just then, Tokumatsu's Monster activated its effect, inflicting 1500 damage to Ruri, who cried out in pain as she was assaulted by multiple drops of Cards, which dissipated when they hit the ground.

 **Ruri: 2500-1000 LP**

"This isn't good, Ruri only has 1000 life left." Crow viewed the current situation Ruri was in, it seemed hopeless.

"I'm not giving up! Battle! Due to her effect, Assembly Nightingale can attack directly, and she can attack for every overlay unit she holds. She has 4, so she can Attack 4 times!"

"What?!" Tokumatsu grit his teeth.

"Go, Assembly Nightingale! The first hit!" Ruri declared as Assembly Nightingale flew over Tokumatsu's Monster and kicked him on the chin, causing him to grab his face in pain.

"The second hit!"

Tokumatsu was blown back by a gust of wind coming from Assembly Nightingale's wings, he covered his himself with his arms and held his ground.

"Take another one!"

At Ruri's declaration, Assembly Nightingale kicked Tokumatsu in the stomach, causing him to double over.

"Now, take the fourth and last attack!"

Assembly Nightingale sent a kick to Tokumatsu's face, causing him to fall backwards to the ground. He groaned in pain as he lost his life points.

 **Tokumatsu: 4000-2400 LP**

"Boss!" The henchmen exclaimed out of concern.

"Stay back!" Tokumatsu yelled at them harshly.

"Oi! They were just trying to support you! To reject support like that is unforgivable!" Gongenzaka told Tokumatsu sternly.

Tokumatsu ignored this. "Is that all?"

"I end my turn." Ruri ended her turn as she looked at Tokumatsu.

"It's over." Crow closed his eyes.

"Yeah." Shinji also doubted the chances of Ruri surviving.

"My turn. Due to Ameshikou's effect, I won't draw. I attack your Assembly Nightingale with my Monster!"

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! If this Monster were to be destroyed, I can detach an overlay unit instead, I also take no damage!" Assembly Nightingale was hit by Ameshikou's sword, but she still stood strong and remained on the Field. "Due to the loss of an overlay unit, the Attack of Assembly Nightingale decreases."

 **Assembly Nightingale: 400-300 Atk**

"It matters not. In the next turn, when you draw a Card, your life will immediately to 0, it is over. There is nothing you can do. I end my turn. Now, draw! Draw your Card of defeat!" Tokumatsu urged Ruri.

"He's changed so much…" Crow talked to Shinji while the Duel was going on.

"Yeah, he's way different from his past self." Shinji agreed.

"What did you say about enjoy?" Dennis decided it was the time to ask.

"Enjoy Chojiro. A Duelist from our childhood we admired." Shinji answered simply.

"Admired? Are you sure we are talking about him?" Ryoga asked.

"Yeah. Appearance wise, this is the same guy. The star of hope for the Commons. He didn't care about winning or losing. Even when he was in a pinch he never forgot to enjoy Dueling."

" _ENJOY!"_ The words still played on in Crow's head.

"With a deciding draw, he'd create a miracle and clinch victory. Even after becoming a famous Duelist, he would teach the Commons kids how to Duel. I went to a lot of those Dueling classes too. If the street kids got in a fight...he would stop it."

" _Fighting is mindless behavior. Stop. If you have so much violent energy, the Duel! Dueling is not merely a game. You understand your opponent, as well as yourself in a Duel. Because of that you form bonds. That is what Dueling is."_

" _Chojiro! Chojiro! Chojiro!"_

" _ENJOY!"_

"But how did he get like this? Harshly Dueling, not accepting the cheers and waiting for his opponent to self-destruct." Crow asked the question everyone was thinking.

"If he was that successful, why is he in the detention facility?" Gongenzaka questioned the fact.

"Don't know." Crow replied, putting a hand on his hip.

"He was completely done in by a Tops Duelists." Shinji said almost emotionlessly. "After that, no one knew where he had gone. We heard he had fallen into ruin, but…"

"You understand that anything you do now is pointless, right? Give up, this Duel will end in your defeat." Tokumatsu proclaimed.

"I haven't lost! Nothing has been decided yet! And until something is decided, I am not giving up! Who knows what could unfold to the end. That is why Duels are so fun!"

"Shut up! There is no meaning in enjoying Dueling!" Tokumatsu denied his old side and persona of Dueling.

"There is! It's to make sure everyone is happy and safe! So they can escape from the harsh realities of life and feel happy, even if it is just for a little while!" Ruri told Tokumatsu.

"Don't prattle! The flow of this Duel can not change! No matter how you try, fate can't change! Trying is futile!" Tokumatsu shouted out of anger. "They talk about equality on the surface, when the fact is the Tops are on top and Commons are at the bottom! I loathed that class difference. I will demolish that wall with Duels! In Dueling, there are no Tops and Commons. I can definitely change the situation."

Tokumatsu paused before continuing.

"With that mindset, I challenged the Tops Duelists to a Duel. However...the only thing waiting for me was snipes at the hands of a group who used their money to attain strong Cards! The cheering of the audience soon changed into booing, and in the end, ridicule. I thought, if it's all come down to booing and ridicule, I have no need for anymore cheers! No need for smiles, either!" The negative responses from the audience played in his mind and were ingrained the moment he heard them.

"I stakes my comeback on my next Duel. That was my last chance. In my haste to not lose no matter what, I cheated." He remembered taking a Card that would have helped him instead of a Card from the top of his Deck. "At that moment, I knew it was over. Dueling won't open up the future. Nothing can be changed. From then on, Dueling simply became a means to survive in this prison. I threw away Dueling that depended on the luck of the draw. I the. Worked out this lethal combo."

He thought about being imprisoned and thrown into the facility.

"Resigned to an unchanging and unchangeable fate, I spent 10 years accumulating this strength! You cannot change that!" Tokumatsu exclaimed fiercely.

"I don't know if I can change it but...let's settle this!" Ruri placed a Card on the top of her Deck, praying that she would get the right Card that would help her in the Duel. "Draw!"

"It ends with this! Take 1500 damage by Ameshikou's effect!" Tokumatsu bellowed as the eyes of his Monster glowed. Ameshikou lifted his umbrella, multiple droplets formed like Cards rained down on Ruri.

"I drew the Monster Card Lyrilusc-Coa Pecker! When damage would be inflicted to me, I can discard a Card in my Hand to negate the effect, and destroy the Card along with attaching this Card as an overlay unit!" The droplets disappeared and Ameshikou was destroyed, an image of Ruri's Monster appeared. It was a girl dressed up as a woodpecker with black fur. The bird also had a small raincoat draped over it. The Monster turned into an overlay unit and began to orbit Assembly Nightingale. "Since there is another overlay unit, that is another 100 points for my Nightingale."

 **Assembly Nightingale: 300-400 Atk**

"He did it!" Both of the prisoners in red and green jumped up out of joy.

"A raincoat and a song that won't be drenched by sorrowful rain." Gongenzaka said wisely.

"You destroyed my Monster…" Tokumatsu looked on in shock.

"And if you try to Summon a Monster with a similar effect, then feast your eyes on this!" Ruri pointed to her Monster with a smile creeping up on her face. Is this how Sakaki Yusho felt when he Dueled? All eyes were on her right now, an audience that she had to satisfy. "When Coat Pecker is attached as an overlay unit, I cannot take any effect damage!"

"What?!" Tokumatsu gaped out of shock.

"So as long as Assembly Nightingale remains on the Field, she can stay in the game! Also, Ameshikou is gone now! He will only have one Card in his Hand when he draws! He can hardly do something with that! It's Ruri's win!" Sawatari exclaimed prematurely.

Shark smiled. "Nice job, Ruri."

"H-he…" The minion in light blue started.

"He survived the boss's lethal combo!" The minion in green finished.

"It looks like the flow of the Duel has changed after all! Now, Assembly Nightingale, unleash 4 fearsome attacks directly on Tokumatsu!" Ruri declared as she pointed at her opponent. Four deadly kicks were released onto the poor man's face and chin as he fell onto his bottom.

 **Tokumatsu: 2400-800 LP**

"This tomfoolery…" Tokumatsu growled in anger.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With the Other Prisoners**

"Hey! Guard guy! I got a good Card for you!" A prisoner in blue clothes waved a Card in front of a cramped cell. It was currently very loud in the Facility after the rumors of Tokumatsu Dueling were spread.

"Ahh you are so noisy!" The guard walked up to the cell.

"I can't help but be interested in Tokumatsu-san's Duel! Please, with this!" The guard turned in multiple directions to hear more people begging him to let them out to see the Duel.

* * *

 **Back at the Duel**

"They're going at it!" A voice was heard. Everyone turned towards the entrance to the cell to see prisoners coming to watch the Duel, yet they were still locked outside.

More expressions of joy at being able to watch the Duel were heard.

"Boss's fame is a pretty big deal." The subordinate of a Tokumatsu commented at the sight of the humongous crowd gathered outside of the cell just to see Tokumatsu Duel.

"I end my turn. Since our audience has grown up a bunch in number, we need to lighten the mood! If I can hear, people are all here for you, Tokumatsu."

"I swear I will smash you down so much and so fast that they won't even get to enjoy it!" Tokumatsu held up his Duel Disk, prepared to draw a Card. "My turn!"

"Without Ameshikou, he won't be able to skip his draw." Gongenzaka noted.

 _I can't believe that after several years of giving up my draws, I have to bet it all on one again. Looks like fate has a cruel way of hitting you with nostalgia. Thinking about, it has been several years. I used to bet it all with one draw...with these two fingers._ At this moment, Tokumatsu actually cracked a smile.

"Did the Boss just smile!?" Both of Tokumatsu's subordinates bellowed out of shock.

 _Since that fateful day I decided to cheat, no matter how much I tried, I could never draw that Card. It was as if the Card abandoned me._ Tokumatsu let the cheering of the prisoners sink it.

"CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO!" They constantly chanted.

 _They have all been riled up..._ Tokumatsu thought as he made his decision. He pulled out a grin on his face.

"Idiots! All of you have such glistening eyes!"

 _No, it is not just them._

He drew his Card. He bet it all on that Card. Something he hasn't done in several years. Yet here he was…

"ENJOOOOOOOOOOOOOY!" He shouted as he drew his Card.

"SHIVERS!" All of the prisoners exclaimed out of joy.

At hearing the prisoners, Shark and O'Brien noticeably flinched, while Gongenzaka immediately thought of a certain boy back at the Standard Dimension who would shake his butt when saying the same thing.

"It's here! I activate the Magic Card, Chokoikoi!" Enjoy Chojiro revealed his drawn Card as it appeared in front of him.

"Alright!" Crow grinned.

"The miracle draw!" Even Shinji was getting amped up.

"With this Card's effect, I can draw three Cards from my Deck and Special Summon any and all Cardians I draw! However, non-Cardian Cards are sent to the Graveyard and I take 1000 damage for each one." Tokumatsu stated the downside. He took a step forward, ready to take a risk.

"Go, the draw that I staked my fate on!" Multiple cheers came from the audience, they had been waited for this moment for a long time. And with that, Tokumatsu started a speech. "Dueling is life!" At hearing this, the crowd got hyped, knowing what the speech was. "If there are days you win, there are also days to will lose! Don't be ashamed of defeat! Do not be proud of victory! All in all, let's enjoy!" Tokumatsu threw out his hands.

"ENJOY!" The prisoners, Crow, and Sinji yelled out. Even Sawatari found himself calling it out. Gongenzaka, O'Brien, and Shark gave him a weird look while Dennis just sweatdropped.

"What? It sounds cool." Sawatari admitted as he closed his eyes.

"Now, the first draw!" Chojiro announced.

"Come on! Come on!" Light blue minion did the Tokumatsu arm waltz.

"Come on! Come on!" Green minion did the same.

"ENJOY!" Chojiro drew his Card with a smile glowing on his face. He revealed the Card. "Cardian-Hagi ni Inoshishi!"

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"The second draw!"

"Come! Come! Come! Come!" Both minions of Tokumatsu built up the Tokumatsu hype train.

"ENJOY!" Chojiro cried out. "Cardian-Momiji ni Shika! And the final one!"

"COME! COME! COME! COOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMME!" The minions made a grabbing signal with their hands.

"ENJOY! Cardian-Botan ni Chou!" The Card was shown for all to see.

"All three are Cardians!" Gongenzaka exclaimed out of amazement. Just how lucky was this guy?"

 **Botan ni Chou: Level 6, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Hagi ni Inoshishi: Level 7, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Momiji ni Shika: Level 10, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"That's Enjoy Chojiro for you!" Someone whistled.

"How's that! My draws are in better shape than ever!" Next, due to Chokoikoi's effect, the Attack and Defense of all Special Summoned Monsters are reduced to 0! Their levels also become 2! I tune the level 2 Hagi ni Inoshishi, Momiji ni Shika with the level 2 Tuner Monster Botan ni Chou!" Tokumatsu declared a Synchro Summon.

"A second Synchro Summon?!" Ruri was shocked, however she kept a small smile on her face.

"As ferocious as an boar! As galant as a deer! As beautiful as a butterfly! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Cardian - Inoshikach!" Tokumatsu Synchro Summoned his new Monster to the Field.

 **Inoshikach: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Trap Card, Cardian Revival! When I control a Cardian Synchro Monster, I can revive a Monster in my Grave! Revive, Ameshikou!" A portal opened, and Tokumatsu's Monster flew out of it. "The revived Monster can attack 3 times, however, it is destroyed at the end of the turn. Now, use all of your attacks my Monsters, to get rid of all for the overlay units Assembly Nightingale has!" Ameshikou struck Ruri's Monster three times while Inoshikach hit it once, all of the overlay units disappeared, however the Monster stayed.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 400-0 Atk**

Ruri added her Coat Pecker back to her Hand to due to the effect.

"Ruri's Monster has no more overlay units!" Gongenzaka widened his eyes out of realization.

"It's fine." Shark assured him with his arms crossed.

"I end my turn. At this moment, Ameshikou is destroyed. You're at 1000 life. You have no plans give up, do you?"

"You're right about that." Ruri confirmed. "Now, let's end this! My turn!"

 _Now, just Chojiro did, I need to bet it all on this one draw. Please, my Deck, I am counting on you._

"Draw!" Ruri glanced at her Card and grinned. "Awesome! From my Hand, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force! Using this Card and Assembly Nightingale as Material, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Assembly Nightingale's. Bird with wonderous and beautiful wings! Evolve into a new bird and go on the path of victory! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Fly onto the Field before us, Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale!"

 **Evolved Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"Evolved Nightingale gains 200 Attack for each overlay unit she contains. She has 2!"

 **Evolved Nightingale: 0-400 Atk**

"Like Assembly Nightingale, Evolved Nightingale can attack directly, but the damage is halved this time. Go, Evolved Nightingale!" Ruri's Monster flew to Tokumatsu and headbutt him in the chest, he stumbled backwards from the impact.

 **Tokumatsu: 800-600 LP**

"It ends with this! When she deals damage from a direct attack, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card to destroy a Monster you control, then, I deal damage to you equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack!" Ruri raised her hand to her Monster, who struck Inoshikach in the back, destroying the Monster. Chojiro closed his eyes and smiled. He had fun. He finally truly understood what Dueling meant now.

 _Thank you...Ruri_

 **Tokumatsu: 600-0 LP**

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Lyrical Xyz Recite, Trap: When a direct is declared on you, target any number of Monsters in your Hand or Grave with the same level, Xyz Summon a Monster from the Extra Deck using those Monsters as Materials. When the Monster is a Summoned, immediately end the Battle Phase.**

 **Lyrilusc-Coat Pecker, Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def, Winged-Beast, Wind: When you would be dealt damage, discard a Card except this one, negate the damage and attach this Card as an Xyz Material to an Xyz Monster you control. While this Card is attached to an Xyz Monster, you don't take any effect damage. When this Card is sent to the Graveyard as Xyz Material, add it to your Hand.**

 **Cardian Revival, Trap: If you control a Cardian Monster, Special Summon a Monster in your Grave. It can attack 3 times this turn but it is destroyed at the End Phase of this turn.**

 **Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force, Magic: Using this Card and a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster you control as Material, Xyz Summon a Lyrilusc Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the targeted Monster.**

* * *

 **Alright! Another chapter done. I actually kind of enjoyed writing this chapter even though Tokumatsu's Deck is a pain to write.**

 **Although I don't like his Deck, I really do like Tokumatsu as a character. I mean, he didn't really do anything, but he was someone I just liked, there was nothing special about him, I just like him.**

 **Preview.**

 **After Tokumatsu is defeated, the group comes up with a way to escape the prison. They would have an Entertainment Duel between Sawatari and Tokumatsu, however, what would happen if you throw Dennis and a reluctant Shark in the mix in the middle of it all? Meanwhile, Yuto and Shun bide their time, waiting to escape and find Ruri. Finally, while in her cell Aki…**

 **VioletStarVN: I actually saw this username and thought that it looked familiar, so when I saw the stories you wrote I was surprised to see the fanfic 'Zarc returns,' which was actually one of the fanfics that drew me to this site and into making account and making my own story and stuff. So...thank you?**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you guys ENJOYED the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**

 **All aboard the ENJOY train!**


	67. Prison Break-Out

THUD!

With that sound, the Duel was over. Tokumatsu was lying on the floor with his eyes closed, seemingly unconscious. Ruri's Evolved Nightingale disappeared.

"Boss!" Both of Tokumatsu's subordinates ran to make sure he was ok. To their relief, a Tokumatsu opened his eyes.

"I lost." That was all he said. That was all there was need to be said. Tokumatsu turned his attention over to an approaching Ruri, who had a smile on her face. "That was fun. It's been a long time since I've had a Duel like that."

"CHOJIRO!"

Tokumatsu turned his head to the entrance to see multiple prisoners chanting his name even after he lost. A memory flashed inside his head of the kids cheering for him.

" _CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO!"_

Tokumatsu stood up as the others approached him. He could feel it, excitement building up inside of him. He just wanted to say something, just one more thing. And that was…

"ENJOY!" He shouted proudly with a smile as he lifted his hands into the air like he just didn't care.

Meanwhile, a locked up Serena in a room with a...television turned around, she swore she heard people shouting the word "ENJOY!"

* * *

 **With a Certain Bastard No One Likes**

"How is the girl?" Roget questioned a man with green hair nonchalantly.

"She struggled a fair bit and was difficult to deal with at first, but she seems to have finally calmed down." The camera with a man minimized as a screen showing Serena popped up.

"Is that so?" Roget's neutral expression grew a smile of satisfaction. "It's about time we pay her a visit. One more thing, what about the Black Rose Witch?"

"Currently being experimented on! We are still trying to understand her powers!" The man reported as it showed a camera of Aki strapped to a chair being tortured and interrogated. Roget paid no attention to it, so she missed the look of anger on Aki's face when the picture disappeared.

* * *

 **The Next Day (I Think)-Facility**

Ruri and Sawatari, who had trays in front of them, looked on in awe as they witnessed Tokumatsu chowing down.

"You've got quite the appetite for the morning, Tokumatsu-san." Ruri spoke.

"Of course I do!" Tokumatsu gulped down his food. He held up an apple. "When you have a good Duel, the food tastes good too! Now, you guys dig in, too! Unlike that, this food is delicious!" The henchmen of Tokumatsu took the trays of crappy food away from Sawatari and Ruri and replaced them with clean bowls. Sawatari had a bowl full of fruit, which his face turned pink from joy when seeing it. Ruri gasped as she saw meat with lettuce. However, her look of surprise turned into joy as she clapped her hands together. Sawatari put a hand forward, craving the food, but not forgetting to do one thing.

"Thanks for the meal!" Both Sawatari and Ruri recited in unison. Sawatari already grabbed something to and munchie down on it. Ruri was about to also, however…

"Hold up!" Ruri turned her head to see a prisoner in cuffs with buck teeth talking to a guard. "I've got nothing to do with this!"

"Behave and be quiet!" The guard scolded him as the blonde haired guard pulled him away.

"No! Stop! Please let me off!" The man begged, but his pleads fell on deaf ears.

"Seems that his buddies planned a prison break, so…" Tokumatsu's minion in light blue trailed off.

"A prison break?!" Ruri repeated in shock.

Crow and Shinji, who were talking to each other overheard this and turned to the group.

"They've done something stupid." Tokumatsu closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "They should think of the comrades they were leaving behind."

"What do you mean?" Sawatari asked out of interest while Ruri stared at the floor, albeit still intending to listen.

"When these things happen, those left behind are held to joint liability and are punished. They're hauled off somewhere. Not a single one of them has come back."

With that, Ruri gained a look of horror on her face. Was he implying that those people were killed?

* * *

 **Later-With Ruri**

Ruri was cleaning the group's cell with a mop when she noticed something lying under the bunker beds.

"A Card…" She picked it up and looked at it. "This is Crow's…"

"Hey, Ruri! We're counting on you tomorrow, too!" Shinji walked into the open cell.

"What? Please don't tell me I am up for cleaning duty tomorrow again!" Ruri pouted. If she was back at Heartland and her brother told her that, then she would do it without question. She actually didn't mind doing chores like cleaning. But in a prison is WAY WAY different.

Shinji chuckled. "No, no. We want to see a Duel just like yesterday's again, so we've been discussing it with Tokumatsu-san." Shinji pointed to Tokumatsu, who also walked in.

"Since we're going to do it in front of a large crowd, might as well make it more grand and exciting. I've already had a talk with the head. We'll have a Great Entertainment Duel Tournament in the canteen tomorrow."

"Sounds like…"

"Huh?" Tokumatsu turned to the entrance of the cell to see Sawatari with his arms crossed with a smug look on his face.

"It is my time to shine!" He flashed a smile.

"Why, sonny, you look confident." Tokumatsu said.

"Of course!" Crow walked by and looked into the cell, he quickly looked away with an irritated expression before walking away. Ruri noticed this and ran out of the cell.

"Well, I will be glad to smash that spirit of yours to bits tomorrow!" Tokumatsu responded confidently.

"Crow!" Ruri called out the Black Feather user. Crow stopped and turned to Ruri, who handed him the Card. "This is yours, right?" It was a picture of Crow and his three kids. Crow immediately snatched it away.

"Did you hear from Shinji?" Crow asked.

"About the Duels?"

"You just liven things up. That, and...from now on, we're not friends or anything." Crow told Ruri harshly as he walked away.

"You're up to something, aren't you?" Ruri asked suddenly. "Don't tell me that you plan on escaping?!"

"I am indebted to Shinji. I am taking action with him." Crow answered seriously. "I won't get in your way."

"Yo, Crow, doing good?" A voice asked. Crow and Ruri looked in front of them to see a guy with green earrings and big ears walking towards them. Crow's frown turned into a smile.

"Damon!"

"I've been to your villa for a visit now." The man now known as Damon said.

"Nonsense!" Crow laughed. Damon looked at Ruri and gawked out loud.

"Why are you-?! Did you get caught after all along with that reckless guy?" Damon asked Ruri, taking a step closer to her.

"Weren't you putting up those weird flyers with that guy? An invasion by other dimensions or something like that?"

"Wait, what are you talking about? I never did such a thing…" Ruri whispered, which Damon didn't hear. What girl? What guy? Could it be someone who looked like her?

"How is the guy? Was he caught?"

"Huh?"

"Well, Security does have their eye on you guys." Damon said. He turned to Crow. "See ya, Crow. Let's meet again later." Damon walked away while Ruri spaced out.

Ruri was just about to talk to Crow, however…

"Hey! Ruri!" Tokumatsu came walking out of the cell. "The Entertainment Duel Tournament, you're going to put up a show like last time, right?"

"Actually...I'm sorry, Tokumatsu-san...I don't want to participate tomorrow." Ruri took a deep bow.

"Huh? Why are you quitting?" Tokumatsu asked Ruri.

"I...I just don't feel very well to Duel…" Ruri half-lied.

"Well...I guess it will be ok, Sawatari will be Dueling, but something about him makes me think of him as the egotistical type."

"I HEARD THAT!"

* * *

 **At the Canteen**

A red and white striped structure was placed at the canteen. Tokumatsu was being carried by multiple prisoners.

"You lot! Put some more power into it!" Tokumatsu commanded.

"Tokumatsu-san is pretty hyped…" Dennis muttered to Gongenzaka.

"Crow. Hey, Crow…if you are thinking of getting out of here...then please...count me in…" Ruri pleaded with Crow.

"Kgh! Don't get so chummy with me! Just because you are a friend of Aki's, that doesn't mean we are friends, despite with what you have gone through!" Crow yelled at Ruri and walked away. "You should cherish your comrades."

"Alright, I got my disk back!" Sawatari strapped his Duel Disk onto his wrist.

"Listen up!" Tokumatsu's voice boomed throughout the entire place as a spotlight shined on him. "Dueling is life! You only live once! If there are days you win, there are also days you lose! Do not be ashamed of defeat, do not be proud of victory! All in all, let's ENJOY!" The big crowd of prisoners watching went ecstatic.

"It's really Enjoy Chojiro!" Someone exclaimed out of joy at seeing him.

Tokumatsu jumped from his spot had landed on the 'stage.' "A certain youngster has lit a fire in me. Although she won't be Dueling, I would like to call her out! Kurosaki Ruri!" Tokumatsu pointed to Ruri, who was nearby. The spotlight went onto Ruri for a little bit before switching back to Tokumatsu.

"Now, for today! We have a challenger from another youngster! Isn't that right, Sawatari Shingo?" The spotlight came to behind the crowd, the prisoners moved to see Sawatari standing behind them with a grin on his face. He started to walk towards Tokumatsu. While he was walking up there, Ruri glanced past him to see Crow, Shinji, and Damon making their move. Crow looked up from what he was doing and saw Ruri looking at him, he quickly looked down.

"Hmm, this might not be good." Dennis told Gongenzaka, Ryoga, and O'Brien.

"Yeah, with that idiot facing Chojiro." Shark replied.

"Well, how about you go up there and intervene?" O'Brien asked.

"How about I what?" Shark turned to O'Brien.

Dennis snapped his fingers and smirked at O'Brien. "That is a brilliant idea! Come on, let's do it, Shark-chan!"

"I don't want to go up there! Plus...we don't even have any Duel Disks." Shark reminded Dennis.

"Oh, that can be fixed easily…" Dennis trailed off as he showed two Cards.

"Dennis! Don't tell me you are going to-"

"Don't worry about Gong-chan!" Dennis interrupted a Gongenzaka before he could say anything else as the Entermage user walked over to a nearby guard.

Gongenzaka stayed silent, there was no stopping him now. He looked to his left to see Ruri walking to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just need to resolve something with Crow." Ruri said out loud, so he could hear.

"What do you want? Don't you remember what I said earlier!?" Crow got ticked off.

"Yes. I do. You said to cherish your comrades. I want to escape. To find my comrades. My brother and Yuto. And...I guess...if we could escape with the others…also, I want to save Aki! She saved me when I was being risked by a member of Security. I need to pay her back!"

"Ruri…" Gongenzaka mumbled the girl's name. He narrowed his eyes, he came up with a plan. "Stay here for now, I will go and try to find Yuto and Kurosaki. Yuto is probably in Solitary Confinement with Kurosaki. Who knows, maybe this Aki character is there also. What does she look like?"

Ruri gave a description of Aki's appearance to Gongenzaka, who nodded his head in response.

Crow closed his eyes and smiled. He gave Ruri a thumbs up. This was basically his way of saying 'I'm sorry.'

"Gongenzaka. I will go too, in case you need some help. Also, someone has to go rescue Serena." O'Brien offered. Gongenzaka gave him a nod of approval, and the duo both left to go to Solitary Confinement.

"Now hold up!" Sawatari yelled up to Tokumatsu so he could hear him. "Let's take this Duel up a notch! The ultimate evolution of Dueling, an Action Duel! How about that?!"

"Action Duel? The ultimate evolution of Dueling? What is that?" Tokumatsu asked Sawatari in interest. He had never heard of such a thing before. The only special type of Duel was Riding Duel.

"An Action Duel is a Duel that unfolds upon an Action Field, and makes use of Action Cards scattered upon the Field. And the kicker, you get to interact with your Monster's as if they were sentient beings!" Sawatari explained what an Action Duel was.

"Sounds interesting! Then let's do it!" Tokumatsu gave his approval to Sawatari.

"Hmph! Let's do this! Action Field, on!" Sawatari snapped his fingers, and multiple blue platforms floating in the air started to appear. "Duelists locked in battle! Kicking across the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" Sawatari did a little spin before pointing up into the air. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Actioooooon…"

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists shouted in unison.

The first two turns of the Duel went on as it did in the anime. Sawatari performed a Pendulum Summon, which caused most of the people in the audience and Tokumatsu to get shocked and confused.

They thought it was cheating, well, Tokumatsu just thought it was just Dueling evolving even more. Sawatari explained the basic functions of Pendulum Monsters to the audience and a Tokumatsu took his turn. Ending up with Cardian-Inoshikacho and using Sawatari's ship, which already had Big Star aboard, and used his Inoshikacho to board it.

"The old guy's quite the charmer, too!" Sawatari commented after the crowd got wowed by Tokumatsu putting his Inoshikacho on Sawatari's ship.

"It's just natural. I end my turn." Tokumatsu concluded. "Now, you're up next! Show me why you wanted to Duel so badly!"

"With pleasure! My turn, dr-" Just as Sawatari was about to draw, a robotic voice was heard.

 **INTRUSION PENALTY: 2000 LIFE POINTS**

 **Dennis: 4000-2000 LP**

 **Shark: 4000-2000 LP**

"Kgh...why do I have to do this…?" Ryoga grumbled. "Let's just get this over with."

"Mind if we crash the show?" Dennis winked.

"Oi!" A tic mark appeared on Sawatari's head. "It was my turn to shine! What makes it right for you two to take the spotlight like that!"

"I thought it would be a little boring with two people, so I dragged Ryoga-chan here to spices things up a bit! Now, time to get along with it, my turn-!"

"Draw!" Shark drew his Card, cutting off Dennis. "I Summon Big Jaws from my Hand!"

 **Big Jaws: Level 3, 1800 Atk, 300 Def**

"From my Hand, I use the effect of Shark Stickers, I can Special Summon this Card when a Fish-Type Monster is Normal or Special Summoned!" Shark swiped his Monster onto his Duel Disk.

 **Shark Stickers: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I use these two level 3 Monsters to build the overlay network!" Ryoga declared as his Monsters flew into the portal that opened in front of him. "Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!"

 **Aero Shark: Rank 3, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def**

"So you use Xyz Summoning just like Ruri?" Tokumatsu grinned. "This should be good."

"I use the effect of Aero Shark, once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can inflict 400 damage to one of you for every Card in my Hand! Sawatari, I have 4 Cards in my Hand, so take 1600 damage!" Shark pointed at Sawatari as his Monster shot multiple bullets at the Duelist.

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!" Sawatari cried out as he was sent flying upwards because...logic.

 **Sawatari: 4000-2400 LP**

"I'm not done, Aero Shark, attack Tokumatsu directly!" Shark declared as Aero Shark rammed into Enjoy Chojiro pushing him backwards as he grunted in pain.

 **Tokumatsu: 4000-2100 LP**

"I end my turn with these 3 set Cards." Ryoga concluded. The crowd got noticeably less lively during and after Shark's turn.

"Shark-chan! You're scary face and dull Dueling made the Duel even more not entertaining for a crowd!" Dennis pouted at Ryoga, who got triggered.

"You're the one who forced me to Duel!" Ryoga snapped.

"Whatever it may be." Dennis sighed. "Looks like it is up to me. My turn, draw! I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 2 Entermage Bubble Gardna and the Scale 6 Entermage Overlay Juggler!" Dennis swiped the Cards across his Duel Disk. The word Pendulum appeared across the Disk. Two columns formed before Dennis as the declared Monsters flew up to the top in them.

"So you use the same Summoning method as this guy." Tokumatsu referred to Sawatari.

The crowd all went wild at knowing that they could see Pendulum Summoning again because of it being a new method.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are 3 to 5! Pendulum Summon! Appear! My Monsters!" Dennis raised his hand to a portal, which opened. Two beams of light came flying out of it and onto Dennis' Field. "From my Hand, Entermage Trick Clown! And finally Entermage Hat Tricker!"

 **Trick Clown: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def**

 **Hat Tricker: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1100 Def**

A Monster with a question mark cane while upside down appeared alongside a Monster with what seemed to be three purple hats with stars on its head.

"Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician!" Dennis chanted as he Xyz Summoned his Monster. A Monster with a cone shaped white hat, purple cape, and mostly white clothes swung to the Field.

 **Trapeze Magician: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Oh man! I'm getting so excited" and multiple "He uses Xyz like the girl and the other guy?" were heard throughout the crowd.

"Hmm, Shark-chan could easily finish me off should he get the chance so...I activate Trapeze Magician's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, a Monster on the Field must attack twice, however, if it doesn't do so, it is destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. Battle! Trapeze Magician! Attack Aero Shark!" Dennis declared as Trapeze Magician made his way over to Shark's Monster by swinging.

"Trap Card, Zeus Breath! When a Monster you control declares an attack, I can negate it, and, since I control a Water-Type Monster, I can inflict 800 damage to you!" A colossal giant riding a dark cloud. He held out his staff, lighting struck out of the cloud and sped towards Dennis.

"Not so fast! Any effect damage lower than or equal to Trapeze Magician's Attack becomes 0!" Dennis countered as a shield formed around him, the electricity hit the barrier but it had no effect. "Tsk, looks like I have to move away from you because of those set Cards. Trapeze Magician, take out the rest of Tokumatsu's life points!" Trapeze Magician grabbed his swing and moved over to Tokumatsu, who made a mad dash for an Action Card he saw. Dennis saw it to right when Tokumatsu passed it. Sawatari, in an attempt to have Chojiro lose, ran to the edge and leaped for the Card, which was near Crow, Damon and Shinji. Shark merely stood where he was and watched.

Sawatari was far behind, so Dennis and Tokumatsu reached for the Action Card. The cheering crowd went silent because of the tense moment. However, Dennis managed to grab the Action Card. Sawatari was VERY late, so he zipped past Tokumatsu and Dennis, who held up his Action Card with pride. Sawatari crashed into the area Crow, Shinji, and Damon were trying to escape from.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Sawatari questioned the trio, who looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Hey, are you guys al-Ah! What are you doing?!" A guard exclaimed in shock as he saw Shinji and Damon in the opening of the fan trying to escape with Crow giving him a look of shock. Ruri quickly smacked him on the head out of instinct. However, she was too late, people already saw what happened.

* * *

 **At Solitary Confinement-With Yuto and Shun**

The guard walked up to the door to the cell and looked in. However, to his surprise, he could not see Yuto and Shun inside at all. He quickly unlocked the door and ran in. "They have escaped, damn it!"

Little did he know, both Yuto and Shun were hiding on the ceiling. Yuto dropped down on the guard and gave him a hard punch to the stomach, knocking him out cold. Shun jumped off the ceiling and took lead from there. He, in the lead along with Yuto ran out of their cell. They saw two more guards. They both approached the Xyz Duelists with weapons, but they were quickly apprehended by Shun, knocking them down with just two blows. Shun stood up and his ears perked up. Quickly, he sent a chop to his top right, only to collide with Gongenzaka's metal sandals.

"Gongenzaka!" Yuto gasped out of shock.

"It's you." Shun simply said. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing!? Helping you!" Gongenzaka answered.

Shun simply turned away and closed his eyes. "I don't need help! Let's go!" And with that he ran off. Yuto and Gongenzaka ran after him, albeit a bit startled.

"Wait, where are you going!?" Gongenzaka shouted out to Shun, who ignored him.

* * *

 **With Aki**

Aki looked down at the ground with an angry expression on her face. She had been tortured and thrown in multiple times again and again. It was just like the last time she was here. However, this time, the torture was longer and worse. Most of it was experimenting, the other part was so-called payback for her actions against Security.

"Why am I so weak?" She asked herself as she punched the wall, her anger rising even more. "I was weak to rescue my parents. If I was strong enough, I could have tried to save them by now! Now I couldn't even protect a couple of people from Security!"

 _Security...the Tops...they were the cause of all of these problems...they needed to be punished!_ Aki's darker thoughts took over as her hair got more wild and a demonic expression appeared on her face.

"Come to me! Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Aki called out to her ace Monster, even though she didn't have her Duel Disk nor her Deck. A purple orb appeared in front of Aki. She felt the familiar presence of her ace. She reached out to touch the orb. Out came Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon, who roared in fury as her Summoning cause the cell to collapse from above Aki. However, Black Rose protected her from the debris. Aki walked out of her now broken cell and saw multiple guards running towards her.

"Black Rose, take them!" Aki commanded her Monster. Black Rose whacked the guards with her tail, they hit the walls and got thrown to the floor unconscious. Black Rose roared one more time before disappearing. Aki clutched her head in pain as her hair returned to normal, and the demonic look on her face disappearing. "Ugh...what is with me…?"

The rest of Aki's thoughts were cut off by the arrival of more guards. Aki got in a fighting stance and ran towards the hoard. She easily beat them alone, with only needing to use 1-2 punches on each guard.

"I need my Deck and Duel Disk back! Then, I need to reunite with Ruri, Crow, and the others!" Aki devised her game plan as she ran towards the room with the Duel Disks.

* * *

 **Back at the Canteen-Facility**

"Prison break!" A guard shouted as another one whistled. "This Duel has been cancelled! Nobody move from their spot!"

Crow grit his teeth when he heard that. "Crow!" He looked to Shinji, who was giving him a hand. He heard knuckles cracking and turned to his left to see a big guy and more guards behind him.

"Hey, you guys. Prison breaking is a serious felony. You understand that, right?" The man asked as walked towards Crow. The guard threw back his fist, preparing a punch. "The punishment is..l!" The man was interrupted by Sawatari throwing a frying pan at his head.

"Hmph." Sawatari flashed Crow a thumbs up, which Crow returned with a smile as he was lifted up by Shinji.

Sawatari kept smiling in Crow's direction that he didn't notice the person he with the pan towering over him. He only noticed because Ruri yelled out his name, he backed up slightly out of terror as a clock ticked down in his head for when he would be hit, as the person he hit had the same exact frying pan in his hands.

The prisoners looked at what was going on and saw the man lift up the pan.

"BATTLE!"

* * *

 **With Kurosaki, Yuto, and Gongenzaka**

Shun ran through more hoards of guards, effortlessly taking care of them all. Gongenzaka and Yuto kept on running.

"Just where is he going?" Gongenzaka questioned Yuto.

"While in our cell, Shun and I discussed where the room with the confiscated Duel Disks and Decks could possibly be."

* * *

 **Back at the Facility**

A big fight had broke out between the prisoners and guards. One guard hit a prisoner on the head with his weapon, only to find it not being effective and it broke immediately. Another person was taunting two guards who were not so successful in trying to hit him.

Tokumatsu came to Sawatari's aid and grabbed a guard and held him over his head. "Go ENJOY yourself over there!" He threw the guard with a lot of force, he found himself on top of Shark's Aero Shark, who rushed around in circles, eventually tipping up to drop the busy guard.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Gongenzaka and Yuto came to the entrance of the room Kurosaki ran into.

"Hey, what are you-" Gong was interrupted by Shun throwing him and Yuto Duel Disks.

"You plan to escape unarmed?" Shun asked rhetorically. Just then, Aki came running to the entrance.

"Who are you?!" Shun immediately took a defensive stance and readied his Duel Disk.

"You!" Yuto recognized Aki right away.

"You know this girl, Yuto?" Gongenzaka asked his former Lancer.

"No, when I was being captured, I saw her also being captured." Yuto replied to Gongenzaka's question. "We can trust her for now. Let her go, Shun."

Shun put down his Duel Disk and ran past her. He came across some more guards. "Out of my way!"

"Hey, you bastard!"

*Punch* *Punch* *Punch*

Gongenzaka, Yuto and Aki simply looked on in awe. Yuto decided to break the silence with holding up a red Duel Disk.

"So...is this yours?"

* * *

 **With Serena**

Serena was lying down in a chair with a bored expression on her face. Suddenly, O'Brien dropped into the room.

"You!" Serena realized it was a comrade.

O'Brien kept a stoic expression on his face.

"Come on! Let's go!"

* * *

 **Back at the Fight**

"Tokumatsu-chan!" Dennis ran to where Ruri, Tokumatsu and Sawatari was with Ryoga in tow.

He grabbed Dennis by the collar and held him up. Ruri flinched at the sight and remembered how Tokumatsu smacked Sawatari on the head.

"Young lad! You used Dueling as an excuse to do something like this?! What is going on with this?!" Tokumatsu put down Dennis.

"Sorry, Tokumatsu-san!" Ruri interjected. "To help save our other comrades...my, comrades we...my comrades have been trying their best to look for me when I was taken away from my own dimension."

"Dimension? Taken away?" Tokumatsu repeated in confusion.

"Long story. But ever since, they had been searching far and wide for me. In fact, Ryoga is one of those people." Ruri pointed to the tentacle haired man. "Also, there is another girl who saved me when I arrived here. I need to save her too! That is why!"

Tokumatsu remained silent, trying to process what he heard. "Go!"

Suddenly, more guards came. "You lot don't move!" Tokumatsu turned around and blocked their way, protecting the others.

"Tokumatsu-san!" Ruri called out his name in concern.

"I am in your debt." Tokumatsu informed Ruri. "I will pay my dues here." He gave Ruri a smile. "Take care."

"Kgh! Get lost, Tokumatsu!" The guard struggling with a Chojiro held up a taser.

"RARE CARDS!" Some yelled as Cards rained from above.

"Awesome! This is super rare!"

Tokumatsu, the guards, and the others looked to see guards trying to grab multiple raining Cards.

"And now it is time for today's main event!" The green Tokumatsu henchman exclaimed with a smirk on his face. "A lavish feast for Enjoy Chojiro's revival!" He pulled a cloth away and revealed Tokumatsu's big stacks of Cards that he had collected over the past 10 years. The Cards were thrown out of the top of the building as guards rushed to get Cards.

"Boss!" Tokumatsu minion light blue yelled. "Once more, on stage! Take care!"

"You all…" Tokumatsu trailed off as he smiled. "I have received your feelings as well. Let's go!"

"Alright! Sawatari!" Shark pulled said boy's sleeve, he turned around to reveal him holding a couple of Cards, one of them being a Dark Mirror Force.

"Ok!"

"Let's end this show! Action Magic, Curtain Call, activate!" Dennis swiped the Card across his Duel Disk. The lanterns flowed as all of the Monsters took a bow, lights enveloping the entire Facility. With that distraction, Sawatari, Tokumatsu, Ryoga, and Dennis escaped through the vent.

* * *

 **Alright! So I finished a chapter in 1 day! Yay! I really kind of wanted to get the Prison Arc out of the way quickly, so that is why I updated almost right away. I had a lot of time to make this, so it was no problem, especially since that before I left, I kind of laid out some plans for the future chapters.**

 **Here is the preview.**

 **Ruri and the others arrive on the rooftop, where they are approached by Arrest Corps. Sawatari, being the big idiot he is, challenges them to a Duel. The group is sent on the run. The Arrest Corps temporarily shut down Ryoga and Dennis' Duel Disks, so they cannot Duel. Tokumatsu gives Ruri his Duel Disk so she can Duel. Finally, Yuto and the others appear and save the group. Then, Ruri, Shun and Yuto finally have a reunion…**

 **VioletStarVN: I looked back at the scene, and I found what you meant. You see, I was going off from the actual episode from the anime to see how the characters talk and react, so when Yuya saves himself in the anime, I copied the line the prisoners say and accidentally kept it as 'he' instead of changing to 'she.' Which is of course Ruri's proper gender.**

 **Sorry if the Duel was VERY bad guys. Literally, I think this is the worst Duel I made as of yet, aside from the Duel I made in that gag fanfiction during Halloween between Yugo and Yuri. Actually, the first couple of Duels in the story might be worse than this Duel, especially the Academia soldier ones.**

 **That is all for now guys. Hope you guys kind of ENJOYED the chapter**

 **Take care, goodbye!**

 **#AllAboardtheENJOYHypeTrain**


	68. Under Hot Pursuit

Tokumatsu, Sawatari, Ruri, Dennis and Ryoga were crawling through a ventilation shaft in order to escape. Thanks to the help of the diversion created by the prisoners, they were able to make it this far. However, Ruri felt uneasy about the entire thing and asked what happened to Crow and Shinji.

The answer to that question was that Crow and Shinji had left before them and were currently up ahead.

"My sixth sense tells me to keep moving straight like this." Sawatari, who was in the lead, announced to the others with a cocky smile on his face.

"Is this really okay? There's no going back!" Ruri still felt uneasy about the entire thing.

"It sounded to me that you wanted to break out just as much as all of us...well, scratch maybe Tokumatsu." Dennis spoke cheerfully from the back of the line. He was last behind Shark.

"I was against breaking out. But now, I have no intentions of going back." Tokumatsu said, a frown creeping up in his face. "My followers supported me. They told me to shine upon the stage once again! Ruri, and this goes for the rest of you too, if you've set your mind on saving your comrades too, don't turn back."

"That's right! You can't go wrong following me!" Sawatari spoke loudly as he neared the exit of the ventilation shaft.

"I have a bad feeling about following you…" Ryoga muttered so quietly no one could hear it.

"Watch! A world of freedom…" Sawatari opened the vent and popped his head out. "Opens up before us!" Unfortunately, Sawatari's celebration was canceled abruptly by Tokumatsu.

"You're holding us up! Get out!"

"HAJIJNSJAKKEJAJAJ-WHAA!" Sawatari screamed as he was pushed out of the vent by Tokumatsu.

Tokumatsu suddenly noticed where they were.

"Hey, this is the rooftop!" Tokumatsu yelled out loud when he was out of the vent. He took a deep breath and turned to the vent to see Ruri coming out. He gave her his hand and helped her out. He did the same for Dennis and Ryoga.

"Where are Crow and the others?" Ruri questioned, not seeing anyone in sight.

"There they are! Don't let them escape!" A voice suddenly bellowed, much to the surprise to the group. They looked in the direction of where they heard the voice and saw 3 Arrest Corps ahead looking at them from the edge of the roof. They jumped off and dropped onto their level.

"Damn! We've been found!" Ryoga cursed under his breath.

"Hmph! In that case, we'll worm our way through these guards with rare Cards!" Sawatari pulled out some of his Cards.

"It will be of no use. They are not like the guards you are familiar with. They are a special team designated to deal with prison breaks. They are the Arrest Corps!" Tokumatsu informed the group, particularly Sawatari. "They won't even bat an eyelid at rare Cards!"

"Better surrender quietly!" Arrest Corp 1 told them as he activated his Duel Disk.

"We won't show mercy if you resist!" Arrest Corp 2 threatened as he did the same as Arrest Corp 1 and activated his Duel Disk.

"We will seize you by force!" Arrest Corp 3 finished threatening the group as he finally activated his Duel Disk.

"Interesting!" Sawatari put the Cards away. "If that's the case, I will take you on!" Sawatari declared as he activated his Duel Disk. "All of you come at me!"

 _Field Magic: Crossover_

"Sawatari, please stop! We don't have time to Duel these guys!" Ruri pleaded with the Abyss Actor Duelist.

"Grr! If you insist on being an idiot, I'm joining!" Ryoga walked forward as he prepared to activate his Duel Disk.

"Alright!"

Suddenly, three yellow beams were shot from the Arrest Corps, the beams hit Ryoga's, Ruri's, and Dennis Duel Disks, causing electricity to spark out of them.

"What the heck happened?" Dennis viewed his Duel Disk and tried to activate. However, his Disk did nothing. Ryoga happened to end up in the same situation.

"That beam temporarily disables your Duel Disks, so the blonde kid is fighting alone!" Arrest Corp 1 exclaimed, not aware that Tokumatsu had a Duel Disk hidden.

"What?!" Ruri, Dennis, and Ryoga went wide-eyed our of shock.

"That's fine! I, the great Sawatari Shingo, even when alone, has the strength of 4-no, the strength of 100!"

 _Battle Royal Mode, Tag Duel._

"DUEL!" The four Duelists declared in unison.

"I'll start. I Summon Jutte Knight from my Hand!" Arrest Corp 1 started the Duel with Summoning a midget with glasses, a brown vest and a weapon in its hand.

 **Jutte Knight: Level 2, 700 Atk, 900 Def**

"Jutte Knight?!" Ruri widened her eyes, remembering the Monster when Aki saved her.

"When there is a Warrior-Type Monster in my Field, I can Special Summon Kiribi Lady from my Hand!"

 **Kiribi Lady: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"I tune the level 1 Kiribi Lady with the Level 2 Jutte Knight! Taste the power of authority! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 3, Goyo Defender!" Arrest Corp 1 Synchro Summoned his Monster with a shield.

 **Goyo Defender: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"When there is a Goyo Defender on my Field, I can Special Summon a Goyo Defender from my Extra Deck!" Two more Goyo Defenders appeared.

"Three Synchro Monsters just like that!" Shark gazed at the sight in awe.

"This is the Arrest Corps. They are not like those cowardly guards." Tokumatsu said.

"They are just like the Obelisk Force…" Dennis noted. "They only Duel in groups of 3 from the looks of it."

"Hey, Ruri, take my Duel Disk." Tokumatsu offered.

"What? But that is your only means of defense! I can't just take it!" Ruri wanted to deny the offer.

"You are a stronger Duelist than me! Take it!" Tokumatsu forced his Duel Disk into Ruri's hands and took Ruri's own Duel Disk and kept hold of it.

"I end my turn." Arrest Corp 1 ended his turn. "Now, submit to the hands of the law!" The 3 Arrest Corps started advancing on the group.

"This is getting interesting. Let's see what is stronger, your power of authority or my strength! My turn, draw! I Summon Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie from my Hand!" A Monster did a front flip onto the Field and gave a thumbs up. It had feared up overalls and claws.

 **Sassy Rookie: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Battle! I attack Goyo Defender with Sassy Rookie!" Sawatari pointed at the Monster in the middle.

"When Goyo Defender is attacked, the Attack becomes the number of Goyo Defenders on the Field multiplied by 1000!"

"What?!" Sawatari felt sweat starting to roll down his face.

"There are three Goyo Defenders now. That means 3000 Attack!"

 **Goyo Defender: 1000-3000 Atk**

"Don't think it will be that easy! Once per turn, Sassy Rookie can't be destroyed!" Sassy Rookie dodged a strike for, Defender.

"But you will still take the damage!" Defender hit Sassy Rookie with his shield, sending the Monster right into Sawatari.

 **Sawatari: 4000-2700 LP**

"Damn it! What's that about the power of authority?! Papa will hear about this and you'll all get grilled!" Sawatari grit his teeth as he stood back up.

"Don't be stupid!" Ryoga yelled at Sawatari.

"Let's get out of here first!" Tokumatsu urged the boy.

"Kgh...I end my turn." And with that, Sawatari took off running along wit the others. The Arrest Corps quickly followed.

"I won't let you get away! My turn!" Arrest Corp 2 drew a Card from his Deck.

Since there was a Goyo Defender on the Field, Arrest Corp 2 Special Summoned 3 more copies of Goyo Defender.

"Hurry up you four!" Sawatari told the others as he climbed up a ladder.

"You're one to talk!" Tokumatsu shouted as he began climbing also, followed by Ruri, Dennis and Shark.

"The Special Summon Goyo Defenders cannot attack this turn!"

Sawatari reached the top to see a long drop. "It's no use! There is no way out!"

"Jump, Sawatari! We need to shake them off!" Ryoga yelled from down the ladder.

"N-n-no, but-"

"You gutless brat! Off we go!" Tokumatsu interrupted Sawatari by grabbing the boy and jumping off, much to the dislike of the boy.

"PAPA!" Sawatari screeched comedically as both him Tokumatsu continued falling. Ruri, Shark, and Dennis also jumped off.

"Thank you, Tokumatsu! My turn!"

 _Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Life Points_

 **Ruri: 4000-2000 LP**

"I Summon Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow from my Hand!" Ruri swiped the Card of her bird onto Duel Disk. A girl dressed up as a brown sparrow appeared to the Field and quickly flew down to Tokumatsu and Sawatari, catching them and flying them to the ground. When they landed safely, Cobalt Sparrow flew back up to get Dennis, Ruri, and Ryoga.

Ruri grabbed Ryoga's wrist, much to his surprise. Ryoga looked up to see Ruri's Cards in her mouth leaving her with a free hand. With the hand that had the Duel Disk, she grabbed Cobalt Sparrow's leg, and so did Dennis. Cobalt Sparrow flew down to where Tokumatsu and Sawatari were.

When they landed, they stopped running, thinking all of them were in the clear.

"Why don't we just use your birds to fly us out of here, Ruri?" Ryoga suggested.

"My Monsters can't carry people for very long, Ryoga!" Ruri answered.

"Good call." Tokumatsu complimented.

"This means my call to climb the roof was right too." Sawatari tried to boast.

"Over there!" O'Brien pointed to their side. The group saw two of the Arrest Corps on poles floating down slowly.

"Let's book it!" Sawatari exclaimed as he and the others made a run for it.

Ruri looked at her hand to see that she didn't have anything else she could do.

"I set a Card face down and end my turn." Ruri concluded as a set Card materialized in front of her and then disappeared.

The group saw an opening in the wall, but decided to scurry past it. However, the third Arrest Corp appeared in front of them and drew his Card, Special Summoning 3 Goyo Defenders because of the effect. The group ran to the opening, and Arrest Corp 3 chased them.

"The Special Summoned Goyo Defenders cannot Attack this turn." Arrest Corps 3 said as the trio of Arrest Corps entered the tunnel in the wall. "However, I Summon Jutte Knight! I tune the two level 3 Goyo Defender and the level 2 Jutte Knight! Prostrate before the power of authority! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 8, Goyo King!"

 **Goyo King: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def**

"When Goyo King is in battle, its Attack increases by the number of a Goyo Monsters on the Field by 400! There are 8 Goyo Monsters, so it's Attack becomes 6000!"

 **Goyo King: 2800-6000 Atk**

"Battle! I attack Cobalt Sparrow with Goyo King!" Goyo King took out it's whip and prepared to strike.

"Trap activate! Lyrilusc-Defense! When a Lyrilusc Monster is Attacked, I can switch the attacked Monster's Battle Position! I switch Cobalt Sparrow from Attack to Defense!" Cobalt Sparrow, on Ruri's command took a defensive stance as she was destroyed.

"Don't think you can get away! Goyo King's Monster effect! When it destroys an opponent's Monster, I gain control of a Monster on the opposing Field!" Arrest Corp 3 revealed as Goyo King took his whip and threw it out at Sassy Rookie. It wrapped around Sawatari's Monster and Goyo King pulled the Monster in. Goyo King grabbed Sassy Rookie.

"What?!" Sawatari looked at his Monster to see it being reeled away from him.

"I attack the girl directly with the captured Sassy Rookie!" Goyo King threw Sassy a Rookie at Ruri, who gasped and jumped out of the way, albeit she still took damage.

 **Ruri: 2000-300 LP**

"Turn end." Arrest Corps 3 finally ended his turn. "At this moment, Goyo King's Attack returns to normal."

 **Goyo King: 6000-2800 Atk**

"Damn it." Sawatari cursed under his breath. "They're doing whatever they want with my Monster…"

"Give me the Duel Disk!" Tokumatsu shouted at Ryoga.

"What?! It doesn't work!" Shark rebutted.

"Cram it old man! Your Enjoy Duel won't work against these goons!" Sawatari insulted Tokumatsu.

"Shut it!" Tokumatsu snapped. "When my comrades are in trouble, standing by dishonorable!"

"Then how about I protect them for you!" A voice called out. The group looked in front of them to see a girl with her Duel Disk ready.

"Aki!" Ruri grew a smile on her face at the sight of seeing Aki. The group ran behind and Aki and halted as they looked back to see the Arrest Corps still approaching.

"Leave this to me!" Aki drew her Card from the top of her Deck, intruding on the Duel.

 _Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Life Points_

Aki didn't flinch in the slightest at the damage.

 **Aki: 4000-2000 LP**

"It's the Black Rose Witch!" Arrest Corp 1 exclaimed.

"Black Rose Witch?" Ryoga, Tokumatsu, Dennis, and Sawatari repeated in confusion.

"From my Hand, I activate the Continuous Magic Ivy Shackle! While it is my turn, all Monsters you control become Plant-Type Monsters!" Aki explained as multiple vines covered all the Goyo Monsters and Sassy Rookie. "Next, I activate the Magic Card Fragrance Storm! I get to destroy a Plant-Type Monster on the Field and draw a Card, if the Card is a Plant-Type Monster, I get to draw another Card! I destroy Goyo King!" Goyo King exploded.

"What?!" Arrest Corp 3 looked at where his Monster once was.

"That's a good plan." Tokumatsu admitted. "By changing the Monsters to Pant-Type, Goyo King could be destroyed."

"Now I won't have to worry about that extra effect Goyo King has! Now, the next effect of Fragrance Storm, I draw!" Aki glanced at her Card and smiled. "The Card is Evil Thorn, now I draw another Card!"

"She just replenished her Hand." Dennis noted. "It's as if she didn't make a move at all."

"Go, Aki!" Ruri cheered.

"I Summon the Tuner Monster Night Rose Knight from my Hand!" Aki placed her Monster onto her Duel Disk. A warrior with a sword appeared.

 **Night Rose Knight: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"When Night Rose Knight is Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon a Level 4 or power Plant-Type Monster from my Hand! Come before me, Evil Thorn!"

 **Evil Thorn: Level 1, 100 Atk, 300 Def**

"I activate Evil Thorn's effect, by releasing this Card, I get to inflict 300 damage to you and Special Summon two more copies off Evil Thorn. However, they cannot activate their effects!" Aki swiped her two more copies of the Card onto her Duel Disk. Evil Thorns exploded, thorns flew at Arrest Corp 3.

 **Arrest Corp 3: 4000-3700 LP**

"Now, I tune the 2 level 1 Evil Thorns with the level 3 Tuner Monster Night Rose Knight! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 5! Black Rose Disciple!" A woman with red hair in a red cloak took to the Field.

 **Black Rose Disciple: Level 5, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I activate her effect! When Black Rose Disciple is Special Summoned, I get to Special Summon from my Extra Deck or Graveyard Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon with its effects negated! Appear, Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Aki raised her hand to the air as her ace Monster roared behind her.

Strong winds gushed out at everyone except Aki, causing them to shield themselves.

 **Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def**

"I activate the Magic Card Synchro Cracker! By returning a Synchro Monster to the Extra Deck, I get to destroy all Monsters on the Field with Attack less than the returned Monsters!" Disciple was removed from the Field. A bright light enveloped the area, when it dissipated, the Goyo Monsters and Sassy Rookie were gone.

"They're all gone!" Ruri gaped at the sight.

"Now we don't have any Monsters to protect us!" Arrest Corp 2 panicked.

"I activate the Magic Card Wonder Clover! By discarding a level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monster, one Monster I control can attack twice! However, my other Monsters cannot attack this turn. I discard Ivy Wall and allow Black Rose to Attack twice! Now, Black Rose, attack those two directly! Bloom Rose Boom!" Black Rose opened its mouth, and a purple stream bursted out at the Arrest Corps 1 and 2, they were sent flying backwards. A crater was formed where the stream hit the ground.

 **Arrest Corps 1 and 2: 4000-1600 LP**

"I end my turn." Aki concluded. "Sorry, I couldn't take any of them out, but at least with their Monsters are gone."

Arrest Corp 1 stood up, albeit slowly and while wincing out of pain. He tired to start his turn.

"RURI!" A voice shouted out loud. O'Brien, Ryoga, Ruri, Dennis, and Sawatari gasped, they knew who the owner of the voice was.

 _Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Life Points_

The owner of the voice crashed onto the ground. He slowly stood up and glared at the Arrest Corps.

Meanwhile, everyone else except Aki looked on in shock, especially Ruri. It was him. There was no doubt about it.

That dual-colored spiky hair. The cape. And the voice oh was the voice just the giveaway. It was Yuto. Finally, Ruri got to see Yuto once again in the flesh, up close, without seeing him captured in front of her eyes.

Yuto softened his gaze at the Arrest Corps. No, he must not lose his cool around her. After all of this time, he was sure Ruri would not like this to be the first thing she sees when she finally sees his face again. He slowly turned around, and showed Ruri her face.

Multiple emotions fled through him. Some of them with doubt, saying that it wasn't Ruri, and that it was Serena or maybe even Yuzu. However, most of the emotions, thought differently. They...knew differently.

That was Ruri.

That was definitely Ruri.

Yuto gave a smile of relief, joy and happiness towards Ruri. He turned around and faced the Arrest Corps once again. Once again, he glared at them. And his smile formed into a frown.

"For the ones I love, I will be stopping you here!" Yuto stated his resolve to protect his comrades...and Ruri.

"My turn!" Yuto drew his Card. He put in his Hand and took out another Card. "From my Hand, I Summon Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!" A ghostly Monster with gloves and a blue misty body appeared.

 **Ragged Gloves: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

"If I control a Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand! Appear, Phantom Knights Silent Boots!" A misty body wearing boots walked onto the Field next to Ragged Gloves.

 **Silent Boots: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I use the level 3 Silent Boots and Ragged Gloves to overlay! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Yuto chanted as he Xyz Summoned the Knight with the large sword in a black armored horse.

 **Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"When Ragged Gloves is used as Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a Monster, the Summoned Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!"

 **Break Sword: 2000-3000 Atk**

"Right out of the gates a 3000 Attack Monster?!" Tokumatsu widened his eyes at the sight. "Wait, Xyz Summoning…" Tokumatsu glanced at Ruri and creeped towards her to whisper something in her ear. "I can see why you like that guy, he's quite the man for you!"

Ruri blushed at the comment and was at a loss for words. She and Yuto were dating, but it was just very embarrassing to talk about their relationship. "Uhh...yeah…"

"I activate the Magic Card Phantom Knights Break Shot! When I control a Phantom Knights Monster on my Field, I get to target a Card I control and a Card my opponents control! I target Break Sword, and since this is a Battle Royale, I get to target any Card my comrades have, I target the Break Sword on my Field and Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Yuto declared as the two Card lit up before breaking into many particles.

"Since Black Rose isn't on the Field anymore, I can use it's effect! When Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon is destroyed, I get to Special Summon a Monster except Black Rose from any player's Graveyard to any player's Field!" Aki explained her Monster's effect.

"Wait one second! I chain the effect of Phantom Knights Break Sword! When this Card leaves the Field while it has Xyz Material, I get to Special Summon the Materials back to the Field as level 4 Monsters!" Out of the Grave, Yuto's regular Monsters flew out and took a defensive stance.

"And now Bloomlight Dragon's effect continues, I Special a Summon to Yuto's Field, Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Break Sword reappeared onto Yuto's Field.

"I use the level 4 Silent Boots and Ragged Gloves to overlay! With these 2 Monsters I construct the overlay network! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto chanted as Dark Rebellion appeared roaring to the air.

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"It's the dragon he used against me!" Sawatari realized at the sight of the Monster.

"But even with Break Sword and Dark Rebellion, there will still be one of those guys left." Tokumatsu stated.

"Because of Ragged Gloves being used as Material, Dark Rebellion gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Yuto revealed as Dark Rebellion was enveloped by a purple aura.

 **Dark Rebellion: 2500-3500 Atk**

"It ends with this. I activate the Equip Magic Card Rage of the Rebellion! I can only equip this Card to a Dark Attribute Dragon-Type Xyz Monster I control! Now, each turn, the equipped Monster can attack with its usual attack plus the amount of overlay units the Monster had when the Card was equipped. Dark Rebellion had 2 overlay units when the Card was equipped. So, Dark Rebellion can attack twice, and that's not even including his regular attack for the turn. So, Dark Rebellion can attack 3 times this turn!"

"But that means…" Arrest Corp 1 trailed off.

"Yes, it's over! Break Sword, attack him directly!" Yuto pointed at Arrest Corp 3. Break Sword charged thrusting out his sword. The sword hit his helmet, causing the Arrest Corp to be thrown back. When he hit the ground, his helmet cracked.

 **Arrest Corp 3: 3700-1700 LP**

"Now, Dark Rebellion! End this! Attack all 3 of these guys directly! Rebellious Lighting Disobey!" Dark Rebellion flew towards the Arrest Corps with his fangs surging with electricity. He dove veered upwards and hit all 3 Arrest Corps, causing them to cry out from the pain as all of them were blown away and out of the hole on the wall.

 **Arrest Corps 1 and 2: 1600-0 LP**

 **Arrest Corp 3: 1700-0 LP**

All of the Monsters on the Field disappeared from sight as Ruri, Yuto, Aki, and Sawatari all deactivated their Duel Disks.

A long silence filled the area, no one even willing to talk because of Yuto's sudden appearance.

"Yuto…" Ruri broke the silence by uttering out the name of her comrade and friend.

Yuto turned around and faced Ruri, his heart fluttering and his face blushing red.

"Ruri...I'm glad you're safe." Yuto gave her a grateful smile.

"It's good to see you again, Yuto." Ruri moved a little closer as they were about to embrace.

"RURI!" A new voice shouted out of joy.

Ruri froze. That voice. Was it him?

Another person dropped down next to Yuto, followed by Gongenzaka crashing to the ground, causing everyone but to shake slightly.

"Ruri! It's you!" The owner of the voice revealed his face. It was Shun.

"Brother!" Ruri went in and pulled both Yuto and Shun into a hug.

"I missed you so much…" Shun started, but couldn't finish as he actually started to shed tears.

"Wait! Kurosaki is crying!?" Sawatari gaped in awe.

"Brother...Yuto...I was so scared when I was taken away...I thought...I thought…" Ruri, just like her brother couldn't finish as she broke down into even more tears then Shun.

"When we found out you disappeared, we looked everywhere for you." Yuto spoke softly. "When you were kidnapped, I felt regret...regret for not trying to protect you and look out for you...and for you to be back now, it's a gift...the best one I've ever had…"

"Well...you guys don't have to worry...I'm back now…" Ruri murmured.

"Ruri. How did you escape from Academia?" Shun asked his sister, although the smile was still present on his face.

"Two people came to rescue me and a girl named Rin." Ruri answered while still unleashing tears.

Yuto's blood ran cold. Rin? "Ruri, you said Rin was at Academia with you?"

Ruri stopped crying as the three pulled away from their embrace. "Yeah, why?"

"A guy named Yugo was looking for her. He has the same face as me."

Yuto revealed to Ruri.

"He has the same face as you?! And he was looking for Rin? Weird...because Rin has the same face as me."

"Wait! So that is 4 girls!" Shun gasped out of shock.

"4?" Ruri repeated in confusion.

"There is you, Rin, Serena, and Hiragi Yuzu. The one thing they all have in common, they have the same face." Shun said.

"Wait, where is Serena then?" Dennis questioned.

"She already regrouped with Crow and the others." A new voice spoke. The group looked up to see O'Brien looking down at them. He jumped down to the others.

"O'Brien?" Sawatari mused.

"Come on, we need to hurry!" O'Brien urged the group.

* * *

 **Later-To Crow, Shinji, and Damon**

"Ruri, you came too, huh. And Yuto, you escaped!" Crow gave Yuto a nod of acknowledgement.

Yuto, Ruri, and Shun remained noticeably close together.

"I have to do something for someone...no, a friend. I need to save his childhood friend, and we also need to find the last of our comrades." Yuto spoke with a serious expression on his face. "I won't falter anymore. I need to be able to protect my comrades!" Yuto clutched has fist as it tightened. "I already got separated once, I don't want to be separated again."

Yuto of course was referring to when they were all captured. Ruri remembered looking at Yuto's face when he came dashing off a roof. She hated that look he had when he was captured, the look of failure. And it was her fault he got captured. Had she not been there, Yuto wouldn't have come to save her. Well, then again, he would have came to save the others anyway. That's just the way he is.

 _And that's why...I love him…_ Ruri thought as she smiled softly at Yuto for a bit before turning serious.

"We also won't falter anymore!" Shinji declared as he unwrapped his arms. "We've got to escape to save our comrades who've been captured. If the Commons turn this society around, we will crush these detention facilities first!"

"If everything goes well, the welcome party should be arriving soon." Damon said as he put his hand over his forehead to see better. He continued looking, until a flash of light came into his view. "That's it!"

"Let's jump! If we get to the opposite bank we can escape!" Shinji exclaimed.

Ruri took a deep breath and looked at Yuto and a Shun, who looked back at her with a smile. The three of them nodded. They would go together. The three of them walked to the edge and jumped into the water. Like everyone else, they attempted to swim over to the other side.

They couldn't get far though as multiple spotlights was switched and on, and the light glared at the Lancers and 3 Commons in the water. Everyone froze to see what was going on. Then, someone they couldn't see pushed someone out to face them.

"Shinji, Damon...I'm sorry." The person apologized. It was hard to see, but from the water, they could just make out handcuffs around the wrists of the person.

"Tony…" Shinji looked at the person in shock.

"I heard there was a Duel tournament in the detention facility. Did I mistake it for a swim meet?" A calm voice asked rhetorically. The person was in the middle spotlight, the light shadowing out his face.

"H-he is…" Crow couldn't talk more as he was too surprised.

"I should have mentioned this first, I am the person in charge of order in this City. I am the chief of the Security Bureau, Jean Michel Roget. We finally meet everyone."

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Lyrilusc-Defense, Trap: When a Lyrilusc Monster you control is attacked, you can switch the Monster's Battle Position.**

 **Black Rose Disciple, Plant, Dark, Synchro: When this Card is Synchro Summoned, you can Special Summon a Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon from your Graveyard or Extra Deck with its effects negated. Once per turn, you can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monster from your Hand or Graveyard.**

 **Phantom Knights Break Shot, Magic: If you control a Phantom Knights Monster, target a Card you control, then, target a Card your opponent controls, destroy them.**

 **Rage of the Rebellion, Equip, Magic: Equip this only to a Dark-Attribute Xyz Dragon-Type Monster. The equipped Monster can attack equal to the amount of overlay units the equipped Monster had when this Card was first equipped in addition to its first attack.**

* * *

 **I know I am going to get flamed for the chapter. But then again, I think you people should have saw this coming.**

 **Oh yeah, Aki is still with the group, I just didn't have her say anything after the Duel.**

 **I think I have made you people hate me a lot already so I decided to have the part where they get separated to next chapter.**

 **Next chapter preview: Yuto and the others are taken to the Administrative Council after being captured. It is decided that most of the captives are forced to participate in the Friendship Cup. While the ones that don't participate are taken in by Akaba Reiji.**

 **Bridgey: Hope the reunion scene at least satisfied you. Of course, Jack will be using Scarlight and Tyrant. After all, those are his quote on quote 'ace Monsters' for his Arc-V version. As for Abyss, Bane and King Calamity, that is still on the table for me to decide.**

 **Skadi: Glad you enjoyed it. Also, by more Abyss Actor Cards are you talking about the new ones that were released not too long ago?**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you ENJOYED this chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	69. Exhibition Match

Everyone was taken out of the water and arrested. Yuto and the others were thrown into the back of a truck with handcuffs. Shun, Ryoga and Yuto had tried to fight the guards off, desperately trying not to lose Ruri again, but do to the vast numbers, they were apprehended easily.

"Ruri! Ruri! Ruri!" Shun roared the name of his sister in anger that he couldn't save her and concern about what would happen to her since she was separated from the others.

"I'll never see the kids like this! Damn it!" Crow cursed as he closed his eyes and grit his teeth, almost giving up all hope.

"Don't give up. We still have a chance." Shinji spoke in an attempt to encourage Crow.

"Ruri!" Yuto called out to her comrade as he noticed that she wasn't pushed into the truck with them.

"Let go of me!"

Yuto turned to where he heard the voice to see Serena being restrained by two people facing Roget. Ruri was near her also being restrained, however, unlike Serena, she didn't try to fight back.

"Where do you think you're taking me?!" Serena questioned Roget in a fit, trying to break out of the guards' grip, but to no avail.

"Please do not worry. We will treat you kindly, the same will go for this other girl." Roget referred to Ruri, who had sweat rolling down her face. He turned to Aki, who was also restrained by guards. "As for you-"

A sudden light from a helicopter made Roget pause as he looked up. The helicopter landed and the door opened, forming a ramp in which two people with a black bow, shades, and white hat and clothing walked out.

Roget took a few steps forward to hear what they had to say.

"These people are to be handled by the Executive Council." One person informed Roget.

"Hand them over immediately, this is the council's consensus." The second person added, holding out his hand. "The Security Bureau has a duty to obey."

"Please wait!" Roget interjected, not agreeing with what they told him. "These people are troublemakers who have incited the Commons and planned to disrupt peace in the City! Security must investigate them thoroughly…" Roget spoke no more as a hologram appeared in front of him. The next thing he knew, there was holograms of 5 people staring him down.

There were 4 males and only 1 female. The male in the middle was old with a large bald spot on his head. For the most part, he had white clothes.

From Roget's perspective, the man on his left was the shortest of the five. He had a red tie, gray overcoat and orange shirt. Compared to the others, he seemed to be the youngest.

On the middle man's right, was the only female in the group. She had mostly blue clothes and she had gray hair with a blue hat.

The man on the female's left was the tallest of the bunch. He had clothes of orange, red, yellow, gray, and black.

The final man, had shades of yellow for his clothes and hat. A red collar could be seen on his neck. He was the 2nd tallest out of the five.

"We'll determine whether they are troublemakers or not." The last man spoke first.

"Send them here immediately." The female ordered Roget with a commanding yet calm voice.

"This is an order." The man across from the woman followed.

"Correct, Chairman?" The tallest male added for confirmation.

"Yes. Now if you please." The man in the middle confirmed politely as he closed his eyes.

Roget grumbled out of annoyance at the fact that things were not in his control.

* * *

 **Later-At the Executive Council's Meeting Place**

"I'll say it again. These people have incited the Commons and planned to disrupt peace in the City! It's clear from the testimonies of their arrested comrades!" Roget pointed to the group of Lancers and Commons.

"Stop messing around! We don't know anything about a plan! We escaped the prison by chance! What did you think we were up to in the first place?!" Sawatari snapped in an attempt to defend himself and his comrades.

"Resisting Security. That alone is an indisputable crime." Roget gave Sawatari a straightforward answer.

"You guys started it first! The moment we arrived in this dimension, we were suddenly surrounded by Security!" Yuto ranted, forgetting that they needed to keep the fact that they were from a different dimension a secret.

"Dimension?" Roget repeated in interest as he sharpened his gaze at the group. He turned to the Council. "Did you just hear that? He just said that they 'arrived in this dimension."

"Dimension? What is that about?" Tokumatsu questioned, not being filled in on the story himself.

"If you take his words at face value, that means they came from another dimension. That also explains why they can use Summoning methods that are not present in our world." Roget lifted up his hand to start listing the methods.

"Fusion." Serena flinched as she heard that.

"Xyz." Yuto, Shun, and Ryoga grit their teeth while Dennis merely chuckled.

"And Pendulum." Yuto and Sawatari narrowed their eyes at that.

"Do these users of unknown Summoning methods have a purpose for appearing in the City? I ordered Security to arrest them in order to investigate that." Roget further attempted to prove his point.

"From another dimension...is that so, Ruri?" Tokumatsu asked the two for confirmation.

"Yes. We come from another dimension. We all did, albeit, I arrived here under...different circumstances." Ruri replied. "Some of us come from a place from Xyz."

"And the rest of us came from Standard." Dennis added, albeit he was a fib.

"Well there is O'Brien who is from the Fusion Dimension…" Sawatari muttered, remembering what he found out before leaving for the Synchro Dimension.

"Sawatari! You dumbass!" Ryoga growled as O'Brien glared daggers at the Abyss Actor user.

"Anyways!" Yuto interjected. "We didn't come to this dimension...the Synchro Dimension, to cause trouble!"

Roget was about to speak, however…

"That's right." A familiar voice rang throughout the Lancers ears as doors were heard opening. Roget looked to a floor of stairs to see Akaba Reiji, Reira, and Tsukikage standing at the top.

"Our aim is not to cause any mayhem."

"Akaba Reiji!" Sawatari widened his eyes, shocked at the surprising appearance of the leader of the Lancers.

"Akaba Reiji?" Ruri repeated, noting the resemblance of the surname to that of the Professor.

"So they were fine after all." Serena said.

"We Lancers came to this Synchro Dimension in order to protect it against Academia's invasion as well as to join forces to win the dimensional war." Reiji and the other two walked down the flight of stairs, with Reira noticeably clinging to Reiji.

"Join forces? Stop Academia's invasion?" Ruri murmured in confusion. She had thought Akaba Reiji was an enemy. Was this not the case?

"Lancers?" Crow paused at the name.

"Lance Defense Soldiers. The truth is, we're basically duel soldiers meant to take on Academia." Sawatari explained the meaning of Lancers.

"A soldier? YOU?" Tokumatsu asked in a mock manner, causing Sawatari to give Tokumatsu an annoyed face.

Much to their surprise, Roget began laughing like the Doktor, except...less creepy.

"What's so funny?" Sawatari interrogated the cackling Roget, who put a hand to his mouth as a way to excuse himself.

"Please excuse me. But a dimensional war? And I wondered what you'd say…" Roget trailed off, waiting for a response.

"It's not a lie, got it? Listen here. You may not believe this, but this world-"

"That's enough." One of the council members, named Gael, cut off Sawatari. "We've heard from Akaba Reiji."

"About the dimensional war." The shortest named Gray spoke calmly.

"As well as about the Lancers." The woman named Azul added.

"Correct, Chairman?" The tallest named Bordeaux asked for the man in the middle to affirm.

"Yes, this talk is over." The man in the middle known as White Taki affirmed.

"To think I bothered to go into so much detail…"

"You heard about it?" Sawatari was once again interrupted, this time by Roget. "Does the council believe such words? Such nonsense!"

"We do not know if it is nonsense." Bordeaux said.

"As there are now people who have indeed come from other dimensions." Gray added.

"You must believe in the existence of other dimensions, thus arrested the, for investigation, right?" Azul asked Roget.

"Kgh…" Roget frowned, before slightly regaining his composure. "Their aim. That's to invade our dimension, isn't it?"

" _What?!"_ Yuya, who had been listening the entire time through Yuto, gawked.

"Don't spout such bull!" Sawatari yelled out of irritation.

"That's nonsense." Gongenzaka told Roget with a serious look on his face.

"We're not invaders!" Yuto argued. "The invaders are Academia! If we wanted to attack this dimension, we would have done already!"

"We came here to protect this damn dimension!" Ryoga joined in to help defend the group. "Akaba Reiji said that earlier!"

"It is Security's duty to protect. Not yours." Roget responded simply.

"Kgh! Security's duty to protect my ass!" Ryoga mumbled under his breath so no one could hear him.

"Security will determine who you people are-"

"No. That is up to us." Bordeaux jumped in, taking control of the conversation to the council.

"In order to do that, the Executive Council will handle everyone present." Gray told Roget, the Lancers, and the Commons.

"Everyone? You doubt me as well? Even though I've had my ass in the detention facility for the past 10 years?" Tokumatsu questioned, a little offended.

"There are no exceptions." Azul answered.

"Your kidding!" Tokumatsu's jaw dropped at the response.

"If you are indeed our allies, we would like you to prove that to us." One of the members of the council spoke.

"Prove? How?" Ruri asked interested.

"Participate in the Friendship Cup." Reiji answered for the council.

" _Friendship Cup?"_ Yuya repeated as he appeared next to Yuto.

"This is what the council is aiming for. The Lancers participate in the tournament and display their skills as duel soldiers." Reiji explained the reason.

"Us too?" Tokumatsu questioned, referring to himself and the Commons.

"There are no exceptions." Azul repeated once again in response.

"I...I can enter the City's largest Duel tournament, the one I've heard about for so long?!" Tokumatsu asked the council.

"I personally would like you to enter as well. The Duelist Tokumatsu Chojiro was the catalyst for the formation of the Friendship Cup." White Taki informed Chojiro.

"I am the catalyst?"

"Ten years ago, your arrest led the Commons youth to revolt. In order to control the situation, the Duel Chasers were formed. However, disorder only increased as we enforced greater control. Ultimately, we came up with a Duel tournament to promote harmony between the Tops and Commons. The Friendship Cup. The winner earns the honor of being a shared King for both Tops and Commons. Just like the current Jack Atlas."

"What shared king?! I am not entering this tournament! I refuse to put on a show for the Tops!" Crow denied the offer of Dueling in the tournament.

"I know how you feel, but if we enter, Frank and the other kids can see that we're doing well." Shinji reasoned with Crow, who flinched at the mention of the kids.

"Alright! Now I can fulfill my promise to the Commons children!" Tokumatsu cheered.

"Alright! I will be able to fire up the audiences of the Synchro Dimension with my Entertainment Duel!" Sawatari grinned out of satisfaction.

"One minute! For Yuya, we have to find Yuzu soon…" Yuto spoke.

"Oh? Hiragi Yuzu is indeed your comrade? Don't worry, she hasn't been arrested. She is an important Duelist who is also participating in the Friendship Cup, along with a Duelist who looks just like you." Roget told Yuto.

"Yuzu and Yugo are entering the Friendship Cup?!" Yuto and Yuya cried out in unison. Serena narrowed her eyes after hearing Yuzu's participation.

"Hold up second! How many competitors are there at max?" Ryoga questioned.

"16." Yuto answered, causing Shark to give him a questioning look. "I interrogated someone."

"Anyways, 16 people. Yuzu and Yugo are entering. And then there is all of us?! Yuto, Sawatari, Gongenzaka, Shun, Serena, Ruri, O'Brien, Dennis, Tokumatsu, this red head, me, and the Commons? That is too much!" Shark reminded everyone.

"Don't worry about that. Ryoga and O'Brien, you two will remain with me. The Commons participating are these three." Reiji pointed to Damon, Shinji, and Crow.

"Wait, so I am entering as well?" Aki was surprised, because of her acts against Security, she thought they would lock her up.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Izayoi Aki. Her crimes against Security are unforgivable! You have to at least punish her!" Roget bellowed to the council.

"On the contrary, Izayoi Aki will participate." Bordeaux said.

"Despite her acts against Security, she is the daughter of the former senator." Gray told Roget.

"Also, she wouldn't have rebelled against Security if you didn't get involved." Azul added.

"Correct, Chairman?"

"Correct." White Taki confirmed. "Izayoi Aki has permission to participate, and should she accept this offer, all of her actions until now will be looked over."

"You mean you are giving this witch a bye!" To say Roget was shocked was an understatement. He was infuriated. It looked like he was going to pop a vein.

Roget glanced at Yuto, before looking back at the council.

"I understand." Roget submitted. "I agree to their participation in the Friendship Cup as well. However, I would like to make a proposal. Every year, on the eve of the Friendship Cup, the King carries out an exhibition match. How about letting him serve as the opponent?" Roget pointed directly at Yuto.

"Me?!"

"Why him?" Azul questioned. What could the kid have that the others don't?

"I have seen him in action the night before he was arrested. From what I have seen, he is able to control two of the bizarre Summoning methods. Pendulum, and Xyz. For all we know, he could be able to control the last one…"

"You bastard! To assume that Yuto would use Fusion Summoning!" Shun growled out of anger.

" _So this is for us to show our strength...no. That can't be it...or is it...in order for the King to show of his strength to the audience. So he's choosing you as a scapegoat."_ Yuya told Yuto.

"Ok, this is fine." White Taki approved. He turned to Reiji. "What about you?"

"I have no objections." Reiji said nonchalantly. Roget turned to face the man as they glared daggers at each other with empty eyes, void of emotion while White Taki smiled.

"Then it is decided."

* * *

 **The Next Day-On the Road to the Friendship Cup**

"H-hold on, Yugo! If you keep speeding like this the Duel Chasers will be on our tails again!" Yuzu pleaded with the Synchro Duelist to slow down.

"Yuzu! There is no way we're gonna get caught! After all, we're official participants in the Friendship Cup! I am just going a little overboard…" Yugo trailed off as he saw the stadium, noticing something. Fireworks were going off, signaling the beginning. "Damn it! It already started! Hang on, Yuzu!"

Yugo accelerated even faster, causing Yuzu to scream in terror.

"KYAAAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Roget's Office-Security Building**

Roget was in the middle of playing a game of chess with himself. He froze when someone began talking to him.

"We've caught the two in question on tape. Shall we secure them before they enter the grounds?"

"Even I am not such a demon. I'll let them enjoy the eve of the festival to the fullest." Roget moved a white pawn forwards facing a black pawn. Roget locked his fingers together as he continued speaking. "It's rare that Jack Atlas himself is Dueling, after all."

Behind Roget, the large build of a man towered over Roget. All of his body was blacked out, except for a gleaming red eye.

* * *

 **At the Stadium**

Two gigantic holograms of Melissa Claire appeared before everyone as she began speaking.

"A huge audience of over 20,000 has gathered here in the Duel Palace that towers over all else in the City central! Everyone's anticipation for the opening of the Friendship Cup is firing up the atmosphere! Tonight, with myself, Melissa Claire, let's all enjoy the eve of the largest duel festival in the City, the Friendship Cup!" Melissa lifted up a hand as she smiled.

This caused most of the audience to cheer out of excitement. Some holding up signs.

Melissa was also getting amped up, mostly at the fact that she was able to commentate on the Friendship Cup. "As always, I've been selected for this important position!"

* * *

 **With Yuto-Waiting Quarters**

Yuto was sitting on a couch in front of a TV, with a short person standing behind his couch. Yuto was now wearing a suit for Riding Duels.

His suit was like Yuya's suit from the anime. However, the red on the suit was replaced by a light purple. The white was replaced by black and the orange was a dark green. Also, the color wasn't as long as it was on Yuya's. Like Shun, Yuto wore his Resistance scarf around his neck and replaced his choker with it.

The TV in front of him was so he could watch a match he wasn't participating in. He looked through all of the Card's in his Deck to make sure he didn't want to change anything. He glanced at Yuya's Deck and his own. Before they left for the Synchro Dimension, Yuya and Yuto had decided to separate the Decks once more. However, Yuto had decided to try Entertainment Dueling for the audience, so he merged the Decks once again. He didn't have to, but he had to make a good impression to the audience.

And if it didn't work. It didn't work. He will just have to go back to his normal style.

He remembered yesterday when his comrades were separated from him yet again. Yuto was at the pit of depression at the moment. He had seen Ruri before they were arrested, they were separated. He reunited with her again, and Shun was there too, and now they were separated again. Would he be able to see Ruri ever again now?

A part of Yuto said yes. But most of the other part said no.

He remembered the last words some of his comrades gave him when they were taken away.

Shun's words. " _Show them the power of the Resistance, Yuto, and beat that king with your iron will!"_

Sawatari's words. " _Show the strength of the Lancers to the Synchro Dimension!"_

Gongenzaka's words. " _Keep a strong heart! And don't give up! I, the man, Gongenzaka, wish you the best of luck!"_

Ruri's words, and these words hurt him inside. " _Stay safe, Yuto."_

" _Stay safe, Yuto."_

" _Stay safe, Yuto."_

" _Stay, safe Yuto."_

The message kept transmitting through his brain like a radio.

Ruri, she was always concerned about others. She didn't care what happened to her. As long as her loved ones were alive, she didn't care if she would die. That was just the person Ruri was.

The Phantom Knights user has remembered their first date. It was quite a disaster and it didn't really start out as a date. The truth is, when Yuto first met Ruri, he immediately grew feelings for her. He wanted nothing but to ask her out on a date of sorts, however he couldn't work up the guts.

When Ruri first came to the Spade Branch, Yuto had remained distant from her and Shun for about a week, because he was afraid that he would accidentally confess to Ruri in front of Shun, who would never let him hear the end of it.

It wasn't until Ruri came up to him and talked to him that this stopped.

* * *

 **Months Before the Dimensional War-Heartland Duel School-Xyz Dimension**

He couldn't understand it, why couldn't he sit near Shun and the new girl. He wanted all but nothing to do, but he was being a coward, and perhaps a bit idiotic.

This was the 7th day in a row. Well, perhaps the 8th. Yuto couldn't last that long alone without forgetting how many days he remained isolated from his friends.

It was before class started, there weren't many people in the class and Yuto had once again decided to sit away from Shun and Ruri, who sat together with Ryoga not too far away.

Ryoga had already approached Yuto about his problem, to which the latter told him why he was isolating himself. Ryoga simply laughed. He said, "If you're going to be isolating yourself like this when you meet a new girl, you're never getting a girlfriend! Oh wait! You have the hots for Shun's sister, don't you?!"

"No no no no no! It is NOT like that! It is 100% NOT like that!" Yuto retorted after hearing that.

"Yuto, it's easy to read your feelings. Your afraid of asking her out because of Shun, huh?"

"...Yes…"

"Haha! Don't you worry about it, I'm sure you'll get the girl soon!" And with that, Ryoga walked away with a grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Shun and a Ruri were conversing.

"Do you know why Yuto is sticking away from us?" Ruri questioned her brother.

Shun remained silent and thought of an answer. "He could be nervous about meeting you. If I remember correctly, he started to stutter in the middle of his sentences moments after he met you. Heck, he even left not long after. If you want, you can go talk to him. For me Yuto is...difficult, to talk to. I already tried talking to him a couple of times already, it's no use for me."

"Me?! But I just met him a week ago! Now you expect me to go over to him and ask him why he is staying isolated!?" Ruri put a hand on her chest as she cried out in shock.

"Yep."

"Brother!" Ruri pouted, before taking a deep breath and calming herself down. "Ok, I'll do it!" She proceeded to walk over to Yuto, who was sitting near the window near the top of the room alone because of the lack of people, far from where the group sits, which is in the middle near the front or middle.

Yuto noticed Ruri coming over and he jumped out of fear. He couldn't run now, or else it might hurt her feelings or make her think that he doesn't like her. Well, it's true, he doesn't like Ruri...he loves her.

 _Damn you hormones!_ Was the thought in Yuto's head at that moment as Ruri stopped in front of him.

A long silence filled the gap between the two. Yuto could feel his hand tapping the table, the pace increasing in intensity and speed. He could feel sweat crinkling down his face and a blush slowly starting to form.

Ruri started to sweat also, a faint blush appeared also as she crossed her arms, as if she was hugging herself.

Yuto took notice of this. He knew that when someone did this they were usually nervous.

"Hey…"

It was Ruri who broke the silence and uttered out that one word.

"H-hey…" Yuto croaked.

Silence.

"So, I was wondering why you were staying away from us."

"Yeah...I guess I'm just nervous about meeting someone new." Yuto said.

"I can see that." Ruri chuckled softly.

Yuto felt his heart pounding at hearing her laugh. It was so...full of life and soothing.

"I like your laugh." Yuto found himself saying. He quickly smacked himself on the head as Ruri blushed more.

"Thanks…" Ruri spoke awkwardly. "So...your nervous about meeting me. Maybe...we could...uhh...go out somewhere to eat…?"

Yuto froze in his seat.

" _Go out somewhere to eat…?"_ The words replayed in his head.

Go out somewhere to ear? Oh god, he had seen a lot of movies where the girl asks the guy out to eat and they fall in love thanks to his father. So he had suspicions.

Was this a date? No, it couldn't be. Why would this really pretty girl like a shy guy like him? Maybe...it would not be so bad to go, he could get to know Ruri more. Nonetheless, date or not, he decided…

"Alright, that would be great."

"Alright, you're fine with it being just the two of us, are you?" Ruri asked politely.

" _Just the two of us…"_

What the hell did she say?! It was as if she knew what he wanted! His heart was pounding even faster than before. Was this really a date?

 _What do I say to that? It's like asking me out on a date!_ Yuto panicked in his thoughts. Well, he didn't have much time…

"U-uh...sure, that's f-fine…" Yuto stuttered, as he was at a loss for words.

Silence once again.

Ruri's nervous expression on her face soon turned to a bright and kind smile. "Great Where and what time?"

"U-uhh?" Yuto struggled to think of a good time and place. Damn it, that smile left him speechless. She was just so...beautiful. "Uhh...we could go to this one restaurant my family takes me. As for the time, how about at noon this coming weekend? Let's meet at Heartland Tower!"

"Great! Then it's a date!" Yuto found himself bewildered again. After saying what she said, Ruri walked away with a smile on her face.

" _Then it's a date!"_

That moment would stick with Yuto forever…

Then the 'date' came…

* * *

 **The Weekend-Heartland Tower**

It was the day Yuto and Ruri met at the tower, and for once, Yuto was late. He had a hard time finding something good to wear. And just his luck, when he found something, it's smell would make ones eyes water, so he had to wait for the clothes to be washed. It took a while so Yuto said screw it and took the clothes he usually wore. These ones didn't smell bad.

"Dang it! Running late! Damn it, Yuto! Your first date and you're making your friend wait up! Well then again, it really isn't a date, it's more like a get together to get to know each oth-OH WHAT THE HECK AM I SAYING?! A DATE?!" Yuto cried as he ran throughout the town, with people nearby giving him weird looks. Yuto could have sworn someone called him a 'weirdo' but he paid no attention as he didn't want to be even more late than he already was.

When he reached the tower, he saw Ruri waiting there wearing the clothes she usually wore. He ran up to her and tried to greet her, however he was out of breath.

"H-h-hiii…"

"Hello." Ruri greeted with a chuckle.

That chuckle. For some reason, he had his breath back. It was as if that chuckle, that little bit of happiness radiating off of her was giving him strength.

"Sorry I'm late!" Yuto scratched his hair embarrassed.

"Don't dwell too much on it, let's go!" Ruri said as she took began walking.

They came across a road where cars were going by. There was a post showing when to walk and when to stop. The screen switched to walk.

Yuto began walking, but stopped when he noticed Ruri not walking with him. He turned around and saw Ruri blushing.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry...this is really embarrassing to ask but...can you...hold my hand…"

"Uhh…"

Ruri's face turned red like Yuya's hair as she put her hands on her face out of embarrassment.

"Oh...how do I say this? My brother is...overprotective of me, and when we cross the roads he tells me to hold his hand. And with him gone, well, I want to still do what he tells me, even if he isn't here."

Wow was what Yuto was thinking. Her brother was gone yet she still intended on listening to him. Yuto blushed even more, thinking about her holding his hand. Were they moving too fast?

"Umm...sure…" Yuto walked up to her and reluctantly took her hand. They quickly walked to the other side of the road before the cars could move. "Oh yeah, does Shun know about this?"

"My brother? No. All I said was I was going out." Ruri replied with a sheepish look evident on her face.

"Haha! And here I thought you were a nice girl!" Yuto joked. Albeit, he was actually shocked that Ruri didn't tell her brother. He decided not to dwell on that thought though. "Let's go!"

 **Later-At the Restaurant**

Yuto and Ruri walked into the restaurant. They went together for a table of two. When they did, the girl they were talking to said something that made them freeze in their tracks.

"A happy couple we have here?" The woman asked with a smile. She had seemed to be about 20-22 years old.

"N-n-n-n-no! It is not like that!" Both Yuto and Ruri denied.

"Don't I wish." Yuto muttered to the point where Ruri couldn't hear.

"Oh, just friends. That's two bad." The woman said as she took her hands and formed an opened shaped like a box. She took the opening and made it so both Yuto and a Ruri were in it. "You guys seem like the perfect couple!"

"WHAAAAAT?!" Yuto blurted out VERY loudly. So loud that everyone in the restaurant stopped talking and stared at him, if they could see him that is. Some people looked around, wondering where the outburst was. Yuto looked around at everyone he could see and laughed to himself. He looked to Ruri who was looking at him with wide eyes. "Sorry everyone…"

* * *

 **Later**

The two had gotten to their table. And while they waited for their food and drinks, they just talked. They talked about what they did at home, about their loved ones. And some of their interests in life. After they ate, they paid the bill, where they got in a weird situation.

"I'll pay for it." Ruri offered as she began to pull out a wallet.

"No, I'll do it! It's rude for a girl to pay when the guy should!" Actually, Yuto didn't even know if that was true he just made that up.

"No, Yuto, it's fine! It's not like my brother is going to maul me for paying a simple bill!"

"I insist!"

"I double-insist!"

"I triple-insist!"

"I...quadruple-insist!"

"Quintuple!"

"Uhh…" Yuto pondered on what it was while the waiter merely waited, losing his patience quickly.

"Ok, if you two are just going keep making out on who is going to pay, then just split it." The waiter spoke calmly.

"Did you just say…"

"Making out?" Yuto finished as he and Ruri stared at each other, before looking away out of embarrassment.

"Ok! I will pay!" Ruri turned around quickly and held wallet to the air.

"Hell no! You made be Shun's sister, but that doesn't mean I'll let you pay!" Yuto stood up and jumped for the wallet, succeeding in snatching it from Ruri.

"Hey! Yuto! Give that back now!" Ruri demanded.

Yuto kept holding up her wallet as he rummaged through his pocket for his wallet. He pulled it out and put Ruri's wallet down. He took out some cash out of his wallet and slammed it down on the table.

"There you go. I paid."

Ruri pouted for a little bit, before smiling. "I love you!" She gasped as she realized what she said.

The waiter sighed as he muttered something under his breath. He took the cash and walked away. "Have a good day."

After he left, a silence filled the two as they left the restaurant.

"I'm sorry, it kind of slipped out!" Ruri apologized at some point as they walked across a lake.

"No. No, it's ok. The truth is...I-"

"Well! Well! Well! If it isn't Cowasaki Ruri!" A voice interjected. Yuto and Ruri stopped with Ruri slightly in front of him. To their left, they saw a group of 4 people approaching them. They all had gangster style clothes. They were all people Ruri recognized well.

"G-Gin!" Ruri gasped as a frightened expression suddenly appeared on her face.

"You know him?" Yuto asked.

"I know all of them...when I was younger, they used to bully me during grade school. And since Shun is older than me, we weren't in the same class. He couldn't protect me. It was the reason why I left Heartland for a while until now." Ruri revealed.

"So that's why you left! Haha! Well, if you must know! Thanks to you being a bitch, the four of us for expelled!" Gin informed Ruri. "We got a mouthful from our parents and were punished hard. It's time we punish you!" Gin punched his open palm.

"I wouldn't see why they wouldn't expel you." Yuto said.

"What?" Gin narrowed his eyes at the Phantom Knights user.

"Ruri didn't do anything to you. She is the kindest girl I have ever met. And someone who wants to hurt her, has to go through me." Yuto stepped forward and put a hand in front of Ruri. He analyzed Gin quickly, he had a bigger build than he did. It was like Gongenzaka, but not as good. Yuto could definitely handle this.

Gin formed a fist and punched Yuto hard in the face, causing the boy to cry out in pain as he fell backwards, catching himself on the ground.

"Yuto!" Ruri called out of concern. Yuto put a hand in front of her defensively.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"Wow! Cowasaki finally got a boyfriend! It's amazing to believe!" Gin chuckled.

Yuto turned back to the four guys. Gin seemed to be the leader. If he could take him out, the other three would probably chicken out.

"Time to get serious!" With great speed, Yuto dashed towards Gin, dodging a punch and a kick from the latter, proceeding to punch him in the face. Gin stumbled backwards as Yuto continued to give a punch with each fist and then a roundhouse kick with his right leg into Gin's ribs.

"ARGH!" Gin growled.

Yuto finished off Gin with a strong punch to his stomach. The punch knocked the wind out of the boy and caused him to lose consciousness. A slapping sound was heard right after.

Yuto gasped, fearing about Ruri's safety. When he turned to Ruri, he saw in surprise that it was in fact her to had slapped the guy.

"Geez! Damn it! How did you get so strong?!" The person who was slapped flinched as he took a few steps back away from Ruri.

"Shun has been teaching me some stuff to make sure I can defend myself alone. However, I don't think I could have handled Gin." Ruri explained as she looked at her hand she slapped the guy with. She looked at Yuto. "Let me take care of this. Get away from here!"

Despite what she said, Yuto stayed.

"Well, it looks like Cowasaki finally developed a backbone." A guy taunted, still not scared.

The person Ruri slapped threw a punch at Ruri, who easily caught the punch. She gave the guy a knee to his stomach, knocking the wind out of the guy. He had nowhere near as much durability than Gin, so he lost consciousness easily.

"Looks like the two of us need to team up!" One of The remaining two guys said to the other.

"Yeah."

They both took a fighting position and charged. One guy threw multiple punches at Ruri's face and midsection, but the girl easily dodged them all. Ruri was about to counter, however, she was interrupted by the other person coming out of nowhere and punching Ruri in the face.

"UGH!" Ruri cried out as she retreated to regain her footing. The two people took the initiative and began to assault Ruri. Yuto was about to interfere. Ruri shouted to him not to interfere and that this was her fight from now.

Both people kept punching Ruri in the face, not letting her have any time to react. Every time Ruri would try to fight back, another punch prevented her. One guy stopped punching and let the other guy take over.

The guy grabbed Ruri by the collar and flinged her over his shoulder. The girl helped out of surprise as her body hit the ground. Ruri quickly got up and noticed the guy charging at her. Ruri quickly stepped to the right and chopped the guy on the back of the head, causing him to lose consciousness.

"Nice job, Ruri!" Yuto cheered.

Ruri put her guard down and smiled at Yuto. She was left open, and she was punched in the face three times, and then punched in the jaw once, causing her to shoot her head, facing the sky. The guy grabbed Ruri's hair as she started to regain her footing. The guy held back his fist and slugged Ruri in the stomach.

Ruri spat out saliva as she slumped to the ground, groaning in pain. She winced on the ground as she looked up at the guy.

"Ruri!" Yuto began to run towards the guy.

"Yuto! Stop!" Ruri exclaimed.

Yuto didn't listen. He couldn't stand by and seeing her get hurt like this. Yuto slid right past the guy and elbowed him hard in the stomach, knocking him out instantly.

"Are you ok?" Yuto asked in concern as he helped Ruri up, who was still holding her stomach.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruri panted as she gave Yuto a smile. "You didn't need to interfere. They bullied me for years, I needed to show them that I'm not just a punching bag anymore! I am a person! I'm not a coward who hides behind her brother, I can fend for myself!"

"Ruri. I met you only a week ago, and you are already one of the most important people to me."

"It's because your friends with my brother. That's the only reason people are friends with me. It is because of my brother. I mean, Ryoga, his sister, Sayaka, Kaito, and Allen are really the only exceptions."

"No. I like you for the person you are. Kurosaki Ruri. No one else's shadow." Yuto smiled at his soon to be girlfriend.

Ruri smiled in response.

"So...this was...probably the worst date you've ever been in."

"It was..." Ruri said simply. This caused Yuto to drop his head in shame. "Because it was my first date. Oh yeah, I don't think you realized you said date."

"Wait! I said date?!" Yuto exclaimed out of shock. He didn't even realize.

The two started to walk away from the scene, with Yuto still dumbfounded.

"I am sorry for getting you stuck into this. Those guys have been pestering me as a kid. I left this city for a while to get away from them."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't bother you. Also, about what you said in the restaurant…"

"Oh, that…" Ruri suddenly grew nervous. "I'm sorry. I kind of lost myself, and my mind switched to thinking it was a date. No, it's because I...have feelings for you." Ruri turned away shyly.

Yuto put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I have feelings also. Ever since last week when we first met." Yuto assured her.

"So..was this a date?"

"I guess."

"Promise not to talk about in front of Shun or anyone else for that matter?" Ruri asked.

"Sure. I'm just glad you're safe. Don't worry, Ruri. No matter what, I'll make sure nothing will hurt you."

* * *

 **Back to Now**

"I'll make sure nothing will hurt you…" Yuto repeated the words he had spoke back then. "Pfff, am I doing a great job doing that! I feel like a traitor to Ruri."

The word traitor made Yuto take his mind off Ruri and think to what Crow had told him.

" _Crush that traitor Jack Atlas!"_

"Traitor…" Suddenly, Yuto felt a pain rush throughout his body, the next thing he knew, Yuya was in control of the body, not him. Yuto's physical body switched from gray eyes to crimson red eyes.

" _Yuya! I said don't do that without warning me!"_

The now in control Yuya turned to the person standing behind him. "Hey, why kind of person is Jack Atlas?"

"Umm…" The person looked away.

"Were you told not to talk to me?" Yuya questioned the person's hesitance to speak.

"No, nothing like that…" The boy whispered.

"Are you Jack's fan?"

"W-why?"

"I have heard that Jack Atlas is a shared King for both the Tops and the Commons, so I figured as such that he must have a lot of fans. I just want to know what kind of person he is."

"Umm…Jack Atlas first won the Friendship Cup as a Commons three years ago. From then on, he ruled upon the throne as King, an absolute ruler. They call him the strongest Duelist in history, and he had the demeanor and the conduct worthy of it." The boy informed Yuya of Jack Atlas. "Uh-uhh...it's almost time now. I will take you down to the grounds."

Yuya looked at the kid out of confusion. His eyes then switched back to gray. Yuto regained control.

"Seriously, stop doing that!" Yuto yelled at Yuya.

" _Sorry. I just needed to ask him some questions. You know, see if I could get hear interesting."_ Yuya apologized for hijacking Yuto's body as the latter rose from his couch.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Yuzu**

"Hold up, Yugo!" Yuzu called out to the Synchro Duelist as she ran after him into the stadium. When she ran up the stairs to the inside of the stadium where the rest f the audience, she was met with a large barrage of cheers from people excited for the Friendship Cup.

"We're here, we're here! It's the Duel Palace!" Yugo held his arms up. "It's _so_ huge! So wide!" Yuzu merely looked around in awe. "Can I Duel in this place? I can wait!" Yugo was getting hyped.

"Miami City's duel stadium was also huge, but the grounds for the Riding Duels are so spacious!" Yuzu noted.

"And now it's time for today's main event! The City's pride, the Duel King. A special opening match by Jack Atlas!" Melissa announced as the crowd started to chant the name Jack numerous times. Even Yugo joined in. The kids said 'Atlas-sama' and they held up signs of Jack's face or his name.

"As expected of the symbol of the Friendship Cup, Jack Atlas! The hearts of both Tops and Commons come together as one, calling out his name! But, please wait one moment. Firstly, let's introduce the lucky Duelist specially selected to Duel our King on the eve of this year's festival! He doesn't have a surname! But his name is Yuto!"

Yuto came out onto the stadium on his d-wheel with a serious look on his face. His d-wheel was like Yuya's except purple instead of red.

"Yuto!" Both Yugo and Yuzu exclaimed out of shock.

"Woah!" Yuto gasped as he swerved out of control, due to never using a d-wheel before and having to go off basic instructions. "Are we really going to Duel like this?"

"Is that actually...Yuto?" Yuzu mused we her bracelet started to blink suddenly.

"What's the matter?" Yugo turned to Yuzu.

"The bracelet is...it didn't blink before that guy came. So it isn't just a guy with the same name. It really is Yuto!"

"So it is Yuto, Huh?" Yugo suddenly got serious. "I don't know why he was chosen as Jack's opponent, but I feel bad for him. He's a sacrifice for the King."

"A sacrifice?"

"Do you know why there is an exhibition match before the Friendship Cup officially begins? It's to show everyone the King's strength. The King doesn't participate at all in the main event. The winner is the only one who can Duel him. Basically the Friendship Cup is a tournament to earn the right to face the King. The eve of the festival is meant to show the height of that summit. Every year, Jack's opponents got a total beating, driving the rest of the participants to reach that height. Well, it's something like a practice."

"A total beating…"

"Yeah. That is why opponents for the exhibition match are called sacrifices." Yugo said.

"No way…" Yuzu started to worry for Yuto.

"Now this is what everybody has been looking forward to! The City bowed down before that power, that majesty! While his origins lie with the Commons, he stormed along the road to success like a rising dragon. The living legend who rose to the summit of Duelists. Now let me introduce him! Our Duel King, Jack Atlas!"

Jack's name appeared on a screen as his d-wheel launched itself from the cockpit into the stadium. When he hit the ground, Jack did a spin before continuing.

There was an abundance of cheers from the audience. There were so many people cheering, that it blurted out the small amount of people booing.

Jack held up one finger.

"There is only one King, and that is me!" Jack yelled out to the audience.

"Atlas-sama!" Many females fangirled.

"Jack…" A spectating Aki muttered, having seen the guy before on the past.

Jack stopped his d-wheel right next to Yuto.

"Here's a question for everyone! Tonight, how many turns will it take to defeat this guy here?" Jack Atlas asked.

Yuto's ears perked up when he heard that. Is he seriously betting how many turns he will beat him? He doesn't even know if he can beat him.

"Just one turn will end this kid!" Someone shouted from the audience.

Jack held up a fist. "The King's Duel can only be entertainment!"

" _Entertainment…"_ Yuya muttered from inside Yuto.

Jack held up one finger.

"Turn 1! The first turn is mine for the taking! When that curtain is raised…"

Jack held up another finger.

"Turn 2! My opponent will put forth his best highlights…"

Jack held up one more finger.

"Turn 3! Lastly, I surpass him and show him the difference between his power and my overwhelming strength!"

" _To say that we will lose in 3 turns so confidently like that! He must be really cocky or very strong...or both. No matter what the case, let's show him, and the rest of the Synchro Dimension our combined might, Yuto!"_ Yuya told his lookalike, who nodded in response.

"First, let's activate the Field Magic! In addition, from now on, a portion of the rules will be changed. An Action Field-wait...what is that?" Melissa questioned to herself.

"Action Field…" Yuzu whispered.

"I'm not really sure what this is, but...Action Field, on! Crossover Accel!" Melissa activated the Action Field.

 _Duel Mode! Auto-pilot! Stand-by!_

A screen appeared in front of Yuto and Jack. A countdown started.

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

Go!

"Acceleration!" With that, the Duelists took off on their d-wheels.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists bellowed in unison.

 _Auto-pilot. So that is how you can Duel freely on these things._ Yuto thought to himself. Despite that, the feeling of riding a d-wheel. He could understand why d-wheels were described as a symbol of freedom.

Jack took the time to take the lead, speeding right past Yuto.

"I'll take the first move!"

"A development according to his prediction! Jack Atlas takes the first corner, and the first move!"

"My turn! I Summon Red Sprinter from my Hand!" Jack took a Monster from his Hand and swiped it across his Duel Disk. A red dog like creature started to run ahead of Jack.

 **Red Sprinter: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 1200 Def**

"When this Monster is on the Field and I control no others, I can Special Summon a level 3 or lower Tuner Monster from my Hand! I Special Summon Red Resonator!" Jack Atlas slammed the Card onto his Duel Disk.

A masked Monster with a flame like appearance appeared.

 **Red Resonator: Level 2, 600 Atk, 200 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Red Sprinter and the level 2 Red Resonator! The crimson souls shall become one. All shall tremble before the king's might! Synchro Summon! Appear, Red Wyvern!" Jack cried out as he placed the Synchro Monster onto his Duel Disk. A wyvern with wings that look like lava and a flame burning on top of his head appeared.

 **Red Wyvern: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"The King Synchro Summoned immediately! This is quite the start! Will the turn out exactly as the King outlined?" Melissa commentated.

"Jack's seriously so cool! The best! I'm dying to Duel Jack soon too!" Yugo raised his fist into the air.

"I set a Card face-down and end my turn." Jack sped up as his set Card appeared and disappeared. Jack glanced at Yuto, who was trying to keep up. "Now, it's your turn. I'm letting you show off your best. Don't let me down!"

"I'll show you! The combined strength of a friend, and I! My turn!" Yuto drew his Card and looked at it and put into his Hand. He took two Cards out and showed them to Jack. "I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 3 Entermate Bit Bite Turtle and the Scale 8 Entermate Odd Eyes Unicorn! With this I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters whose levels are from 4 to 7!"

This caused confusion in the audience. They didn't know what Pendulum Summoning or Pendulum effects were. They didn't even know they're existed until now.

"What is this?! A new Summoning method!" Melissa exclaimed. "This is quite an interesting challenger we have here folks!"

"Now, swing! Pendulum of my soul! Carve an arc of hope across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come, my Monsters!"

Three beams of light came out of the portal that formed above Yuto.

First was Phantom Knights Cloven Helm. Second was Phantom Knights Fragile Armor. And lastly was Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

 **Cloven Helm: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 500 Def**

 **Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

 **Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"What's this!? Four Monsters at once?! In the Duel I, Melissa Claire, scooped out at the Central Park, two Monsters Summoned at once. But this is one more than that amount!"

"Wait! Entermate? And, that dragon!" Yugo widened his eyes as he recognized the dragon. "Those are the Cards the guy Yuya used against me!"

"Of course it is, Yuto is using Yuya's Cards. I'm surprised he stuck with them though." Yuzu said.

"Now! It's time for a power you haven't seen before! I overlay the level 4 Fragile Armor and Cloven Helm to construct the overlay network!" Yuto's two Monsters turned into materials and flew into the portal. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"That's another Summoning method that I have scooped in the Central Park!" Melissa announced to the audience.

Jack merely kept a stoic face, not even budging to the mysterious methods.

"Now! Let's do this! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect is now activated!"

"By detaching an overlay unit, Dark Rebellion can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster until the end of the turn. Then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount." Yugo reminded himself at the same time Yuto explained.

Dark Rebellion let out his wings and enveloped Red Wyvern in electricity. "Treason Discharge!"

 **Red Wyvern: 2400-1200 Atk**

 **Dark Rebellion: 2500-3700 Atk**

"Once again, I detach the remaining overlay unit from Dark Rebellion to activate his effect! Treason Discharge!"

 **Red Wyvern: 1200-600 Atk**

 **Dark Rebellion: 3700-4300 Atk**

"He's got the King in a pinch." Gaelsaid.

"He can command two different Summoning methods?"

"This is the strength of the Lancers." Azul spectated the ongoing Duel.

"He's quite good, Chairman." Bordeaux said impressed.

"Yes. This is quite significant." White Taki agreed.

"From the miraculous Pendulum Summon and Xyz, Yuto commands two striking methods to call forth two dragons! But, our hero, Jack, has no plans to stay silent!"

"Once during my opponent's turn, when there are two or more Monsters with Attack higher than Red Wyvern itself, the Monster with the highest Attack is destroyed!" Jack drifted as he thrusted out his hand. "I destroy Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

"Like I would let you!" Yuto speed up his d-wheel, and jumped off his d-wheel, only for Dark Rebellion to catch him. Yuto managed to grab an Action Card near him. Dark Rebellion flew slightly downwards so Yuto could get back on his d-wheel. Yuto quickly placed the Card onto his Duel Disk. "Action Magic, Mirror Barrier! With its effect, I negate the destruction!"

A flame erupted from Red Wyvern as a barrier formed around Dark Rebellion, who was protected from destruction.

"He protected it!" Melissa exclaimed, shocked about the use of an Action Card. "That's an Action Card? Amazing! And he used his Monster as support!"

"Seriously?!" Three fangirls of Jack cried out in disappointment.

"Using a Card he picked up…" One girl murmured.

"Isn't that unfair?" Another girl complained.

"The Riding Duel Evolved again!?" Someone from the Commons smirked.

"You said I would lose in three turns? Well I'm ending it this turn!" Yuto proclaimed.

Jack merely smiled in response and didn't say anything. He drove near an Action Card on the ground. He reached for it and grabbed. He looked back at Yuto when he heard him declare battle.

"Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Attack and destroy Red Wyvern! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd Eyes scorched Jack's Monster with a torrent of flames. "When Odd Eyes battles a level 5 or higher Monster, the damage is doubled! Reaction Force!" Red Wyvern was destroyed, this caused Jack's d-wheel to spin out of control.

 **Jack Atlas: 4000-200 LP**

"3800 damage at once! He's almost finished!" Someone grabbed his hair, shocked that Jack could lose so quickly and just losing in general.

"This is the end! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Attack Jack Atlas directly and finish this Duel!"

"It cannot be...will Jack lose?" Melissa asked no one.

"Atlas-sama!" Some of the crowd cried out of worry.

"Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Yuto shouted as Dark Rebellion charged his attack with its fangs, flying towards Jack Atlas. Time had slowed.

Everything went silent.

The only that could be heard was the roar of Dark Rebellion and grinding of the d-wheels. Suddenly, the silence was broken...

"Action Magic, Underworld Avoid! I Special Summon an Underworld Avoid token! Once per turn, Underworld Avoid token can negate an attack! With this Dark Rebellion's attack has been halted!" Dark Rebellion swerved away from Jack and flew back to his owner.

"Awesome" "Great job!" and "That's Atlas-sama for you, he already mastered Action Cards" were heard throughout the crowd.

"Damn it!" Yuto cursed as he reached out for an Action Card on the ground near him. "Action Magic, Wonder Chance! With this a Monster I control gets to attack an extra time for this turn, I choose Dark Rebellion! Attack again!"

Jack once again started drifting. "Trap activate! Reject Reborn! I negate the opponent's attack and end the Battle Phase!" The Card exploded and the Underworld Avoid token was destroyed. "All the Monsters on my Field are destroyed. Then, I can Special Summon Monsters from my Graveyard equal to the number of negated attacks this turn. Two attacks were negated! Revive, Red Wyvern! Red Resonator!"

Jack's Monsters returned to the Field.

"When Red Resonator is Special Summoned, I regain life equal to the Attack of a Synchro Monster on the Field! I regain 2400 life!"

 **Jack: 200-2600 LP**

"Amazing! Not only did he avoid the attacks, he also revived two Monsters and regained life points to boot! That's Jack for you! Our Jack! The ruler of rulers, king of kings!" Most people cheered while some actually booed.

"I end my turn. At this moment, Dark Rebellion's Attack returns to normal."

 **Dark Rebellion: 4300-2500 Atk**

"It's over for him." Yugo said. Yuzu asked what he meant. "Jack has the setup for his ace."

"You said your combined strength with a friend." Jack started as he slowed down his d-wheel and rode right next to Yuto, who looked at him. "But your Dueling, it's a complete and utter mess. It's like two personalities stuck into one. You lack the strength alone to climb the summit where I stand! To borrow your strength and style of Dueling from another is just pitiful! You lack enthusiasm to push forward on your own! Sometimes, strength from others will be nonexistent, and you'll have to pull your own weight!"

Yuto widened his eyes when he heard those words.

"My turn! I tune the level 6 Red Wyvern and the level 2 Red Resonator! The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might. Let the power of the one and only supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon! The savage soul, Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight!" Jack Synchro Summoned his ace.

 **Scarlight: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

Aki, who was watching the Duel from her room recognized the Monster. "Jack's Monster!"

"Once per turn, Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight destroys all Special Summoned Monsters with lower Attack less than or equal than itself! For each one, my opponent is dealt 500 points of damage! Absolute Power Flame!" Red Daemon's fist lit on fire as it threw the fire at both of Yuto's Monsters, destroying them. Yuto swerved from right to left to stop himself from falling, but it was of no use, it was over.

 **Yuto: 4000-3000 LP**

"And now, I attack directly with Scarlight! Fiery Crimson Hell Burning!" Red Daemon's let out a stream of fire from its mouth. "Now bow down before the King!" The stream hit Yuto Head on. The impact launched him off as he d-wheel as he cried out in pain.

 **Yuto: 3000-0 LP**

"Yuto!" Yuzu screeched out of concern.

Shun and the others, who were in their waiting rooms watching the Duel from the television were shocked. Ryoga and O'Brien, who were with Reiji were also shocked.

Shun, Ryoga, and Ruri all said something in unison

"Yuto...lost…"

* * *

 **That's all for now guys. Sorry for the late update and the very similar Duel to the anime.**

 **Also, if you guys could give some better words for Jack to give Yuto before he Summons Scarlight then please let me know. I didn't know what to put and that is part of why I took a while with this chapter.**

 **Now, about Ruri being able to fight, before anybody says something about it being OOC or a lot those lines, I know. But I decided that if 3 of the bracelet girls have something deadly when it comes to physical things (Yuzu's fan, Serena's fist, and Rin's knee.) So, how about Ruri actually be able to fight, but she doesn't want to.**

 **Actually, this idea sprouted up a while ago, but when Matrixnis had Ruri street fight in his story, I decided screw it I'll put the idea in whether people like it or not. (To Matrixnis, I had the idea before you released that chapter, you just made the decision of including it final.)**

 **Of course, to keep you guessing, I am not revealing the matchups for the Friendship Cup. I will When the matches actually come. Some matches will be the same as in the anime, some will be different.**

 **I've been thinking about adding an OC who is an Academia soldier. I noticed that with the amount of characters I have, it greatly outnumbers how many enemies the good guys have to fight, and that is excluding the fodder Obelisk Force. I might put a poll up on my profile at some point, let me know what you guys think.**

 **If I don't have an OC, then maybe I will include another Gx legacy character, either Darkness or another person.**

 **Here is the preview.**

 **The real part of the Friendship Cup begins. The first two matches…**

 **Skadi: Thanks for the offer, but I won't take it, sorry. I think that for this fanfic, Sawatari won't need any Abyss Actor Cards for me to make. Mostly because of his wide array of Cards for his Deck.**

 **Yuka Kuroshio: Roget might get what he deserves…**

 **That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	70. Battle of the Bird and the Crow

"The special match commemorating the eve of the Friendship Cup! It goes without saying that the winner is our Duel King, Jack Atlas!" Multiple pictures of Jack and the word WINNER in front of him appeared, this caused multiple cheers from the audience.

Jack got off his now stationary d-wheel and looked at Yuto, who lying down on the ground.

"Jack's seriously strong…" Yugo trailed off, still shocked that Yuto was beaten. Yugo suddenly realized Yuzu wasn't with him. He looked ahead of him to see Yuzu running down the stairs, who was calling out Yuto's name.

The downed Yuto was about to be put on a stretcher. However, he started to mutter something. "He was indirectly calling the bonds with my friends weak! We...have gone through so much...I am not about to let him make fun of us like that!" Yuto clenched his fist as he slowly rose to his feet.

He had tried to walk a few feet, his anger rising at Jack even further. However, eventually, he had collapsed. And everything went black.

* * *

 **The Next Day-Yuto's Quarters**

When Yuto opened his eyes, he found himself back in his quarters. He looked around confused. "If I remember correctly, on the eve of the Friendship Cup, I was…" He remembered being beaten by Jack.

He looked down at himself and found him in the clothes he wore as a Resistance member. He got off the bed and walked towards the closed curtains. He opened them as a glaring light attacked his eyes, causing him to close his left eye. He realized where he was, somewhere he didn't recognize.

"Where am I?"

"You're awake." A voice spoke behind him.

Yuto jumped as he faced the owner of the voice, which was holograms of the Executive Council.

"I'm sorry. We did not plan to startle you." White Taki closed his eyes in an apologizing manner.

"Holograms…" Yuto whispered as he looked at all of the members.

"Correct. You can see us, and we can talk to you. Yet, you cannot touch, punch or hit us, as we are not actually here in person." Gael said with little to no emotion.

"The Friendship Cup's participants…" Gray started.

"Are our guest, and at the same time…" Followed Azul.

"Under our surveillance, isn't that correct, Chairman?" Boredaux finished as he asked for confirmation.

"Yes." White Taki affirmed. "This is a penthouse situated atop the Executive Council building. It's equipped with facilities akin to that of first-class hotels. Do you feel comfortable here?"

"I'm more concerned about where the rest of my comrades are. Shun, Ruri, and everyone else." Yuto told the Executive Council.

The Executive Council spoke in the order of Gael, Gray, Azul, and Boredaux.

"You need not to worry."

"Everyone is here."

"In the same building."

"Although they're in separate rooms."

"Everyone else is here? So Ruri and Shun…" Yuto let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be separated from his comrades again so soon.

"All 16 participants will life in this penthouse during the tournament." Gael states.

"However, you can only stay if you keep winning." Gray added.

"If you lose, you must lose immediately." Azul said.

"Since I lost to Jack, that means I'm disqualified from the tournament. No, that was an exhibition! So I'm still in, right?" Yuto questioned the council.

"Correct. The exhibition match are distinct from the official matches. If you lose in the exhibition but you are in the actual tournament, then you get a pass. And you will not be thrown out. Correct, Chairman?"

"Yes. Only losers in the Friendship Cup have to leave. That does not apply to you, so do not worry." White Taki assured Yuto.

"However, if you lose the next time…" Gael trailed off.

"In any case, if you want to remain here…"

"Keep winning." Azul told Yuto.

"This is all we want to tell you."

Now, since our business is done…" With that, the holograms disappeared.

"Wait! Ryoga and O'Brien…they're...not in the tournament…"

Yuya appeared next to Yuto. " _If I remember correctly, Akaba Reiji had them stay with him. As for Yuzu and the others, if they are participating in the Friendship Cup, then they should be in the same building."_ Yuto nodded his head in response as he ran over to the door to his room. He tried opening the door, however the door was locked.

"I can't open the door!" Yuto tried again a few more times, but to no avail. "Hey, somebody! Is anyone there?! If there is someone out there answer me!" Outside the door, was the same person who escorted Yuto to the grounds, he had a depressed look on his face.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With the Executive Council**

"I am sorry to say that you will have to be moved there as well." White Taki apologized.

"Chief Roget of the Security Bureau seems to regard you with hostility." Gray said.

"We don't know hen Security will attack if it's an average hotel." Azul spoke.

"This is an order to ensure your safety. Correct, Chairman?"

"Yes. You may feel a little restricted, but please conduct yourselves freely in this building."

"Thank you for your concern. We will have no complaints about living in the same lodging as the other Duelists.

* * *

 **With Yuto**

Yuto laid down on his bed, having a weird feeling in his chest. He quickly jumped out of bed after feeling something. He looked behind him to see him Deck on a table. It was emitting a white light...or was it vibrating?

Meanwhile, Yugo was saying something about how great the rooms and the bed were. He was too engrossed in it that he didn't notice his Deck doing the same thing.

Yuto had two Cards in his Hand. Yuya's Odd Eyes and Yuto's own Dark Rebellion.

" _Thinking back, our two dragons were calling out to each other when we Dueled. I think they are doing it right now. It could be calling out to Yuto's dragon. My Odd Eyes was calling out to Clear Wing."_ Yuya said.

"Yeah. If Yugo is here, than Yuzu is nearby also." Yuto deduced as he started to pace around the room.

With Yuzu, her bracelet was shining even more. "Are Yugo and Yuto even closer now than in the evening?"

Yuto punched the door as hard as he could. His fist stung, but he paid no attention to the pain.

"Jack set Reject Reborn on his first turn. After that, I played right into his hands! To think that some of the soldiers of Academia could be like that...to think that the Professor could be stronger than that…" Yuto grit his teeth. Suddenly, he saw at the bottom, a Card being slid through the opening of the door,

Yuto reached down and picked up the Card. He glanced down, it was a girl with pink hair with a magician like appearance.

Yuto got back up and called out to the person on the other side, who finally gave in and spoke.

"...it's me. Your guide at the Duel Palace yesterday…" The boy murmured through the door.

"My guide?" Yuto gasped when he remembered the boy. "What's your name?"

"Sam."

"Sam, why did you give me this Card?" Yuto asked the boy whom he could not see.

"Please return it to Jack! When you win the Friendship Cup and Duel him again…"

"You want me to return this Card to Jack? What do you mean?"

Sam's head sunk as he spoke. "Jack as the star of hope for us Commons. He was born and raised in the same slums as us before he entered the Friendship Cup. I really admired how he defeated the Tops Duelists one after another. When he won as a Commons and became King three years ago, I was as happy for him as if it were myself. But Jack changed after that…"

"He changed?" Yuto repeated in confusion.

"After becoming King, Jack soon became the City's number one star. In the City, wealth flocks to the winners. He kept succeeding, so companies and rich individuals got close to him. Jack soon amassed his own immense wealth." Sam paused momentarily, before continuing. "And before we knew it, he was looking down on us a Commons."

* * *

 **Flashback**

Jack had came out of his limo, there was a red carpet in front of him with guard rails barring him off from the enormous crowd around the carpet. As he took his first step, a boy was pushed onto the carpet by a guard.

"King!' The guard widened his eyes at the King. Jack held up a sign to let him take care of it.

"Umm…I've always been your fan. Ever since you were called the best Duelist in the slums. I want to be like you too! But right now, I have neither money, nor Cards...so I'll support you! From now on too, as a representative of the Commons…" Sam proposed. He froze when Jack held out a Card to him.

"If you have nothing else, take this. This Card is most suited for you." Jack informed Sam.

* * *

 **Now**

"That was...this Card?" Yuto asked.

"A Monster with a low level and no Attack. He said it was...most suited for me. Making fun of me, despite being a Commons himself! Jack changed! Jack Atlas, who became King and gained wealth, is a traitor who sold his soul to the Tops!"

"Traitor…"

* * *

 **At the Stadium**

"Following Shinji Weber, Crow Hogan here is also from the Commons! Will one of them follow Jack Atlas' footsteps and become stars?"

"Jack? He's a traitor who sold out to the Tops!" A Commons said with a bitter tone.

"Huh!? Watch it! Jack is still the hero of the Commons!" Another person exclaimed.

An outburst among the audience occurred as Melissa began to panic.

* * *

 **Back with Sam and Yuto**

"Jack gradually became arrogant, looking down on everything other than himself. There are fans who say that's cool, but I...that's why I want you to defeat him in my place."

"Why me out of all people?" Yuto asked Sam.

"Because you said not to make fun of your bonds with your friends or something like that! Your loss to Jack must have been frustrating, so you must understand my frustration, too…" Sam trailed off as he left.

Yuto walked to the window and looked at the Card.

" _We should answer Sam's feelings. Besides, that isn't a useless Card if you really think about it."_ Yuya told Yuto.

"I know. I want to answer Sam's feeling, but he misjudged the use of this Card. Unfortunately, this Card does us no good, we have no Synchro Monsters."

" _We can worry about it later, turn on the TV, I think the first match is going to begin."_

"I can't turn the TV on, it turns on automatically when a match starts."

* * *

 **Friendship Cup Stadium**

"That's all for the introductions of our 16 participants, but…" She became ticked when she still heard the crowd yelling. "Hey, are you even listening! Come on, everyone! Remember this tournament's slogan? The City is one! We are all friends! Isn't it? Geez...we're running out of time, so I'm just going to move on! And so, it's time for the Duels to begin!"

As she was talking, there was still fighting and a little whispers about Aki entering the tournament.

"Among these 16, the ones who have the honor of the opening match...Crow Hogan and Kurosaki Ruri!"

The doors to both of the contestants opened up. Each of them having their own thoughts.

 _Don't worry, Yuto. I will the clear the stain on your name._

 _I don't want to put on a show for the Tops, but…_ Crow looked at a picture he had in his hand of him, Tanner, Amanda, and Frank.

"Jack is watching, right?" Crow asked his guide, who nodded his head in confirmation.

 _Then let's shel that traitor...the strength of the bonds between us Commons!_

"Now, the opening match Duelists make their entrance! Crow Hogan and Kurosaki Ruri!" The televisions that the other participants had switched on at that moment, so they heard the matchup.

"Ruri!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Ruri!" Shun spoke with wide eyes.

"It's Ruri?!" Dennis was quite surprised.

"Wait, Ruri is here!?" Yuzu froze. "Kurosaki's sister is here...did she escape from Academia?"

"It's not me! I should be the one in charge of spicing things up for the opening! Me!" Sawatari boasted about how he would be the perfect person to go up first.

On the grounds, Ruri and Crow came riding their d-wheels. Crow had his usual one, while Ruri's was purple. It had black linings and black handlebars.

Crow wore his normal attire for the Duel.

Ruri had a riding suit. It was like Serena's. However, the colors were different. Ruri had a form-fitting purple jumpsuit. It had black markings, and like Serena, she had joint pads, however Ruri's was blue. She black gloves, purple helmet with an orange visor.

Yuto merely stared at Ruri in awe, forgetting about all of his problems completely at the time.

 _She looks sooooooo pretty in a suit like that!_ Yuto gushed over Ruri in his thoughts.

Yuya merely looked at Yuto, and back at Ruri. Back to Yuto, back to Ruri. He snapped his fingers in front of Yuto's face in order to get him out of the trance, but to no avail. Yuya sighed out of defeat.

Ruri was still handling how to ride a d-wheel, but she seemed to be getting the hang of it. She looked straight ahead, far ahead, there was a building, where Jack Atlas was watching.

 _I don't want to put a show for the Tops, but...I'm doing it, so I'll win. I'll win and show the kids that even we can do something!_ Crow thought to himself, fortifying his resolve. He parked his d-wheel next to Ruri.

"Well, at least the Duel I have is against someone I know." Crow smiled at Ruri.

Ruri nodded her head in response. "To a good Duel!"

"It's finally begun! The City's largest Duel event, the Friendship Cup! Who will be the winner, Crow, or Ruri?" Melissa asked rhetorically.

"Atlas-Sakaki is the hero of the Tops. Please don't lump us, okay?" A woman with a hat told some Commons behind her.

"What King?! He's just a traitor!" Someone yelled out of anger.

"Jack is the hero of the Commons!" A Commons protested.

"Hey, listen to me! GEEZ! I'm just gonna start this shindig off! Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!" A clutter of Action a Cards appeared before the sphere containing exploded, scattering the Cards.

 _Duel mode, on! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

As soon as the clock started ticking, Crow noticed something.

"Frank! Amanda! Tanner!" He recited the names of his kids, witnessing them being chased. "Those kids…" He was to engrossed in seeing the kids that he ignored the countdown.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" Melissa exclaimed as the d-wheels rode off, much to Crow's surprise.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists bellowed in unison.

"Crow Hogan had a delayed start!" Melissa commentated.

Ruri glanced behind her, something wasn't right about Crow right now. He seemed distracted.

"They came to cheer me on...those kids are so reckless…" Crow muttered.

"Will Ruri take the first corner?"

Ruri sped up her d-wheel, Crow tried to pass her, but he was too late.

"Taking the first corner and the first move, Kurosaki Ruri!"

"Ruri's Deck works best when she goes first in a Duel. So she immediately made a break for the first move." Yuto spoke to Yuya and himself.

More jeering came from the audience about Jack occured.

Hearing this from the television, Yuto narrowed his eyes. Yuya also noticed.

" _Looks like the Friendship Cup really isn't fulfilling its real purpose."_ Yuya scoffed. " _From the beginning, there were almost all cheers. Peace cannot be kept forever in a corrupt and divided society. There will be fighting, and there will be no way to stop it. It's just fate. Trying to entertain the audience is just going to get in the way."_

Yuya recalled having nightmares after his dad had disappeared. In those nightmares, he remembered Yuya himself trying to entertain the crowd during his father's absence.

All he heard from the crowd was booing. And people saying Yusho, Yuya's father was a coward who was not willing to face a challenge.

Truth be told, Yuya is glad he gave up Entertainment Dueling now. No burden to entertain the audience, no chance of the people hating on you. So what if he was a nobody in the world? He didn't care. He didn't care about the audience's satisfaction anymore. Why should he take his time to risk getting hated on, just to make people smile.

It was a foolish ideal. Not everyone will smile. Look how this dimension is. It is a total mess. The Tops will smile at their life of luxury, while the Commons will frown at their life of poverty, with no except themselves to help.

Yuto felt a rush of hatred and a cold feeling emitting from Yuya. But still, he had to admit, the former Entertainment Duelist was right. The society was corrupt. He heard Ruri announcing the start of her turn, and he turned his attention to the television.

"When I don't control a Monster, I get to activate the Magic Card Lyrilusc-Gathering! By discarding 2 Cards in my Hand, I get to Special Summon 5 level 1 Lyrilusc Monsters from my Deck!" Ruri discarded two copies of Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow. She Special Summoned Lyrilusc-Black Canary (totally not a reference to the DC superhero,) Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow, Lyrilusc-Bronze Bee-Eater, and two copies of Lyrilusc-Turquoise Warbler.

 **Black Canary: Level 1, 0 Atk, 200 Def**

 **Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

 **Bronze Bee-Eater: Level 1, 200 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Turquoise Warbler(s): Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"Those Monsters don't even have 300 Attack!" Melissa exclaimed, shocked at how Ruri's Monsters lacked when it came to the offensive department.

" _5 level 1 Monsters."_ Yuya murmured, knowing what was going to happen next.

"I overlay the 5 level 1 Lyrilusc Monsters! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilusc- Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri recited the chant for her ace Monster as she flocked to the Field.

 **Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"Assembly Nightingale gains 100 Attack for every overlay unit!" Assembly Nightingale gained 500 Attack, due to the Monster containing 5 overlay units.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 0-500 Atk**

"An Xyz Summon! Just like the one who fought against our king in the exhibition match!" Melissa noted. "However, what can that Monster do with only 500 Attack?"

"Next, I activate Black Canary's effect! When this Card is used as Xyz Material, I get to inflict 500 damage to you!" Ruri revealed.

"What?!" Crow widened his eyes as an image of Black Canary appeared. It was a girl dressed in a bird costume with black feathers and gray wings. The Monster opened its mouth and shrieked. The shirek let out shockwaves that damaged Crow's life points. "AHHHH!"

 **Crow: 4000-3500 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn." A set Card materialized in front of Ruri as she ended her turn.

"Alright, I got to make this quick! My turn, draw! If I control no Cards on the Field, I am allowed to Special Summon this Card! Come forth, Black Feather-Gust the Backblast!" A slightly obese yet small bird appeared, it had brown wings and a yellow beak.

 **Gust the Backblast: Level 2, 900 Atk, 1400 Def**

"If the only Monster I control is a Black Feather Monster, I am allowed to Special Summon this Card! Appear, Blast the Black Spear!" A bird holding a spear with black wings appeared above Crow.

 **Blast the Black Spear: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 800 Def**

"I'm gonna bring out another Monster while I'm at it! When I control a Black Feather Monster, I am allowed to Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Black Feather-Gale the Swift Wind!" Crow swiped his desired Monster onto his Duel Disk.

 **Gale the Swift Wind: Level 3, 1300 Atk, 400 Def**

Crow paused and gazed at the audience, trying to look for Frank, Amanda and Tanner. But it was no use, he could still not see them.

Ruri noticed Crow looking at the audience. _What is he looking for?_

"Kgh!" Crow averted his from the audience and continued his turn. "I Normal Summon Black Feather-Elphin the Pitch Black!" A raven that had black wings and dark gray feathers appeared.

 **Elphin the Pitch Black: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1200 Def**

"What?! How did you Summon that level 6 Monster without Advance Summoning?" Ruri asked Crow.

"Easy, when I control a Black Feather Monster, I am allowed to Normal Summon this Card without the need to release a Monster! Now, battle! Gust the Backblast, Attack Assembly Nightingale!" Crow declared as his Monster took the offensive and charged.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, the destruction is negated and I take no damage!" One of the overlay units orbiting Assembly Nightingale dispersed as the Monster took the attack.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 500-400 Atk**

"Then I'll keep attacking so I can drain those overlay units! Gale! Black Spear! Attack!" Both of the declared Monsters struck Ruri's Monster, who lost two overlay units and remained on the Field due to Ruri negating the destruction with the effect.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 400-200 Atk**

"One more time! Elphin, attack Assembly Nightingale!" Crow declared his last attack as the Monster pounded on Ruri's Monster. Ruri negated destruction once again.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 200-100 Atk**

"Alright! Time to inflict some damage! When your Monster remains on the Field after a Black Feather Monster has battled with it, I can send this Card from my Hand to the Graveyard to activate its effect!" Crow revealed as he showed a Card in his Hand.

"What? A Card activated from the Hand!" Ruri exclaimed out of shock. She was not expecting that.

"Etesian of Two Tachis effect activates! I now inflict damage to you equal to the Attack of the Black Feather Monster that battled! Elphin had 2200 Attack, so take 2200 points of damage!" Crow thrusted his hand at Ruri. Ruri widened her eyes as a portal to the Graveyard opened. Out came a dark ball of energy that rushed towards Ruri, enveloping her and the d-wheel. Ruri let out a scream of pain as her life was reduced.

 **Ruri: 4000-1800 LP**

"And just like that Kurosaki Ruri has lost half of her life points! How will she respond on her turn?" Melissa questioned, interested to see how the Duel will continue.

"Not only has she lost half of her life points. But Assembly Nightingale only has 1 more overlay unit." Yuto narrowed his eyes.

"Come on Ruri…" Shun softly rooted for his sister as he watched the Duel from his room.

"Now! I tune the level 4 Blast the Black Spear with the level 3 Gale the Swift Wind! Spread your jet-black wings, and storm forth in tandem with the roaring thunder! A slash of lightning! Synchro Summon! Cascade, Assault Black Feather - Raikiri the Sudden Shower!" Crow recited as he Synchro Summoned his Monster.

 **Raikiri: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate Raikiri's effect! Once per turn, I am allowed to target Cards you control up to the number of Black Feather Monsters I control! I get to destroy those targets! I target Assembly Nightingale and your set Card!" Assembly Nightingale remained on the Field while the set Card was destroyed. The set Card was Lyrilusc-Defense.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 100-0 Atk**

"Crow made Ruri detach all of her overlay units!" Melissa pointed out the obvious.

"With this, Assembly Nightingale can't negate destruction." Yuto muttered to himself.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Crow concluded.

"What's wrong, Crow?" Shinji asked rhetorically, knowing that his friend couldn't hear him. But something was off about Crow, he seemed very distracted. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

 _Where? Where are they? They haven't been caught, right?!_ Crow panicked.

"He's looking at the audience once again. Crow, where are you looking? Is something wrong?" Ruri questioned the Black Feather Duelist out of concern.

Crow merely looked back at Ruri.

"My turn!" Ruri drew her Card and glanced at it. "From the Grave, I activate Bronze Bee-Eater's effect! By banishing this Card from my Grave, I am allowed to add a Rank-Up-Magic Card from my Deck to my Hand! I add Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force to my Hand, which I will now activate!"

"Kurosaki Ruri has activated a Rank-Up-Magic Card! Wait, what is that?" Melissa paused, confused.

"Rank-Up-Magic?" Aki repeated the name from her own room.

"Using this Card and a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster I control, I am allowed to Xyz Summon a Lyrilusc Monster whose Rank is 1 higher!" Ruri exclaimed the effect of her Card.

"What?! Ranking up an Xyz Monster? This is a new one folks!" Melissa exclaimed out of shock.

"Birds with wonderous and beautiful wings! Evolve into a new bird and go on the path to victory! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Fly onto the Field before us, Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale!" Ruri chanted as she evolved her ace Monster.

 **Evolved Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"Evolved Nightingale gains 200 Attack for every overlay unit…" Tokumatsu murmured from his room, remembering the Monster at the end of his Duel with Ruri.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 0-400 Atk**

"Another low Attack Monster! Will this one have similar protection effects like the other Monster?" Melissa wondered.

"Batte! Evolved Nightingale is allowed to pass your Monsters and Attack you directly! Go!" Ruri declared as her Moneter flew over to Crow and scratched him the back, causing him to wince out of pain as he closed an eye. "Unfortunately, the damage dealt is halved.

 **Crow: 3500-3300 LP**

"Now I activate her effect! When this Card inflict damage by a direct attack, I am allowed to detach an overlay unit to destroy a Monster on the Field. Then, the Attack of that Monster is deducted from your life points! I destroy Raikiri!" Ruri pointed at Crow's Monster. Evolved Nightingale turned around and slashed the Monster, destroying it as an overlay unit orbiting Nightingale dispersed.

"AHHHHH!" Crow yelled out of pain as he took damage.

 **Crow: 3300-700 LP**

"Crow only has 700 life left!"

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ruri concluded.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Trap Blackboost! When I control two or more Black Feather Monsters, I am allowed to draw 2 Cards!" Crow drew more Cards as he eyed them. "I Summon the Tuner Monster Black Feather-Blizzard the Far North!" A white feathered bird with wings with black lining flew to the Field.

 **Blizzard: Level 2, 1300 Atk, 0 Def**

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can target a level 4 or lower Black Feather Monster in my Grave and Special Summon it! I revive Gale the Swift Wind!" A portal to Crow's Graveyard opened as Gale soared out of it. "I tune the level 2 Gust the Backblast with the level 3 Gale the Swift Wind! Pitch-black gale, become the tailwind that ties our bonds! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Assault Black Feather - Sohaya the Summer Shower!"

 **Sohaya the Summer Shower: Level 5, 1500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"When this Card is Synchro Summoned, I am allowed to Special Summon an Assault Black Feather Monster from my Graveyard! Revive, Raikiri!"

"Crow revived his ace Monster. But how will Ruri respond?" Aki whispered to herself. "AHHHH! Who the hell do I root for?!"

"I activate Raikiri's effect! I destroy your Evolved Nightingale!" Crow yelled as Raikiri unleashed a lighting bolt at Ruri's Monster, clashing with it.

"I use Evolved Nightingale's additional effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can negate destruction of any Lyrilusc Monster!" Evolved Nightingale screamed in pain as she was struck, but she endured the attack.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 400-200 Atk**

"Damn it!" Crow cursed under his breath. "This is only going to make things longer! Battle! Elphin, attack Evolved Nightingale!" Elphin swooped down at Ruri's Monster in an attempt to destroy it.

Ruri rode her d-wheel over to an Action Card on the ground and activated it. "Action Magic, Miracle! With this Card, my Monster isn't destroyed and the damage I take is halved!" The Monsters clashed, Elphin attacked the enemy as Ruri's Monster flew backwards to retreat. Elphin then managed to scratch Evolved Nightingale once. Particles came from Nightingale, which then rushed into Ruri, causing her to wince.

 **Ruri: 1800-800 LP**

"Ruri!" Both Yuto and Shun gasped out of concern.

" _Much worse, Crow has two more attacks left! And if she takes either one of them she's finished!"_ Yuya spoke as he narrowed his eyes.

"Persistent…I need to finish this quickly!" Crow mumbled as he continued his assault. "Sohaya, attack!" Crow pointed at Ruri's Monster.

"Ruri managed to escape one attack! But Crow keeps up his assault before she can breath!" Melissa commentated.

Ruri Eyes yet another Action Card. She grabbed it and used the effect of her Monster.

"You still take the damage! It's over!" Crow proclaimed as the attack connected. A large cloud of dust appeared.

"Ruri!" Ryoga widened his eyes as Shun punched his open palm while Yuto looked at the television, hoping that Ruri was alright.

When the dust cleared, Ruri was still riding.

"What?!" Crow exclaimed out of shock. How did she survive?

A Card appeared next to Ruri. It was called Damage Banish.

"Kurosaki Ruri uses yet another Action Card to survive!"

 **Evolved Nightingale: 200-0 Atk**

"Damage Banish reduces the damage I take to 0." Ruri revealed the effect of the Action Card.

"Grrr!" Crow growled. He couldn't waste anymore time. "Raikiri, end this Duel!" Raikiri let out a bolt of lightning at Evolved Nightingale.

"From my Hand, I activate the effect of Lyrilusc-Swift Skua! When a Lyrilusc Monster I control is target for an attack, I can send this Card to the Grave to halve my life points and take no damage! Also, my Monster is not destroyed!" Evolved Nightingale outlasted yet another attack as Ruri and Crow completed a lap of many since the beginning of the Duel.

 **Ruri: 800-400 LP**

"Now, after the attack, I am allowed to add a Card in my Graveyard that lists Lyrilusc in its text. I add Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force to my Hand!"

"Damn! She made it through all of that! I end my turn." Crow announced.

Meanwhile, multiple cheers were coming from the audience at Ruri's plays.

"She's really good!" Some people said.

"My money is on her!" Someone said confidently.

"She is so cute in that suit!" Some male people gushed over Ruri. Ruri waved to the audience with a smile on her face. She was getting on their good side. Good, she made a good first impression.

Meanwhile, Yuto's ears perked up.

"Did I just hear people in the audience say that she was...cute? Because if so, I am going to murder them!"

"I believe in you, Ruri. Don't you dare lose!" Shun formed a fist with his hand.

"As expected of Ruri." Ryoga said with a smile.

"That one is good." White Taki complimented Ruri

"Frank...guys...RUN!" Crow suddenly bellowed as he finally noticed the kids being cornered. Frank pushed someone trying to apprehend them down the stairs as the 3 kids continued to run away.

"The kids!" Ruri knew now why Crow was so distracted. He saw the kids being chased. "I see now...Crow, I'm just curious. But...what are those children to you?"

Crow looked forward as he began to tell how he met the kids.

* * *

 **Flashback-An Unknown Amount of Time-Commons**

Crow drove his d-wheel back to his house. It was raining, and he was soaking wet. He slipped off his wet helmet. He turned to his right due to hearing a girl whimpering.

He saw three kids tucked in a corner, in between a wall and two boxes.

A girl and a boy were both hugging another boy as a means to keep him warm.

Crow looked away from them, before looking back at them.

" _At first, I thought I'd just let them have some food before chasing them out, but…"_

* * *

 **Later-Inside Crow's House**

The three kids Crow had found were munching down on some food.

Crow put his hands on his hips and scolded the kids. "Eat slowly! You'll choke like that!" The boy named Tanner didn't listen, and he accidentally gulped his piece of bread whole. "Ah! You ok?"

"Tanner!" The girl with red hair spoke out of concern as the boy named Tanner took his bowl of liquid and gulped it whole. The boy had a smile on his face. There was some of the yellow liquid left on his face. "You look like you've got a moustache!"

"Amanda! You have one too!" The boy named Frank informed the girl.

"Well, same to you Frank!" Amanda replied as she pointed at his face.

"Me too?" Frank hadn't realized.

"Hahahaha!" Frank and Amanda laughed out loud.

"It's a moustache, a moustache!"

"Don't laugh! You got one too!" Frank reminded Amanda.

"A moustache, a moustache!" Amanda continued as all three kids started to laugh.

Crow merely looked on as the scene unfolded. The frown present on his face soon turned into a smile. "You guys…"

" _How many years had it been since I last laughed...so we ended up staying together like this."_

 **Now**

"If I didn't have them, I don't know what would have become of me. That's why I want to set an example for them. And why I agreed to join the tournament. I want to win, and show them that even we can do something!"

Ruri remained silent as she remembered the days back at Heartland before Academia attacked. She saw Kaito and Shun duking it out with some kids watching them Duel. Hell, sometimes she and Yuto joined in on the fun.

Those were good times. But they were gone now.

"Ruri, hear me out!" Crow suddenly called out to the girl.

"Huh?"

"I want to win. I want to show the kids that we can do something. But...if you or one of your friends were to win...well I guess that would be ok too." Crow spoke, indirectly saying that he didn't care if he lost at this point.

"Crow…" Ruri whispered as she placed a Card onto the top of her Deck.

 _Don't worry Crow. I'll make sure that I'll win the tournament. For you and the kids._

"My turn, draw! Once again, I activate the Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force! Using this Card and Evolved Nightingale, I Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Evolved Nightingale. Bird of evolved beauty! Pierce your claws into the path of destiny and unfold your wings! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Lyrilusc-Prime Nightingale!" Ruri Xyz Summoned a new Monster.

 **Prime Nightingale: Rank 3, 300 Atk, 300 Def**

"This Card is allowed to attack directly! Go, Prime Nightingale! Attack Crow directly!" Prime Nightingale flew over Crow's Monsters and kicked on the back, causing him to cry out in pain as he swerved his d-wheel from left to right, trying to stay balanced.

 **Crow: 700-400 LP**

"Now, I activate Prime Nightingale's effect! When this Card deals damage, I am allowed to once per turn destroy all Monsters you control and inflict 200 points of damage for each Monster destroyed! The Duel...is over." Ruri closed her eyes as Prime Nightingale let out a screech that destroyed Crow's Monsters. Crow's d-wheel let out steam, signaling that he lost.

 **Crow: 400-0 LP**

"Crow...lost!" Shinji widened his eyes out of shock

"It's settled! Decorating the opening match with a dramatic victory, we have Kurosaki Ruri!"

"Crow…" The kids looked on in shock as they couldn't believe what they saw.

"What will happen to Crow now?" Tanner asked the question the other kids were asking. Crow's d-wheel stopped next to the garage, and Ruri parked hers next to his.

"Even if he lost we still got to support him!" Frank suddenly started waving. "Crow!" Amanda and Frank soon joined.

Crow looked at the audience to see the kids safe and sound. His frown turned into a smile.

"Good...they're safe." Suddenly two people noticed the kids were in the audience and a chase began. The kids ran away, and the audience blocked the people chasing the kids.

"I'm sorry." Ruri apologized as she walked towards Crow. "You had a goal and I…"

Crow put a hand up as a way to say stop talking. "Don't sweat it. As long as the kids are ok, then I am ok."

"A splendid Duel." Someone said from the audience as people kept cheering.

Suddenly, two people came out of nowhere and grabbed Crow by both of his arms.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Crow tried to free himself.

"You lost. So you get taken to an Underground Facility to work. Sorry, rules are rules." One person answered.

"You bastards…" Crow continued to struggle as the men walked away.

"Crow!"

"Don't worry about me, Ruri! Just make sure the kids are alright!" Crow's voice drowned out as he was taken away…

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Lyrilusc-Gathering, Magic: You can only activate this Card if you don't control a Monster. Discard two Cards and Special Summon 5 level 1 Lyrilusc Monsters from your Deck.**

 **Lyrilusc-Black Canary, Winged-Beast, Wind: When this Card is used as Xyz Material, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.**

 **Lyrilusc-Bronze Bee-Eater: You can banish this Card from the Grave, add one Rank-Up-Magic Card from your Deck to your Hand.**

 **Lyrilusc-Swift Skua, Winged-Beast, Wind, Level 1, 100 Atk, 200 Def: When a Lyrilusc Monster is targeted for an attack, you can send this Card to the Grave and halve your life. The Monster can't be destroyed by that battle and the damage you take becomes 0. After, add a Card from your Grave to your Hand that lists Lyrilusc in its text.**

 **Lyrilusc-Prime Nightingale, Winged-Beast, Wind: This Card can Attack directly. Once per turn, when this Card inflicts damage, destroy all Monsters your opponent controls and inflict 200 damage for each Monster. When a Lyrilusc-Monster would be destroyed, detach an overlay unit, you take no damage for the rest of the turn, and the Monster isn't destroyed. If this Card is destroyed with no overlay units, Special Summon a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster in your Graveyard, except Lyrilusc-Prime Nightingale, attach this a Card to that Monster as material.**

* * *

 **Welp! I am gonna get flamed for this chapter...I feel like this is where things go downhill for me...**

 **So I know I said last chapter there would be two Duels. But this is long enough I would say, and I want to make sure the matchups that I made will be final. Furthermore, I don't want to rush the Synchro Dimension arc.**

 **Now, if you wonder why I switched the matchup from Gongenzaka and Crow to Ruri and Crow is because Ruri could relate to Crow more with the kids aspect. I am having Gongenzaka face someone else.**

 **Sorry for you Crow fans out there who wanted/expected him to win.**

 **I also need to say something that I am going to change in the story. I remember saying in one chapter that Ruri and Rin never checked their Decks at Academia because they were scared of what Academia could have done to it or something like that.**

 **Well, I am changing that. That was a very stupid reason on my part. Instead, I am going to have it to the Fusion related Cards implemente into their Deck appeared as blank Cards to them, but if they were being controlled, they would actually appear as an actual Card. This only goes for someone controlled by a parasite.**

 **I will put that reason in at some point in the chapter where Asuka and Ryo go to save Ruri and Rin.**

 **I won't being doing the previews since I am not 100% sure about the matchups.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: Glad you enjoyed the flashback!**

 **Skadi: Thanks for the offer.**

 **Matrixnis: I think I have a plan for Ryoga and O'Brien. I kept the Duel the same because I wanted Utes to learn a lesson. I was originally thinking about having either Reiji and Jack Duel, either that or maybe Ryoga and Jack.**

 **One last thing before I head out. If there are any matchups you guys would want to recommend for the preliminaries, then feel free to suggest. I will let you guys know, some of the preliminary matches will be the same as in the anime.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	71. The Bloom of the Black Rose

A picture of Ruri appeared with the word WIN in front as Melissa began talking.

"Kurosaki Ruri graces the opening match with her victory!"

Ruri looked down at the ground as she left the stadium, thinking about what had just happened. Crow was taken away. Is that what happens to those who lost?

 _Brother, Yuto, everyone else, be careful._ Ruri wished the best for her comrades. But she already knew that 14 of the other contestants would end up like Crow.

"I was on the edge of my seat at first, but that was a great win!" A man with shades raised his fist out of satisfaction.

"That was amazing!" A woman joined in on the cheering.

"Keep it up, Ruri!" Another person called out to Ruri as she left.

"That Duelist Crow could Duel so well with his manipulation over multiple Special Summons a turn." A fat Tops man in a yellow suit complimented the loser.

"Pff! He's just a Commons!" The person sitting next to him scoffed. "I would rather die than sponsor him."

"It's a good thing that we won't be seeing any of him anymore." A Tops woman in a white dress agreed with the man.

"What a spectacular sight! This is what the Friendship Cup should be! Without a doubt, the City is one! We are all friends!" Melissa cheered as she rose her finger to the sky. Unfortunately for her, that was not the case.

"Crow...he was just taken away like that…" Yuto whispered in his quarters. He got off his couch and walked to the window, which showed him a view of the stadium where Ruri and Crow had just Dueled.

" _He won't be staying here anymore is all I know. Remember the council said that you have to keep winning to stay."_ Yuya reminded Yuto.

"Yeah. I know." Yuto nodded his head. "My question is though…"

" _Where was he taken?"_ Yuya finished for Yuto. He suddenly had a bad thought come to his head. " _You don't think he is being taken back to the detention facility, do you?"_

Suddenly, Yuya and Yuto heard a key opening his door.

"Our match is next?!" Yuto looked at the door, expecting to see Sam coming in ready to tell him that it was his match.

To both Yuya and Yuto's surprise, Sam didn't come through the door. It was Tokumatsu.

"Yo! How've you been, Yuto?" Tokumatsu waved.

"T-Tokumatsu!?" Yuto widened his eyes, he just had his fears sucked out of him. He felt like his fears just slapped in the face just now. Or was that Yuya?

"Shhhh!" Tokumatsu slid over to Yuto, signaling him to be quiet. "You're too loud! Who knows what will happen if someone hears us. You know I really should have waited for Ruri to come back! I mean, she is still gone so I cannot go to her now which is why I am here instead."

"Wait, I thought we couldn't leave our rooms! How the hell are you here?" Yuto questioned Tokumatsu's presence.

"The shrimp knows the path of the serpent." Tokumatsu answered metaphorically.

"What?" Yuto paused at Tokumatsu's statement. He had never heard anybody say that before.

"Hm? Am I wrong? Throw a shrimp to catch a sea bream? Three years on a shrimp will make the shrimp warm...no shrimp, no pardon…"

Yuto sweatdropped while this was going on, so he decided to jump in. "Please...just stop with the proverbs."

"Please hurry." A voice spoke. Yuto and Tokumatsu looked at the entrance of the door to see a guide dressed in the same clothes as Sam, he was a little taller and skinnier though. He was keeping his voice low so no one except them could hear him. "If we're found, they won't let me off the hook either…"

Yuto noticed a Card in his Hand.

"Hey! What is that Card for?!" Yuto exclaimed out of shock, accidentally raising his voice.

"Shhh! I said you're too loud!" Tokumatsu shushed Yuto once again,

"But our rooms are monitored by the Executive Council right?" With that, Tokumatsu froze in his place. He took a couple of seconds to process what Yuto had just said.

When it finally clicked…

"WHAT?!" Tokumatsu jumped, raising his voice. He cleared his throat and regained his composure. "Ahem. W-well, there is no helping it. We can't meet if I don't do this."

"This is bad!" The guide cried out suddenly. "Let's go back at once! This is really bad!"

"Shut up!" Tokumatsu shunned the guide. "In for a penny, in for a pound! As the saying goes...in traveling, a companion. Right? Give up!"

"No way…" The guide's jaw dropped out of disappointment.

"Who go through all of this trouble?" Yuto decided to get to the point at last.

"Hm? Right." Tokumatsu turned around and whispered to Yuto. "Actually, I caught wind of a rumor. Not from that guy, but from some goons I heard chatting outside my room."

* * *

 **Flashback-Tokumatsu's Quarters**

Tokumatsu was lying on his bed with his eyes closed, when he started to hear people talking.

"It's just for the tournament, but living in such luxurious apartments really elevates their status. Even though Crow, Shinji, and Tokumatsu are Commons like us."

"Just being in the Friendship Cup gets them Tops treatment. I don't like this. Those guys are better off losing."

Tokumatsu got off his bed and slid on his sandals.

" _I was about to tell those little punks off, when…"_

Tokumatsu walked to the door and took a deep breath, he paused when he heard another person say more.

"Don't you guys know where the defeated Duelists go?"

"Eh? Well, I heard they're kicked out of here…"

"They're not just kicked out." Tokumatsu went up to his door and put his ear on it to listen in. "Rumor has it that they're sent to some place."

"Like the detention facility?"

"Even worse."

"Worse? Where?!"

Tokumatsu narrowed his eyes.

"It's only a rumor though…" The owner of the voice grinned. "Deep in the City Underground, there is a huge garbage disposal plant where people do forced labor."

* * *

 **Now**

"Forced labor?! In the underground garbage disposal plant?" Yuto repeated out of shock.

"Yeah. That is what he said. But he also said that it was only a rumor. Still, I'm certain I am not mistaken. I heard similar rumors in the detention facility. It's where escaped prisoners go."

Yuto listened on in shock. Forced labor?

"They're forced to work until they collapse. When you think about it, it's obvious why something like that exists in the City Underground. It's because of this city. The City has always been huge, but it's only grown larger in the ten years I spent in the detention facility. A population of over ten million cluster and live in a small area."

Tokumatsu paused before continuing.

"The Commons, who make up 99% of the population, still live in poverty, just like in the past. The 100,000 Tops, who make up a mere 1% of the population. They live a life of luxury incomparable to that of the past. From that, they produce a large amount of garbage." Tokumatsu continued to explain the reason for the underground garbage disposal unit.

"The City higher-ups built that facility deep underground to manage it. But those very people producing garbage in the Tops never get their hands dirty. Needless to say, they force the Commons to do all the work. Forced labor to atone for their crimes."

"That's horrible." Yuto felt sympathy for the many who had to work in the underground.

"Accommodating us in such luxurious apartments, then sending us deep underground once we lose. Certainly a fall from heaven to hell." Tokumatsu raised his arms out of anger before calming down and putting them down.

"Then Crow has been sent to that forced labor facility too?!" Yuto asked Tokumatsu.

"Afraid so."

Before Yuto could say anything, Melissa's voice came through. "Now that we're all fired up, it's time for today's second match! Who are the Duelists chosen for this round!?"

Holograms of a contestant appear. It was…

"Shinji Weber! And his opponent is the former senator's daughter...Izayoi Aki!"

Tokumatsu looked at the screen. "Izayoi Aki…"

"It's the girl from when we were escaping from solitary confinement." Yuto remembered.

In Yugo's room, he recognized the two contestants.

"AHHH! Shinji! I remember him! That guy beat me in a tournament in the Commons once, because of him I didn't make it past the first round! Rin wanted to have my head because I wasn't focusing back then! Also the girl…" Yugo paused as he remembered a certain situation.

* * *

 **Flashback-2 Years Ago-Commons**

"Yugo! Where are you? Yugo!" Rin called out to her childhood friend. They had gone to see Izayoi Aki Duel as she recently came to fill the Commons with hope. She gave them supplies, entertained them, anything to make their lives slightly more bearable.

This time, she was Dueling some people so they could have a little bit of fun. The Duel was over, and Yugo disappeared into the big crowd. And Rin was worried…

For Aki.

Before Rin lost him, Yugo had said something about meeting Aki and asking for an autograph.

"Ugh! When I find him I'm gonna cobble up some new boots and use them to kick his butt!" Rin declared as she continued searching. "Yugo!" She went back into the small building where the Duel took place. It was a small square building, but it could fit a bunch of people. There was also a room for someone to change clothes or go to the restroom or even take a shower if they wanted to.

Since it was the Commons, you had to pay to take a shower. As everyone was struggling to survive. But for someone like Aki, it was free.

"KYAAAAAAH!" Rin heard a scream coming from the changing area.

No. Yugo didn't.

Did he?

Rin heard someone getting smacked.

"OW!" A male voice cried out in pain. Rin immediately recognized the voice.

Oh no.

It was...

"YUGO!" Rin shouted out of anger as she made a mad dash for the women's changing room. She went the door and kicked it open.

Inside, she saw Yugo, blushing, and staring at Aki who had herself covered in a robe to cover herself.

"YUGO! I am going to murder you!" Rin bellowed. Yugo shot around and faced Rin.

"Rin! Crap! O-o-o-ok...this is NOT what it looks like! I was trying to get an autograph! And there was a male sign on the door, it looked different from another sign. For some reason, the sign I saw had a piece of clothing draping off the man! How was I supposed to know!?"

Rin facepalmed as she moaned out of annoyance. "The sign outside meant FEMALES. ONLY. THE PIECE OF CLOTHING ON THE GIRL IS A SKIRT! IT MEANS FEMALE!"

Rin proceeded to knee Yugo hard in the stomach. Unfortunately for Yugo, he had eaten breakfast about half an hour ago.

Aki cringed as she heard Yugo puke out his breakfast. Undigested eggs, bread, butter, and milk covered Rin's face, hair, and clothes.

"EWW! YUGO!" Rin slapped Yugo, leaving a red hand mark on his cheek as the boy dropped to the ground on his sides unconscious.

"I am so sorry! My friend here can be such an idiot sometimes!" Rin bowed to Aki as a way to say sorry and to show respect.

Aki merely stared at the unconscious Yugo before breaking out of her trance. "Oh, yeah! It's ok...he just wanted an autograph."

"That is still no excuse! Yugo should know by now to respect other people's privacy!"

As Rin ranted on, Aki thought to herself. _Are this boy and girl an item? If not, then they make a cute couple!_ Aki giggled quietly as Rin said sorry again before dragging Yugo away..

" _Oh no! I hope I won't ever have to Duel her or meet her face to face again!" Yugo said as he finished thinking about the flashback and continued watching the television._

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Akaba Reiji, Tsukikage, and Reira were walking along near the doors of the quarters of the contestants. Reiji noticed Aki and Shinji being led out of their rooms and to the grounds. Suddenly, 5 small holograms of the council appeared in front of them.

"Are you sure you don't want the boy participating?" Gale asked Reiji.

"He is a Lancer just like most of the other contestants." Gray continued.

"You also kept the ninja, the purple haired boy and the other one out of the tournament. You didn't even let any of them face the King in the exhibition. Why?" Azul interrogated Reiji, who adjusted his glasses.

"Reira pleaded to me not to participate. He hated participating on the chance that he would have to take out one of his comrades. Especially on the fact that the losers of this tournament get sent to a underground labor facility. And if you're wondering, O'Brien got that information for me. It was the reason why I had Ryoga, Tsukikage, and O'Brien not participate, so they could get information for me." Reiji sharpened his gaze at the council.

The council remained silent. Mostly because Reiji knew about the underground labor facility.

"The reason for the underground labor facility…" Gale started.

"Is so that we can slightly reduce the chance of an outbreak among the Commons…" Gray continued.

"This is so we can stabilize the peace in the City." Azul finished.

"Isn't that right, Chairman?" Boredaux questioned.

"Yes." White Taki nodded. "You see, we have had reason to believe that the Commons are planning to start a revolution for years now. Another purpose for the Friendship Cup, is to draw out the Commons, particularly the more violent ones, so when they lose, we won't have to worry about them. The lower chance of a revolution, the longer the peace is kept."

"With the rate that this is going, the so called 'peace' in this city won't last much longer." Reiji replied stoically. "Even now, the Commons are planning to revolt. I can bet you that there are some Commons in the crowd who are booing. Booing about the fact that the Tops had looked down on them for years. Because of that, they had to live in poverty. And now, every year, they are expected to buddy up just to keep the society the way it is. Do you not think that would tick off some of the 9,900,000 Commons?"

"It is the only way to keep the peace." Gray said.

"Let me give you one word of advice. You can either keep this wretched society the way it is...or you can all burn with it." Reiji said harshly as he and the other two walked past the holograms, which eventually disappeared.

When they were gone, Reiji put a finger onto his earpiece. "Have you found out anything else, O'Brien, Ryoga?"

"Nothing yet." O'Brien answered after a couple of moments.

"We'll keep looking though." Ryoga assured Reiji.

"Keep it up." Reiji told the two before stopping and turning to Tsukikage. "Tsukikage, I want you to go sneak into the underground facility. Once you are in, report back to me."

"Yes." Tsukikage responded respectfully as he disappeared.

Silence came through the air as Reiji, Reira, the guides, and the contestants in their rooms were the only people left in the vicinity.

"Reira." Reiji spoke the name of his adopted sibling.

"Yes, brother." Reira spoke shyly.

Reiji gave Reira a pat on the head before walking forward. "I am quite pleased with you."

Reiji came across Yuto's open quarters, and he decided to walk into the room, he saw Yuto, Tokumatsu, and a guide, all looking at him out of surprise.

"A-Akaba Reiji!" Yuto mumbled the name of the leader of the Lancers.

Then, Reira caught up to Reiji, hugging his leg.

" _Reira is there too!"_ Yuya acknowledged the girl clinging to Reiji.

"Akaba Reiji. I must ask you, were you aware of the fact that the losers of the Friendship Cup get sent to the underground labor facility before the Friendship Cup started?" Yuto questioned the leader.

Reiji remained silent. O'Brien had given him the info on the eve of the Friendship Cup, hours before Yuto's Duel with Jack.

"You did, didn't you!" Yuto jumped to a conclusion. "Why did you make us participate if you knew that?! Are we just _that_ disposable to you! To the point where you would force us to enter the tournament without telling us the repercussions of losing?! Just how far are you going to go so you can complete your goals!"

Yuto formed a fist with his hand.

"Shun and I had finally reunited with Ruri! After she was taken from us! And then out of the blue you force us to enter the tournament and we get separated again! And now the only way we can see each other is if we all lose and get sent to the underground labor facility!"

Yuto paused. If they all lost…

"Don't even think about throwing your match when it comes." Reiji already knew what Yuto was thinking. "It matters not to me about your complaints in the matter. All that matters is that we get on the good side of the Synchro Dimension, and get allies to fight against Academia."

"That word again...Academia…" Tokumatsu murmured to himself.

"For now, you will have to play by my rules. Do that, and I will make sure you and the others will make it through this conflict safe and sound." Reiji told Yuto calmly.

"Reiji…I don't agree with your methods…" Yuto started with a loud tone before softening it. "But I guess that if we get through this and succeed...then I will go through with your methods for now."

Reiji nodded his head out of approvement. "Good. Let's go, Reira." And with that, Reiji and Reiji turned around to leave Yuto's quarters. On the way out, Reiji paused and glanced at Yuto. "One more thing. You are one of my most powerful allies...however I have yet to see your full evolution. Fusion Summoning could be very viable to you, I recommend you get over that left over fear you have and start using it. Who knows, maybe it will save you sometime."

"You have the same amount of potential that I saw in Sakaki Yuya. Don't disappoint me." Reiji ended it with that and left the room along with Reira.

Then, Sam came into the room.

"Umm...excuse me? Tokumatsu-san, could you please return to your room?" Sam asked politely.

Tokumatsu sighed out of defeat. One was enough, he couldn't handle two. "Fine. Good luck when your match comes, Yuto." With that, Tokumatsu ran out of the room.

* * *

 **On the Grounds-Stadium**

Multiple boos came from the Tops at hearing a Commons and Aki Dueling.

The Commons cheered, as both of the Duelists were aligned with the Commons. Albeit, Aki was a former Tops, but she had helped out some of the Commons. She had actually cared for them.

"Alright! First up, we have Shinji Weber!" Out it the cockpit came Shinji riding on his d-wheel and onto the track. He stopped at the starting line. The Commons cheered for Shinji while the Tops either booed or remained silent.

"Our second one, Izayoi Aki!" Aki came out on her d-wheel. She was wearing a riding suit that was exactly like the one she wore when she was in the Commons section. The Tops remained silent while the Commons cheered. Aki parked her d-wheel next to Shinji.

"The Tops never change." Shinji began a speech. "They always just do as they like. Commons like us are treated like worms." Shinji raised his arm as he faced the audience.

From Yuto's quarters, Yuya muttered something, but Yuto could still hear it.

" _Idiot. Is this how he will make the Commons have a better life? Cause all I see is him putting targets on all of the Commons backs, including himself. Those targets are just waiting be shot by Security."_ Yuya ranted out loud. " _Bringing people smiles isn't going to change the society, but fighting recklessly is just as stupid!"_

Yuto chose not to say anything, at the risk of him and Yuya getting in an argument. But he had one thought after Yuya's words.

 _This is the son of Sakaki Yusho, the Entertainment Duelist? He's changed way too much. He would have thought that no matter what Yuya would held onto his ideals, but he just defenestrated them like they were a piece of trash._

"Well, how crude." A woman with a white hat and fan said in response to Shinji's words.

"That's why I say Commons are…" Her husband started before pausing, listening more to what Shinji had to say.

"But Commons are Commons! We numbed ourselves to the we're treated. We threw away our pride a long time ago! We've been completely tamed." An outburst occurred from the audience as people began to argue.

"Hey, excuse me! Don't provoke the audience!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Shinji! Don't make a scene!" Aki scolded the Commons citizen.

Shinji simply ignored her. "I broke out of the detention facility. But those higher-ups caught me and dragged me here. They want me to put on a show for them. I won't play by their rules. As if I'd let myself become some exhibit!"

Tokumatsu, Yuzu, Yugo and the Lancers in their own rooms looked at the screen intently as they heard Shinji speak.

"I'll turn this society around!" Shinji proclaimed with determination burning on his eyes under his visor.

"Geez, what are you saying? Everyone just came together as one too! Why are you saying these things?! If you call yourself a Duelist then Duel fair and square!" Melissa told Shinji.

"Shinji, you need to calm down!" Aki told the Commons citizen.

"Don't act like you care!" Shinji snapped at Aki, much to her surprise. "You lied to Crow and I! You said to us you were from the Commons, but that isn't the truth! I know that now…"

Shinji felt betrayed. Betrayed that for the past year or so, he has been deceived by someone from the Tops. Aki stripped him of his pride, just like the other Tops had.

"Just like Crow, I had let you into my circle of trust. I let you into my sensitive side. I let you look into my life. And how did you repay Crow and I?! By lying to us after all of this time!" Shinji roared out of anger. "I won't forgive you! And I will make you grovel, to set an example to the Tops, as that will happen to them too!"

"No. Aki isn't like that." Ruri mused in her own room. She could tell that Aki was a good person. Former Tops or not.

 _Shinji…_ Aki looked at the Synchro Duelist before looking forward, getting her bike ready.

"Everyone, remember! The City is one. We are all friends! Let's shake off the tension and get pumped!" Melissa tried to ease the tension and arguing going on in the audience.

Despite her best efforts, Aki could still feel the cold air of tension the audience was releasing. However, she could feel hatred coming from Shinji, she could feel that air even more than the audience.

"Alright! Now, since that has been settled, let's get on with the Duel!" Melissa announced. She rose her hand to the sky and snapped her fingers. "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!"

 _Duel Mode, on! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

A countdown of 3 seconds appeared in front of Shinji and Aki. The countdown started.

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!" Melissa started.

1.

"Acceleration!" A bell rang as the two Duelists started their d-wheels and took off, racing for the first turn.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists shouted in unison, starting the Duel.

Shinji immediately took the lead as he accelerated even further, ready to make the first move. However, Aki wasn't very far behind.

Aki gripped the handlebar and twisted the accelerator, trying to go as fast as she could to take the first. She leaned her body forward and sharpened her gaze. She was going slightly faster than Shinji.

Shinji, who was deep in a trance of sorrow, rage, and determination to win failed to notice Aki until she passed him. As they approached the corner, Shinji gave one last push. He went even faster, he just barely managed to pass Aki.

"Shinji Weber has taken the first move!" Melissa announced as Shinji began his move.

"The Black Rose Witch...and that Commons youngster, ultimately, neither will remain standing." Roget from his office as he glanced at the figure towering over him on the shadows.

"My turn!" Shinji declared as he shifted his hand to the middle Card of his Hand. He lifted up the Card and got himself ready. "I Summon Bee Force-Pin the Bullseye!" A small bee with a pointy nose and a dart like appearance with appeared out of a portal and soared alongside Shinji.

 **Pin the Bullseye: Level 1, 200 Atk, 300 Def**

"I activate Pin the Bullseye's effect! Once per turn, I am allowed to inflict 200 damage to you!" Shinji explained as Aki grit her teeth from hearing it. Shinji's bee turned to face Aki. It pointed it's stinger at the girl and blasted Aki with a green ball of energy which was formed from the stinger. Aki braced herself and endured the blast.

 **Aki: 4000-3800 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Shinji ended his turn with a facedown Card.

"My turn, draw!" Aki drew her Card and looked at it before placing it in her Hand before shifting her now free hand to a Card in her Hand. "I Summon Black Rose Witch from my Hand!" A witch with long purple hair and a wand in a dress appeared.

 **Black Rose Witch: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Hold up! When Black Rose Witch is Normal Summoned, I have to draw a Card. If the Card is not a Monster, this Card is destroyed." Aki revealed as she moved her hand to the top of her Deck.

"I chain the Continuous Trap Bee Force Nest! I target a level 2 or lower Monster Bee Force Monster to activate this Card, I target Pin the Bullseye!" Shinji declared as his Trap was revealed. His Monster glowed purple due to being affected.

"I draw!" Aki ripped the top Card off of her Deck. She took a moment to pray for a Monster. She looked at the Card and smiled, revealing it to Shinji. "The drawn Card is Ivy Wall, a Monster! So, my Black Rose Witch remains on the Field! Time to battle! Black Rose Witch, attack Shinji's Pin the Bullseye!"

Black Rose Witch waved her wand around, she pointed it at Shinji's Monster as a purple ball of energy developed from the scepter.

"I activate the effect of Bee Force Nest!" Shinji countered as he began to explain his Trap. "If the target of this Card or a Monster with the same name as the target is selected for an attack, I am allowed to Special Summon a Monster with the same name from my Deck or Hand and immediately end the Battle Phase! Appear, Bee Force-Pin the Bullseye!"

Another copy of Pin appeared next to its comrade.

"And Shinji has saved himself from damage!" Melissa announced as the Duelists took yet another turn around the track.

"I see. It's like comrades working together to keep each other alive. And when one falls, more comrades will immediately rise up to continue the fight." Aki deduced.

"This is how true Commons fight." A smile appeared on Shinji's face for a moment before frowning as he glanced at Aki, who was still trailing behind him.

While Shinji said this, the Commons section of the audience paused to th8nk about his words.

"True Commons?" An old man repeated.

"True ones?"

"Since we can only live by supporting our crew, shoulder to shoulder." The old man spoke as he viewed the Duel.

Shinji glared at Aki. "Although you wouldn't get that! You're just another one of those Tops scum!"

"Shinji! I don't want the Commons and Tops fighting each other! They should be living with each other in piece! So no people if not very few people will live in poverty! Everyone can have a good life! Not one of despair and struggle for survival!" Aki told Shinji as she continued. "This society of 10 million people could be a great one! Yet only 1% of the population have money, rights, and power!"

"Shut up! What would you know about living in the Commons for all of your life!?" Shinji snapped as he felt his blood boil. He gripped the handle bar and accelerated his d-wheel, rushing to an Action Card. He grabbed it and activated it. "Action Magic, Single Distraction! If you control only one Monster, I can target it and destroy it!" Shinji turned his d-wheel so his sides were facing Aki.

The Action Card image that appeared in front of Shinji turned into a lightning bolt as it rushed to Aki's Monster. Aki saw an Action Card in the air. She rode her d-wheel and launched herself off the ramp, reaching out and grabbing the Action Card as she activated it.

"Action Magic, No Action! I negate the activation of your Single Distraction and I destroy it!" Aki explained as the lightning bolt disappeared. Shinji grit his teeth in response. He turned his d-wheel back to how it was originally.

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Aki concluded.

"Who do you think will win?" A female Tops asked the male Tops next to her.

"I don't know. And honestly I don't give one crap about this match. Honestly, why should they make us Tops go through this. A Tops traitor Dueling against Commons trash who doesn't know how to shut up. For all I care they can go rot in a tie." The male Tops responded.

"My turn, draw!" Shinji paused after he drew his Card. "Did you know? It's said that when bees build their nest low, a typhoon will arrive."

"You should know very well that I am not looking down on the strong bond and will of the Commons! 2 years ago, I went down there, and I saw what it was like for the citizens. Barely any food, no happiness, only hungry people who are ratted out of their life by worrying for it all the time. That's why I came down there 2 years ago to help."

"Quiet! I know you only came down there to make the Tops look better, so they don't seem like bad people, but I'm not having it! I heard it from one of your Tops comrades 2 years ago, after they beat me in a Duel…" Shinji recalled to that moment.

* * *

 **Flashback-2 Years Ago-City**

"AHH!" Shinji cried out in pain as he was knocked backwards onto the ground, his Duel Disk hit the ground and his entire Deck was scattered.

The Tops Duelist who beat him chuckled as he walked up to the Cards and examined the ones that were facedown. He got an irritated look on his face before swatting the Cards to the ground, standing up as he started to walk away.

"I would have taken one of your Cards but...I do NOT want to be near those trash Cards any longer! I would tell you to get better Cards, but that is impossible for you Commons." The Tops Duelist said as his friends ran up to him laughing.

"Have you heard? Izayoi Aki is in the Commons." One of the friends whispered, although Shinji could still hear him.

"Yeah, the officials say that she is spying." The Tops Duelist responded as they walked away, they continued the conversation, but Shinji couldn't hear the rest.

Unknown to him, they had said something about waiting to see if Aki really was spying. Which they soon found out by her eventual arrest by Security, that she was not spying.

* * *

 **Now**

"Me? A spy? No, my father, the former mayor sent me down there to support the Commons, to give them hope!" Aki argued in denial of the fact that she I am allowed to Special Summon this Monster from my Hand, but as a cost, the Monster's effect is negated since it was Summoned this way!" Shinji explained as he revealed the Card. "I Special Summon Bee Force-Twinbow the Continuous Attacker!"

A purple striped bee with two stingers buzzed to the Field.

 **Twinbow: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

"I switch my two Pins to Defense Position!" On his command, both Pins took a defensive stance. Shinji took his attention to another Card in his Hand. He took out his Card and revealed it to Aki. "I Summon the Tuner Monster Bee Force-Needle the Stinger!" A bee with a large stinger flew to the Field next to the other bees Shinji possessed.

 **Needle the Stinger: Level 2, 400 Atk, 800 Def**

"I'm tired of being pushed down! I will rise up and pierce through! I tune the level 3 Twinbow with the level 2 Needle! Synchro Summon! Come forth, level 5! Bee Force-Azusa the Ghost Bow!" Shinji yelled as he Summoned a female humanoid bee in a dress while wielding a bow.

 **Azusa the Ghost Bow: Level 5, 2200 Atk, 1600 Def**

"Hoh! Shinji retaliated with a Synchro Summon!"

"Now, I activate the effect of both of my Pin the Bullseyes! Once per turn, I inflict 300 damage to you! However, during either player's turn, if a Bee Force Monster were to inflict effect damage, Azusa allows me to double the damage! So 2 doses of 200 damage become 2 doses of 400!" Aki flinched when she heard Shinji's statement.

The two Pins turned around and faced Aki, while charging a purple beam on their stingers. They unleashed the beams at Aki, one hitting her d-wheel, causing it to swerve out of control, and the other hit Aki in the chest, causing her to wince.

 **Aki: 3800-3000 LP**

"Shinji is slowly but surely putting the hurt on Aki's life points! How will the daughter of the former mayor respond?" Melissa asked no one.

The crowd started to cheer at Shinji dealing more damage.

At the place of the council, Reira, who had arrived to the council moments before with Reiji, smiled slightly at Aki losing. However, the smile turned to a frown.

"We will discuss your disobedience later, correct Chairman?" Bordeaux asked, referring to what happened earlier with Reiji and the council.

"Yes. For now, everyone, let us enjoy the display of this Duel that is currently unfolding." White Taki smiled.

"Battle! Azusa, attack the Black Rose Witch!" Azusa formed an arrow and placed it on the bow before aiming at the witch and shooting.

"Like I would let you! From my Hand, I send Hedge Guard to the Grave to nullify the destruction of my Monster. Unfortunately, after the battle, the Attack of my Monster is halved until the end of the turn." Aki explained the effect of her Monster.

"But you still take the damage!" Shinji reminded Aki. The attack hit Aki's Monster, who retaliated by holding its wand up as a way to defend itself. The wand formed a barrier around the witch, the arrow hit the barrier and it immediately dispersed into multiple little light particles, which lashed at Aki's body as she flinched, almost falling off her d-wheel because of the damage.

 **Aki: 3000-2200 LP**

"Aki managed to protect her Monster, but she is taking heavy damage! If this keeps up, Shinji will win the match in no time!" Melissa spoke.

"I end my turn." Shinji glanced back at Aki before looking back ahead of him. "All of those rich Tops might go through the same thing sooner or later. The more they enjoy their luxuries, the more shocked they are when they take damage."

"Speaking to the audience so crudely is a no-go! This is unfitting of the Friendship Cup!" Melissa yelled into the microphone.

" _Friendship Cup my ass. There is no friendship going on here. Everything is just forced. The Tops and Commons don't want to be friends at all. The Commons want the Tops heads and the Tops look at the Commons as trash!"_ Yuya mumbled to himself.

"Remember this, Tops scum! No matter how far I fall, my Bee Force will fly out onto the world! Just like the strong-willed Commons kids!" Shinji exclaimed. The Commons in the audience viewed the Duel in awe. "In this Duel, I will show you what true Commons are…by beating you into the ground!" Aki sharpened her gaze at Shinji, putting a hand on the top of the Deck.

"My turn, draw! Shinji, criticizing the audience who aren't even a part of it, is that the way of a Duelist?" Aki questioned.

"So you are with the Tops! That right there just proved it!" Shinji yelled to Aki. "If you were truly on our side, you would want the Tops to fall!"

"I don't want the Tops and Commons to end up fighting each other!" Aki told Shinji.

"Enough! I won't have any more of your lies! Just do your turn!" Shinji commanded forcefully.

"Fine then...I Summon Ivy Wall from my Hand!" A rock with multiple vines around it appeared to the Field in front of Aki, floating and going forward along with her owner.

 **Ivy Wall: Level 2, 300 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I tune the level 2 Ivy Wall with the level 4 Black Rose Witch! Synchro Summon!Appear, Level 6! Blooming Rose!" Aki exclaimed as she Synchro Summoned a blooming red rose with vines covering forming a t-shape appeared.

 **Blooming Rose: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate Blooming Rose's effect! Once per turn, I am allowed to a Plant-Type Monster in my Grave to the Deck, then I can deal damage to you equal to the level of the shuffled Monster times 200!" Aki explained.

"Kgh!" Shinji grunted as he sped up for an Action Card. When he was about to reach one though, Blooming Rose threw out on of its vines and grabbed the Action Card before, bringing the vine back and giving the Card to Aki, who grabbed, she gave her Monster a nod of thanks.

Blooming Rose then used the vine to hit Shinji in the back, causing him to cry out in pain as he lost control of his d-wheel, however, he managed to regain his composure and get back on track.

 **Shinji: 4000-3200 LP**

"I shuffled my Black Rose Witch, whose Level was 4, so you took 800 damage just now."

"And with that, Izayoi Aki has finally retaliated!" Melissa cheered as she held up a fist.

Aki clutched her head out of pain. She could feel her anger rising and her control slipping. Her powers might take control soon if this keeps up. She had to end it fast!

"B-battle!" Aki stuttered as she thrusted her hand towards Shinji's Monster. "Blooming Rose, attack!" Blooming Rose threw a vine at Azusa.

"What? But Blooming Rose has less Attack! Why would she do that?" Melissa asked.

"That Monster has an additional effect." Ruri guessed.

"Alright! I activate Blooming Rose's next effect! Once per turn, when a Plant-Type Monster attacks a Monster with a higher Attack, I can decrease the Attack of the Monster by the Attack of the Plant-Type Monster battling!" Aki revealed, shocking Shinji. Blooming Rose wrapped another vine around Azusa's torso, restraining her.

 **Azusa: 2500-300 Atk**

"Now, finish Azusa!" Aki commanded her Monster as Bloomong Rose proceeded to whip Azusa, causing her to crash to the ground, causing a little part of the road to crack. Azusa broke into many particles, which assaulted Shinji, he stood strong though and tried to manage the control of his d-wheel.

 **Shinji: 3200-1300 LP**

"And just like that, Izayoi Aki has taken more than half of Shinji's life points!" Melissa said.

 _Damn, I'm being shut out! This always how it was, since I was a kid…_

* * *

 **Flashback-An Unknown Amount of Years Ago**

3 men in business suitsand glasses on her their faces stood in front of multiple kids who had no parents. One of these kids was Shinji, who glared at the men with a big noticeable frown on his face.

The 3 men were standing in front of an orphanage that the kids used to live in. But now it was being shut down because of no financial support for the poor orphanage. The orphanage fell due to debt. The man in the middle had a darker suit than the other two, and he spoke.

"Got it? This place is no longer your home. Stop loitering and get lost!" The man told all of the kids.

" _That's right...the facility took us under its Wing was taken due to debt. We even lost a place to live."_

* * *

 **Now**

Shinji stopped reminiscing as he spun around out of control. He regained control and kept moving forward, however, now Aki had passed him.

"The Tops took everything away from us in a stacked competition that always went into their favor!" Shinji shouted out of rage.

"So this is Shinji's rage and inner demons. Being treated like trash all of his life…" Yuto trailed off as he continued to watch the Duel. The more he learned about this place, the more he was surprised about how Yugo could live in this city his entire life.

"Shinji! I'm with you!" Someone from the crowd called out as support as the Commons section of the audience began to cheer.

"Shinji, don't lose!"

"Those Tops bastards took anything and everything from us!"

"Go! Beat her!"

Only a tiny fraction of the Commons didn't cheer. As they knew what Aki had done and they didn't see her as a bad person.

"This Duel is a representation of this society! They call it a free competition, but the winners keep winning! That is the truth of the City! Now, stand! Rise up!" Shinji bellowed to everyone of the Commons who were watching. "Your eyes are no longer dead! Fight! Raise your fists!"

Shinji accelerated toward a ramp and Shinji launched himself high in the air as he raised a first towards the Commons as they cheered.

"Right here! The City is one!" Shinji yelled.

"The City is one…" The Commons spoke in unison with smiles on their faces. And they chanted this two more times as Shinji grabbed an Action Card in midair.

"The City is one! The City is one!" The Commons kept chanting, chanting, and chanting. The Tops, Melissa, the guards, and the people in their quarters all froze. The chanting kept ringing in their ears even after it stopped. Shinji smiled as he accelerated, quickly passing Aki.

"I set a Card end my turn." Aki concluded as she set the Card she drew at the beginning of the turn.

"We're all stubborn. All of us Commons will face this together next turn! Let's go! It's our turn! DRAW!" Shinji and the Commons roared as the audience raised up their fists. Shinji looks at the Card and grins. "The typhoon finally arrives! And it's huge and extraordinary!"

The crowd cheered and whooped at the good news as Shinji activated the Card.

"Magic Card! All-Out Rebellion! I Special Summon level 4 or lower Bee Force Monsters from my Graveyard equal to the number of Monsters on my opponent's Field! Return, Needle the Stinger!" Shinji revived his Monster.

"He can Synchro Summon a level 4 Monster now." Yuzu said as she viewed the Field.

"I activate the effect of both of my Pin the Bullseyes, unfortunately, with Azusa gone, double the damage, but 200 damage each is enough! Take this!" Shinji exclaimed as the bees charged their attacks and shot at Aki, causing her to scream and temporarily lose control of her d-wheel.

 **Aki: 3000-2600 LP**

"Now, I Summon from my Hand Bee Force-Arbalest the Rapidfire!" Shinji swiped his Monster onto Duel Disk as a purple striped bee flew to the Field.

 **Arbalest: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 800 Def**

"Let's go! I tune the 2 level 1 Pin the Bullseye and the level 4 Arbalest the Rapidfire with the level 2 Tuner Monster Needle the Stinger! Synchro Summon! Fight on! Level 8! Bee Force-Hama the Evil-Conquering Bow!" Shinji shouted as he Synchro Summoned his Monster who had green armor with orange linings with a bow like Azusa.

 **Hama the Evil-Conquering Bow: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Let's keep doing it! Let's rage like bees from an agitated nest!" Shinji told the audience.

"He beat me with the exact same Monster…" Yugo murmured, remembering his Duel with Shinji.

"Shinji! Shinji! Shinji!" The audience kept chanting the name. The Tops looked visibly frightened by this unification of the Commond.

"This Card can make two attacks during each Battle Phase! However, I will activate this Action Card I got! Wonder Chance! With this, my Hama can attack again, so it is 3 attacks for this turn only!"

The audience cheered and some people said for Shinji to win.

"It ends here! Battle! Hama, attack Blooming Rose!" Hama turned around and shot a single arrow at Blooming Rose, destroying the Monster immediately, Aki flinched as she took damage.

 **Aki: 2600-2000 LP**

"Now, attack directly and end this!" Hama shot another arrow, but this time aimed at Aki.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Wicked Rebirth! By paying 800 life points, I am allowed to Special Summon a Synchro Monster in my Grave into face-up Attack Position! Revive, Blooming Rose!"

 **Aki: 2000-1200 LP**

Blooming Rose took the hit and was once again destroyed. Aki grit her teeth as she spun, her face darkened.

 **Aki: 1200-600 LP**

"Now, it is over! Attack directly!" Hama shot another arrow at Aki. Aki revealed her face to see full of rage.

"Action Magic! Evasion! I negate the oncoming attack!" Aki drove to her left and avoided the arrow, which exploded on impact.

"Looks like she managed to survive!" Shinji looked back and widened his eyes when he saw Aki. She was giving him a death stare. This sent shivers down Shinji's spine, but he made sure not to show his fear.

"You...I will kill you!" Aki spat with bloodlust present in her voice. "Now...end your turn and for the last moments of your pathetic life, ponder on the fact how you couldn't save yourself by beating me…"

The audience went silent at this, and Melissa was at a lost for words.

"It's like that one time…" Ruri thought

"I-I end my turn…" Shinji gulped. Just what was going on with Aki? Suddenly, Shinji had the feeling to ride away on his d-wheel.

"My turn." Aki spoke coldly as she drew the top Card of her Deck. "I Summon the Tuner Monster Night Rose Knight from my Hand!"

 **Night Rose Knight: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"When it is Normal Summoned, this Card allows me to Special Summon a level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monster from my Hand. Appear, Lord Poison."

 **Lord Poison: Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1000 Def**

"That set up...don't tell me…" Shinji gasped, knowing what was going to come out next.

"I tune the level 4 Lord Poison with Level 3 Night Rose Knight! Black rose guided by a pitch-black flower, bloom before us and show us your might! Synchro Summon! Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Aki chanted as she Synchro Summoned her ace out of rage.

 **Bloomlight Dragon: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

Gales of wind were unleashed as Black Rose was Summoned to the Field, the winds lashed out at the audience, causing them to scream and brace themselves. Melissa held onto her hat to try and keep it from flying away.

"What the hell is going on?" Yuto asked out of shock. Most of the other contestants couldn't hide their surprise either.

"It is over! When Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I am allowed to target the two Monsters with the highest Attack on the Field, and destroy them! Then, I inflict damage to you equal to half the combined Attack of the Monsters. Now, die! Shinji Weber! I destroy both of our Monsters!" Aki shouted menacingly as Black Rose and Hama exploded, causing Shinji to spin out of control as he lost the rest of the his life points.

Shinji cried out in pain as a big smoke cloud filled the area.

 **Shinji: 1300-0 LP**

"Shinji!" Damon exclaimed from his room.

"Shinji!" The Commons of the audience called out his name.

When the smoke dissipated, Aki was parked at the garage while Shinji was near on the ground unconscious while his d-wheel was far away. Shinji was launched off his d-wheel while it was in the air.

Melissa finally found the words to speak. "Th-the winner is...Izayoi Aki…"

No one applauded except the Tops.

Back on the grounds. Aki breathed heavily as she regained control. She held her head and closed her eyes as she groaned out of pain. She opened them and looked around to see Shinji on the ground.

"Shinji!" She called out of concern as she ran to the unconscious man. She grabbed his body and turned it around so Aki could see his face. She shook his body while calling his name in an attempt to wake him up. He woke up slightly. He uttered out some words before losing conscious once again.

Melissa had come running onto the grounds as she ran to the two. She saw Shinji about to talk and put the microphone near his mouth.

"You really are...a witch…the Commons...they...will continue on without me...and together...they will change...everything…ugh…" Shinji was out.

Melissa examined her body. There were multiple cuts and bruises around his face, there was some blood also. Somehow, his riding suit managed to stay in tact, there was only some dirt on it.

"Get him a stretcher." Melissa spoke into the microphone as two men arrived with a stretcher. Melissa left to see if the grounds was damaged.

Aki was alone as Shinji was carried out on the stretcher.

"I…did that…" She whispered to herself.

"Aki…" Ruri mumbled out of concern.

"What was that? It was like…" Yuto thought to the time where he lost control against Kachidoki and the Obelisk Force. He also remembered losing control against Reiji but breaking out of it immediately.

Yuya merely looked on at the screen.

Yuzu's mouth was open as she put a hand near it.

Yugo was frozen.

Shun was slightly shocked but he still kept his composure.

Damon was concerned for his friend and pissed off at Aki.

Ruri was scared for Aki and Shinji.

Serena was also a little surprised.

The others were shocked as someone would expect.

Meanwhile, Roget had watched the entire Duel. "Have two men apprehend the girl, and bring her to me."

Aki looked at her hand. "What is wrong with me?" Aki suddenly gasped as she felt a can thrown at her. She turned and faced the audience to see them throwing things.

They were calling her the Black Rose Witch and saying to go away and worse things as they kept throwing things at her. Empty cans, partly eaten tomatoes and partly filled up cans with drinks that spilled most of the remainder on the ground and the rest on Aki.

When it was all over, Aki was a mess, she had some liquids from the cans in her hair and dripping from her face and riding suit with the riding suit covered in tomato along with parts of her face.

When she was about to leave, two men came and grabbed her by her arms. She struggled to get out of the hold. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

"A certain man wants to see you." One of the men spoke.

"A certain man…" Aki repeated in a hushed tone as she stopped struggling.

When they were gone, murmurs began throughout the Commons.

"There could be more like her in the Tops…"

"Yeah...poor Shinji…"

"We need to continue on! We need to change everything!"

One member of the audience stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs. "TOGETHER! WE WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING!"

The Commons cheered in response.

"Hey, all of you!" Melissa called out the Commons. But they didn't listen.

The Commons eventually calmed down but then, the same man who yelled started to whisper. The words were carried out through the rest of the audience like a telephone.

The words were…

"We will strike eventually…"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Blooming Rose, Plant, Dark: Once per turn, you can shuffle a Plant-Type Monster in your Graveyard into your Deck, inflict damage to your opponent's equal to the level of the Monster times 200. Once per turn, when a Plant-Type Monster attacks a Monster with higher Attack Points, the attacked Monster's Attack is reduced by the Attack of the Plant-Type Monster who attacked.**

* * *

 **Finished at last.**

 **All right. I decided to give Shinji the axe along with Crow. Honestly, there didn't need to be 4 Commons participating in the Friendship Cup in the anime. The only ones needed were really Crow and Shinji. Crow cause legacy character, and Shinji cause starting a revolution. I had it so the Commons would actually bide their time before actually starting a real revolution.**

 **Either the next time Aki Duels or the next time we see her (which won't have her Duel) will have how she got her powers.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: Yuya being pessimists was kind of what I was going for when I gave him his personality change. Really, it is just so he can look at things more realistically.**

 **Skadi: (SPOILERS!) The Duel between Shun and Dennis will still occur. I won't skip the Duel, but I might alter it a bit after it is revealed that Dennis is Academia.**

 **Bridgey: (MORE SPOILERS) I'm keeping Yugo vs Sawatari. As Yugo and Sawatari kind of had a tiny spark of friendship in the anime. They are practically made out to be best buds. Damon against Shinji...sorry. Yuzu against Serena was one of the matchups I had in mind. Glad other people thought of it too.**

 **Matrixnis: I'll take your advice about the bouncing stuff for the Ruri's Cards. (If you people are wondering why I call them Lyrilusc, I thought the latter was the subbed name, and by the time I realized that it was the dubbed name, I was already way far into the fan fiction.) As for the matchups: Yuzu and Serena, I already made the comment in Bridget's response. Yuto vs Ruri, I already have a match planned out for them in the future. Now, Yuya and Yugo, If I were do that, it would be after the Friendship Cup. Yugo vs Dennis, I don't think Dennis had anything to do with Rin's kidnapping.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you guys later.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	72. The Clash of Fusion

**Security Building-Roget's Office**

Knock, knock, knock. The sound rang throughout Roget's office. The owner of the office froze in his place, about to move a pawn forward. He looked at the door.

"Come in."

The door was opened, and in came a guard, who bowed to Roget out of respect. "We have brought the one you have desired to see."

"Izayoi Aki?"

"Yes." The guard responded as he walked to the sides Roget could see Aki with handcuffs over her wrists with her hands behind her back. Another guard could be seen behind Aki.

Aki flinched as she was pushed into the room.

"Good, now, if you may please, leave the room." Roget commanded. Immediately, the two guards left the room as the door was closed, leaving only Roget and Aki in the room.

A long moment of silence occurred and no one said anything. Roget was looking at Aki with dull, emotionless eyes, while Aki refused to look at the man. She just kept looking down with a glum expression evident on her face.

"Izayoi Aki. Alias the Black Rose Witch. Daughter of the former senator, Izayoi Hideo. It says on your record that you went back and forth between the Tops and Commons areas of the city about 2 years ago. Then, one day, Security barged into your home, trashed the place, and arrested you, along with your parents." Roget started.

He paused, letting what he had said so far sink in.

"Then, a year or so later, you escaped the facility. Eventually, you went into the Commons area. The slums. Since then, you have been assaulting any member of Security that you could find in the Commons area. Is that about right?"

"How do you know that?" Aki questioned Roget, still refusing to look at him.

"How do I know that? Haha. I'm the Director of Security. Of course I know all of that. I have been here for quite a while now. About...3 years or so. I came to this position not so long before you started going into the Commons."

"Wait, that means…" Aki trailed off, fearing the worst.

"Yes. I am the one who ordered your arrest, and the separation between you and your parents." Roget said calmly.

"You bastard! Where are my parents?!" Aki roared out of anger as she tried to break out of the handcuffs, but to no use.

"Your parents? Oh, don't worry, they are fine. We at Security have been taking very good care of them…" Roget whispered into Aki's ear as he held her chin and forced the girl to look at him straight in the eyes. "Well, care to the point where they would at least survive."

Aki snapped at that statement, she slammed her head right into Roget's head, causing the man to yell out of pain as he grabbed his forehead. Aki grimaced as she felt the pain on her head also.

Roget got slightly ticked off, but he managed to maintain his composure, and continued to speak, albeit with a slightly agitated tone.

"Ok. Where were we? Oh right. Your parents are fine. However, I won't be handing them over to you. That is if you do a job for me."

"A job? I won't do anything for you!" Aki growled.

"You won't? Then...I guess your parents _won't_ live then." Roget taunted.

"You wouldn't!"

"Do you want to test me?" Roget asked Aki.

Aki remained silent, ready to listen to what Roget had to say. Even if he was lying, she couldn't risk the lives of her parents.

"Now. Here is what I have in mind. You work with me permanently, and I will eventually let your parents free, as long as you continue of course. If you retire after they are free, I will lock you up in Solitary Confinement and murder your parents in cold blood!" Roget threatened menacingly. Aki flinched at hearing the part about murdering her parents.

"Of course, if you refuse. That is fine, I will simply drop you back at your quarters, and I will keep your parents captive. Of course, I don't think they can handle being locked up here for much longer." Roget guessed in order to persuade Aki. "Of course, the choice is yours in the end."

"I could have my parents back…" Aki whispered to herself softly.

"Yes. Oh, I almost forgot. We will support you with financial things so you can get a good start at a new life." Roget added to the proposition. "So, how about it?"

Aki paused to think about this. It was a short while, but it felt like an eternity to her. Save her parents, and work for Roget, or have them locked up and potentially end up dead.

"I…"

* * *

 **Yuto's Quarters-Right After the Duel**

Yuto was frozen in his tracks. Shinji had to be taken away on a stretcher. How long would he stay under their care? Would they just leave him to die? Was he already dead? And if he got better, would they immediately throw him into the underground facility?

Those questions haunted him, as they were all very likely.

Izayoi Aki...she is dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Dangerous to the point where Yuto felt his hand quaking and sweat rolling down his face.

It's very hard to believe that when he met her she seemed like a nice girl. Maybe Aki was like Yuto himself. They were good people, but there was some force that was working against them.

The thing was, both of them didn't know what in the world that force was.

Suddenly, Yuto realized something. The Tops in the audience were clapping! They were glad that Shinji had gotten hurt. Just because he was a Commons. That ticked him off. A lot.

" _Look at those people. They're enjoying this. The Commons get hurt, while they live in luxury and get a show put on for them. Disgusting!"_ Yuya spat at the thought of it.

"How could Yugo live in this dimension for all of his life?" Yuto wondered. He was truly amazed.

With all of this crap that goes on. The Commons get unfair treatment. They live in poverty struggling to survive while the Tops can get anything they want with the snap of their fingers like a genie.

" _You said Yugo went after you because he lost his friend. I'm surprised he had a friend in the Commons. And he lost the friend. That must be hard on him, to lose his only friend. It is kind of like what would happen to me with Yuzu. The difference is, I have Gongenzaka and the others. Who does Yugo have?"_ Yuya questioned.

He finally understood why Yugo was being so headstrong. The person he was looking for was his only friend. And to lose that only friend...Yugo must be alone now...deep down, he must be in a lot of pain, and there is no left to save him from that pain.

There is no one who understands it.

In a way, Yugo and him were similar in that aspect. After his father disappeared, everyone resented Yuya, they didn't want to be friends with him, they made fun of him and called him a coward.

So he made a fool out of himself on purpose. So they could laugh with him...not at him.

But no matter what he did to make people like him, he was alone. He only had Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Yuzu's father, his mother, and at the time Futoshi and Ayu, as Tatsuya enrolled after Yuya discovered Pendulum Summoning.

The difference is, Yugo probably has no one left to care for him.

While rambling on his thoughts, Yuya was interrupted by the voice of Melissa Claire.

"Alright everyone, let's introduce the playing cards for the next match!" She had tried to keep her composure from what just happened in the last match.

" _Playing cards…"_ Yuya repeated in a hushed tone.

"First up is this man!" Melissa pointed to the hologram of one of the contestants. "Chojiro Tokumatsu!"

With that introduction, the crowd, especially the Commons switched from being mad or scared to crazy happy as Tokumatsu rode on in on a d-wheel.

"Does the jog your memory? Back on the scene after ten years, this is Enjoy Chojiro himself!" Melissa commentated.

"Tokumatsu-san!" Ruri mused from her quarters with a small smile on his face.

Tokumatsu parked his d-wheel at the starting line. He raised his hand into the air as he began to speak.

"It's been a long time, ladies and gentlemen!" Enjoy Chojiro has now returned!" Tokumatsu called out to the entire audience.

 _Thanks to you, Ruri…_ Tokumatsu then thought to himself. _You reminded me to enjoy Dueling. And I escaped the detention facility thanks to the inmates who covered for me. I'll definitely win!_

" _Who is that?"_ Yuya asked Yuto.

"Oh, I think you weren't paying attention to when I beat the Arrest Corps. That guy was with us. I don't know much about him though." Yuto answered.

"And his opponent!" Melissa started. "Damon Lopez!"

Although Damon was expected to come out, he didn't come.

Reiji narrowed his eyes when he noticed this.

"Uhh...Damon Lopez!" Melissa announced once again. However, Damon didn't come. "Ok, where is he? He's keeping us all waiting."

The crowd started to boo, saying that they wanted to see Chojiro Duel.

Someone ran up next to Melissa and gave her an envelope. She opened it and read. She widened her eyes after she finished reading.

"O-ok. It seems that Damon Lopez has apparently disappeared and wasn't in his quarters. Now while we would have a replacement, it has been decided to give Chojiro a free pass." Melissa told the audience.

Then…

"The Tops did it!" A Commons shouted at the top of his lungs so the other Commons in the audience could hear him.

Soon, the Commons starting bickering and yelling and blaming the Tops for the disappearance of Damon Lopez.

"We did not! How dare you lowlifes think that WE would dare land on you filth!" A Tops woman scoffed.

"Hey! Guys, stop!" Melissa screamed into the microphone, causing the audience to cover their ears. "So, because of the current inconvenience we will have to immediately move on to the fourth and final match of the day. Damon Lopez is disqualified, and Chojiro Tokumatsu will move on."

"I didn't even get to make my comeback!" Chojiro complained before getting serious. "What the hell happened to the kid anyway?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Reiji-At the Building of the Executive Council**

Reiji, Reira, and the council were watching what was happening. Ryoga and O'Brien were there too, as they had came back from what they were doing.

Then, a hologram of a man appeared in front of the council.

"Speak." Azul granted permission for the man to speak.

"Thank you." The hologram took a small bow before continuing. "We have decided to keep this a secret to the public, but Damon Lopez has recently been found. However, for some reason, his face is ingrained onto a Card. There was Card of his guide nearby also."

(For those of you wondering, no, the guide is NOT Sam)

"A Card?!" Ryoga repeated, eyes widened.

"Academia!" O'Brien spat. "Damn! Out of all times to send people! Most of our comrades our separated from us, and we haven't even grown in numbers since we got here!"

 _So, Academia has already started to move into this dimension. No doubt to view the weak points. However, shouldn't they have already sent a spy to this dimension a while ago, so they could start a full scale invasion with no problems. Why do it now?_ Reiji pondered on his thoughts.

"We must take action." Gale spoke first.

"We must not allow more of these incidents to happen. We must increase Security in the stadium, on the way to the grounds, and perhaps some other places." Gray continued.

"The public shall not hear word of this incident." Azul said.

"Correct, Chairman?"

"Yes." White Taki nodded. "If word got out, it could cause a commotion. And since tensions are already growing, the Commons might accuse the Tops of making such technology to dispose of them."

"That is all I came here to say." The hologram said as he gave her another bow before disappearing.

"It seems as if your enemies called Academia has appeared in this dimension." Gale started the talk to Reiji.

"We are counting on your Lancers to help should anything else happen." Gray followed.

"We will have to increase security and keep an eye open." Azul stated.

"Correct, Chairman?" Bordeaux asked.

"Correct. However, I don't think that there are many enemies, don't you think?" White Taki questioned Reiji.

"When Academia attacked the Xyz Dimension, they revealed themselves with a full frontal unexpected assault. They did something similar in Standard but not as severe. There might be only a couple of enemies if not only one soldier of Academia. Academia will reveal themselves with an all out attack." Reiji told the council on his thoughts.

Reira tightened her grip on her teddy bear.

"Excuse me." Reiji said to the council as he signaled for Ryoga and O'Brien to follow him. They did, and by instinct, Reira did as well. They all walked out of the room to talk in secret.

Once they were out of earshot, they began talking, with Ryoga making the first move. He punched his open palm with visible hostility, his blood boiling and his heart pounding.

"Damn it! Academia is starting to come here too!" Ryoga cursed under his breath.

"If they are moving into this dimension, that must mean they are beating the Xyz Dimension to the point where they only need a handful of soldiers to hold the fort." O'Brien guessed.

"No, if they were ready, Academia would have sent more soldiers." Reiji informed O'Brien with a calm voice. "My question is, why send a potential single person now? Why not do earlier?"

"That reminds me. O'Brien and I have suspicions…" Ryoga trailed off.

"Suspicions?" Reiji relayed, wanting to hear more.

"We have a feeling Dennis is undermining us." O'Brien told Reiji. "When Ruri and some others were thrown into the facility, they got the same cell as Shun, Shark, Gongenzaka, Dennis and I. Ruri had apparently already met Dennis-"

"Which in turn made his claim of being a student at LDS a complete lie." Reiji finished for O'Brien. "Don't worry, I have been keeping my eyes on Dennis, and I also have suspicions that he was a spy."

"Then, Dennis had out and said that he had originally came from the Xyz Dimension and was teleported to Standard." Ryoga filled in the rest of Dennis' story.

"Well, the one who Carded Damon Lopez and the guide wasn't Dennis. He was on his quarters, and he had no way of breaking out of his room. And if he did, the Security cameras would catch him." O'Brien said.

"Say, are there any cameras anywhere on the way to the grounds?" Shark asked.

"Yes. However, a little while ago, according to the council, the feed was temporarily cut out during the second match. So, it is likely that the Academia soldier temporarily disabled the feed and went to Card Damon and the guide." Reiji concluded.

"It can't be Serena. She defected from Academia." O'Brien muttered to himself.

"The council said not to tell the public about the incident, but the members of the Lancers are an exception. Fortunately, I have the contacts of the other Lancers except Kurosaki Ruri. So I can message those people easily." Reiji told the other two.

"I can message Ruri. Since we are in the dimension, we should be able to communicate, unless there will be something blocking the communication…" Ryoga stated a problem.

"Don't worry about it. I might be able to hack into the system and disable the Security. After all, you are talking to the person who made a dimensional transporter into a Duel Disk with basically scrap." O'Brien boasted, but kept such a serious face that it couldn't even be considered boasting.

"Good. That will be all for now. I will let Tsukikage in on the news as well. Now, we should head back before the council starts getting suspicious." Reiji suggested to the other two as he, and by default Reira walked away, although Reira was more like fast walking.

Ryoga and O'Brien nodded as they followed. "Agreed."

* * *

 **Back to the Stadium**

"Ok, we are being told not to worry about it and to continue on with the tournament. So, let's get off that gloomy and mysterious topic with that fourth match!" Melissa exclaimed, only to find that no one listened.

This ticked her off.

"Hey! Are you guys even listening! Alright, maybe this will catch your interest! This next match will feature two female Duelists duking it out! The first one is a girl named Serena!" Melissa announced as a giant image of Serena was shown.

"I'm next." Serena said nonchalantly as she heard the door to her room unlock. She looked to see her guide standing at the entrance.

"Come on! Please be me!" Sawatari pleaded to the heavens. However, the gods weren't with him…

"And for our next female Duelist, Hiragi Yuzu!" A hologram of Yuzu appeared for the entire audience to see.

The audience stopped their bickering and actually decided to pay attention.

"IT'S NOT ME!" Sawatari shrieked.

"I'm against Serena!?" Yuzu gasped out of surprise. "Yuto and the others are watching. I get to show them that I am doing fine, and I get to show my further evolution!"

"She's going up before me? Damn it. Well, whatever. Good luck, Yuzu, and remember what I taught you before we got here." Yugo rooted for Yuzu.

"Now as this match came on such short notice, it will take a couple of minutes for the Duelists to get ready, so please stand by." Melissa said as she dropped her hands to her side, taking a deep breath. "Man, this is exhausting." She turned to one of the guys next to her. "Can you get me a bottle of water?"

" _Yuzu is up next…"_ Yuya actually let out a smile of happiness. Finally, it felt like so long since he last saw Yuzu. It was really only a couple of days though.

Since Yuzu had disappeared, Yuya had felt a large void in his heart. Now, being able to see Yuzu, even if it isn't in the flesh, it was comforting. Yuya felt as if part of that missing void was filling up again. However, even if he saw Yuzu in the flesh, which was even better, there was still part of an empty heart inside Yuya.

"So that is Yuzu...the other girl who had the same face as me. That makes 3 other people with the same face as me!" Ruri did the math. "Which makes 4 people with the same face. Me, Yuzu, Serena and Rin."

" _Yuzu...I want nothing but to take control of the body, break out of this room, run onto the grounds and let you know that I am alright…"_ Yuya spoke out loud, earning him a weird look from the Phantom Knights user at the part about taking control of the body.

Suddenly, a thought hit Yuto's skull. "Wait! I just realized, either Serena or Yuzu is going to be sent to the underground at the end of the Duel!"

* * *

 **Minutes Later**

Tokumatsu had to leave the Field since it wasn't his match anymore.

"Alright, folks! The Duelists are finally ready! Introducing Serena!" On her word, Serena came out riding on her d-wheel. She parked at the starting line. The crowd started to cheer. "Next, is Hiragi Yuzu!" Yuzu came out on her d-wheel and the crowd began cheering even louder.

"Yuzu-chan! Do your best!" Someone yelled to Yuzu from the audience.

"Go beat that girl, Serena!" Multiple cheers equal for both girls were heard.

Serena and Yuzu ignored them and faced each other.

Serena didn't know how to react to this. At Academia, she was taught that feelings were useless. So she didn't know how to react to seeing someone like Yuzu. So she just did what she would say at the moment.

"I'm glad you're not Carded, Yuzu!"

Yuzu almost fell off her d-wheel after hearing that, she chuckled nervously. Obviously, Serena seems to lack in social skills.

"Uhh...it's good to see you to, Serena. So, judging from the fact that you are here, I assumed that you defected from Academia?" Yuzu asked, just be sure.

"Yeah. I went to Kurosaki, and he made me open my eyes to the ruthless actions of Academia." Serena replied.

Yuzu sighed out of relief. That was good. Serena was a powerful Duelist, so it was good to have her fighting for the right cause. To stop Academia.

"By the way, Yuto was looking for you." Serena told Yuzu.

"Yuto was?" Yuzu repeated out of confusion. "Good, he is fine." Now if only she knew if Yuya was safe as well.

"Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!" Melissa announced. "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!"

A sphere of Action Cards appeared above the two Duelists.

 _Duel Mode, on! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

A clock appeared in front of them counting down from 3.

3.

Serena gripped her handlebar as she narrowed her eyes.

2.

Yuzu glanced at Serena, gulping out slight fear before looking forward.

1.

 _I've got to win! To show how I've changed!_

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" A bell was heard as the Duelists began riding off. Serena remained calm while Yuzu's d-wheel slightly dipped upwards as she screamed before hitting the ground and launching away like a rocket.

" **DUEL!** " Yuzu and Serena declared in unison. Albeit, Yuzu said it in a frightened way.

"AHH!" Yugo smacked himself on the head as he watched the Duel. "Is she really going to be ok? I barely taught her how to ride after all!"

 _This is scary. Yugo said that it's not easy to fall off a d-wheel, but..._ Despite her fears, Yuzu kept riding, and she managed to the hang of it as she caught up to Serena, who had a head start.

While driving, Serena also had some thoughts in her head.

 _Yuzu is at an advantage here. She has seen me Duel once before, I haven't. She knows how I play. But still, I have to make sure that I get the second move._ Serena thought to herself.

 _From what I saw in her Duel with Dennis, Serena's Deck is focused on finishing the opponent in one turn or dealing massive amounts of damage. Bloom Diva can easily counter Cat Dancer though. So, as long as I will be able to Summon her, I will be fine. Serena will be looking to go to second, so I've got to take the first move and see what I get!_ Yuzu thought as she accelerated towards the first corner, with Serena noticeably taking her time, slightly accelerating so she could at least be slightly behind.

"Huh? Serena is staying behind! Is something wrong with her d-wheel?" Melissa wondered. For most of the Riding Duels she had seen, people often rushed at the chance to get the first move.

"Serena wants to get set up for a one turn kill, just like she did against me." Dennis muttered.

Yuzu and Serena made it to the first corner, with Yuzu reaching first.

"As expected, Serena let me get the first move." Yuzu said to herself as she made the turn along with Serena.

"Alright, Yuzu. Show me your strength as a Duelist!" Serena slightly encouraged Yuzu.

"Don't worry! I won't disappoint! My turn!" Yuzu gazed at her Hand briefly, cursing internally.

 _Damn it! I don't have anything that can bring out Bloom Diva! For now, I just have to wait it out. Hopefully, Serena won't be able to finish me off…_

"I Summon Melodious Diva Opera from my Hand!" Yuzu swiped the Card onto her Duel Disk. A Monster in a purple dress with pink hair came on a high note to the Field.

 **Melodious Diva Opera: Level 4, 2300 Atk, 1000 Def**

"What is this?! A level 4 2300 Attack Monster!" Melissa gasped out of shock.

"Now, normally, this a Card wouldn't be able to attack the turn it is Summoned, but since I am going first in this Duel, that won't matter. I activate the Continuous Magic Card Fortissimo! Once per turn, I am allowed to increase the Attack of a Melodious Monster I control by 600 until my next Standby Phase!" A Magic Card depicting a sun with two large lowercase f's with a Melodious Monster in between them appeared in front of Yuzu. "I have Opera as the target!"

 **Melodious Diva Opera: 2300-2900 Atk**

"And just like that Hiragi Yuzu has already brought out a Monster with 2900 Attack Points!" Melissa gasped at the sight.

 _With this, Serena won't be able to pull off her one turn kill combo._ Yuzu thought to herself. _However, there is one more thing…_

"I activate the Continuous Magic The Fountain in the Sky! Now, when a Light Monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish the Card and gain life points equal to the Attack of the banished Monster!" Yuzu explained the effect of her Card.

" _She has protected herself from Serena's combo for the most part."_ Yuya noted with a small smile on his face. It was just great seeing Yuzu Duel again after all of this time.

"I end my turn." Yuzu concluded as she looked back at Serena, who kept a neutral expression on her face.

"My turn!" Serena drew her Card. "Just because I am grateful for you opening my eyes to Academia's cruelty, that doesn't mean I have lost my sense as a warrior! I will fight my hardest and win, Yuzu!"

Yuzu remained silent as she looked at Serena. _She still had that battle hardened personality. And she still doesn't really know how to be wary of feelings. She is taking this Duel as a battle even though it should be for fun._

"I, using the Scale 1 Moonlight Wolf and the Scale 5 Moonlight Tiger, set the Pendulum Scale!" Serena swiped her new Cards across the edges of her Duel Disk, the word PENDULUM appeared across the disk.

"What?! Serena has Pendulum Cards?!" Yuzu exclaimed out of shock. Since when did she get them?

Two columns of light formed beside Serena, one on each side. The Monsters rose up inside the columns as numbers appeared below them along with a swinging pendulum in between.

"It seems that Yuto isn't the only one with Pendulum Cards!" Melissa spoke.

"No doubt that Akaba Reiji gave her those Cards." Yuto told his thoughts out loud to Yuya, who nodded his head.

"With this I can Special Summon Monsters from levels 2 to 4! Pendulum Summon! Dance to the Field, my Monsters!" Serena cried out as she raised her hand to the sky.

"That girl is amazing!" Someone ushered as other positive comments about Serena was heard. "She's quite the looker too!"

"First is Moonlight Purple Butterfly! Next, Moonlight White Rabbit! Following that we have Moonlight Kaleido Chick! And finally Moonlight Black Sheep!" Serena Pendulum Summoned 4 Monsters.

 **Moonlight Purple Butterfly: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Moonlight White Rabbit: Level 2, 800 Atk, 800 Def**

 **Moonlight Kaleido Chick: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 800 Def**

 **Moonlight Black Sheep: Level 2, 100 Atk, 600 Def**

"And just like that, Serena has thrown out 4 Monsters! However, in doing so, she has lost her entire Hand! How will she proceed?" Melissa asked the question the audience was thinking.

"I activate White Rabbit's effect! Once per turn, I am allowed to return a Magic or Trap Card on the Field to the Hand! I return The Fountain in the Sky!" Serena pointed to Yuzu's Magic Card as it disappeared. Yuzu put the Card back in her Hand.

 _There goes regaining my life points!_ Yuzu grit her teeth.

"Next, I activate the Pendulum effect of Moonlight Wolf! Once per turn, I am allowed to Fusion Summon a Moonlight Monster from my Extra Deck by banishing Fusion Materials on my Field or in my Hand! I banish Kaleido Chick and White Rabbit!"

Serena's two Monsters came closer together as they entered a vortex, going round and round until they eventually meet in the middle.

"Chick that soars through the darkness! The lively white rabbit illuminated by moonlight! Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Serena recited the chant for her ace Monster as it was Summoned to the Field.

 **Moonlight Cat Dancer: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"When Kaleido Chick is banished, this effect is activated! You can't activate Cards or effects during the Battle Phase of this turn! Next, I activate Purple Butterfly's effect! By releasing this Card, I can give a Fusion Monster I control 1000 Attack!" Serena explained.

"What?! Then that means…" Yuzu trailed off as she watched Cat Dancer's Attack rise.

 **Cat Dancer: 2400-3400 Atk**

"Next I activate Cat Dancer's ability, by releasing a Moonlight Monster, this Card is allowed to attack all Monsters you control, but they aren't destroyed by the first battle! Now, attack! Cat Dancer!" Cat Dancer, on Serena's command, proceeded to jump on in the air and subsequently dive down and strike Yuzu's Monster with her dagger. The Melodious Monster cried out in pain as particles came out and bombarded Yuzu, who kept herself steady to avoid falling.

 **Yuzu: 4000-3500 LP**

"Now, finish your enemy off, Cat Dancer! Full Moon Cresta!" Serena commanded. Cat Dancer finished the job by kicking Yuzu's Monster on the head, destroying her. Yuzu grit her teeth as she took more damage.

 **Yuzu: 3500-3000 LP**

"With that I end my turn." Serena told Yuzu as she raised a fist. "Now! Come! Show me your Evolved strength, Yuzu!"

"Just like that, she took down a 2900 Attack Monster with ease!" Someone from the audience mused.

"She's incredible!" Someone said.

Two Tops citizens were watching the Duel as they were sipping on a drink. One was a men in a tuxedo and another was a woman on a green dress.

"That Serena girl is wonderful. If we were to place bets, then my money would be on her." The man told the woman.

"Hmph! The Duel just started. The pink-haired girl named Yuzu still has a chance to turn it around!" The woman rooted for Yuzu instead of Serena.

"Serena, I know you have been at Academia for a while now, and that it has not taught you many other things except Dueling. But...you need to learn to have fun once in a while. Not every Duel is a fight for survival. It's not like that here. It doesn't need to be like that." Yuzu told Serena.

Serena remained silent, ready for Yuzu to begin her turn.

"My turn, draw! I won't be scared anymore! I need to show that I can hold my own in the heat of war! And by showing that, I have to defeat you, Serena! When I look at you right now, it makes me realize how weak I am! Yet how strong I COULD be!" Yuzu bellowed.

 _She wants to defeat me for that purpose. She looks up to me this much. Defeating me is one of her goals, to prove her worth and get stronger._ Serena smirked a little. _And here I thought it was the other way around. You opened my eyes Yuzu, for that, I owe you. I see you and I realize what a person can be. I thought it was me who was behind. But you think differently…_

"I Summon Melodious Songstress Soprano!" Yuzu slammed her Monster Card onto her Duel Disk.

 **Melodious Songstress Soprano: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def**

"I activate Soprano's effect! I am allowed to Fusion Summon a Monster from the Extra Deck using Monsters in my Hand or on my Field as Materials! I fuse Soprano with the Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart in my Hand!" Yuzu listed her desired Fusion Materials. "Supreme prodigy! Noble resonance! The flutter of angel wings! By the guidance of the baton, assemble your power. Fusion Summon! Now on stage, the song of passion! Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima!"

 **Bloom Prima: Level 7, 1900 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Hmph. You have to do better than that if you wish to surpass me, Yuzu! Your Bloom Prima has only 1900 Attack!" Serena reminded Yuzu. "On the other hand, my Cat Dancer has 3400 Attack!

"This Card gains 300 Attack for each Fusion Material for the Card's Summon! There were two! So, Bloom Prima gains 600 Attack Points!"

 **Bloom Prima: 1900-2500 Atk**

"I activate the effect of Fortissimo! I give my Monster 600 Attack!" A purple aura appeared around Yuzu's Monster as it got stronger.

 **Bloom Prima: 2500-3100 Atk**

"Finally, I activate the Equip Magic Sword of Dalga, and I equip it to Bloom Prima! Bloom Prima gains 500 Attack Points!"

 **Bloom Prima: 3100-3600 Atk**

"Bloom Prima's Attack is higher than Cat Dancer's." Yuto viewed the Field.

Serena clicked her tongue out of annoyance.

"Fortunately for me, Bloom Prima can attack twice per Battle Phase!" Yuzu revealed the additional effect of her Monster.

"What?!" Serena gasped out of shock as Yuzu closed her eyes.

"What's this?! Hiragi Yuzu has now out the tables in her favor!" Melissa cheered. "Now that is called girl power!"

"Yuya, please watch over me." Yuzu silently prayed as she shot open her eyes, turning her body so she could see Cat Dancer. She thrusted her hand at the Monster. "Go, Bloom Prima!" Bloom Prima opened her mouth and let out a wave of shockwaves at Cat Dancer, causing Serena's Monster to crumble into pieces.

 **Serena: 4000-3800 LP**

"Now! Remember, this Monster can make another attack! Direct attack!" Yuzu declared as her Monster let out even more shockwaves, enveloping Serena as she grunted out of pain, her d-wheel proceeded to do a 360 as Serena slowed down, before speeding up again to catch up to Yuzu as they made a turn.

 **Serena: 3800-200 LP**

" _Nice job, Yuzu. You took out more than half of her life."_ Yuzu was unknowingly congratulated by a spectating Yuya.

"Once again, I activate The Fountain in the Sky! And with that, I end my turn." Yuzu concluded.

"Not bad Yuzu. I have seen your growth as a Duelist. Just like a young flower, you are still waiting to blossom!" Serena informed Yuzu as she placed her hand on the top of her Deck, ready to start getting serious.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Pendulum effect of Moonlight Tiger! Once per turn, I can target a Moonlight Monster in my Graveyard! I can Special Summon that Monster with its effects negated and by stripping its ability to attack. Also, the Monster is destroyed at the end of the turn. Revive, Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Serena pointed to her Field as one of the zones got filled by the Fusion Monster.

"Cat Dancer is back...don't tell me she is setting up for another Fusion Summon!" Yuzu widened her eyes.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card Pendulum Fusion!" A Card depicting two Pendulum Cards swirling into the Fusion vortex appeared in front of Serena. "Using this Card, I am allowed to Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters I control along with Cards in my Pendulum Zones!"

" _What?! A Fusion Summon using Monsters in the Pendulum Zones?!"_ Yuya couldn't believe his eyes. Serena had gotten Pendulum a Cards not so long ago and she was already doing this?! Yuya himself hasn't been able to do this!

"I fuse Moonlight Tiger and Moonlight Wolf! Striped tiger that pounces at night! Wolf that howls at full moon! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Moonlight Cat Fusionist!" A cat with purple and blue stripes appeared to the Field. The cat had a green dress with black stockings.

 **Moonlight Cat Fusionist: Level 6, 1900 Atk, 2400 Def**

"Yet another Fusion Summon from Serena! It seems to be a battle of Fusion between these two girls!" Melissa commentated as the two girls made yet another turn.

"I activate Moonlight Cat Fusionist's effect! When this Card is on the Field, I can Fusion Summon a Moonlight Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters in my Hand or on my Field! I fuse Cat Fusionist and Cat Dancer!" Serena declared.

"A second Fusion Summon?!" Yuzu said as she sharpened her gaze at her Fusion counterpart.

 _As expected of my Fusion counterpart. I had expected that she would be finished if she didn't get her one turn kill combo off. It looks like she still has some more options to keep up the fight. I have to be careful with this new Monster._ Yuzu thought to herself as she heard Serena reciting a chant.

"The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight! Cat with the eyes of a vortex! Swarm in the vortex of moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Elegant beast dancing in the moonlit wilderness! Moonlight Panther Dancer!" Serena Fusion Summoned her Monster as it danced to the Field, floating alongside Serena.

 **Panther Dancer: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2500 Def**

"A Monster Fusion Summoned using Cat Fusionist gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Serena revealed.

 **Panther Dancer: 2800-3800 Atk**

"Panther Dancer can all of your Monster's twice each! They cannot be destroyed by the first battle!" Serena told Yuzu.

"OH! The same effect as Cat Dancer but without a tribute needed!" Melissa noticed.

"Now! Go! Panther Dancer!" Panther Dancer jumped into the air towards Yuzu's Monster. Serena eyes saw an Action Card and she drove to her left as she grabbed it. "Action Magic! Attack Force! If a Monster I control battles a Monster you control, my Monster gains 600 Attack!"

 **Panther Dancer: 3800-4400 Atk**

"4400 Attack Points! How incredible!" Melissa yelled through her microphone. The audience started cheering at the Duel.

"Kgh!" Yuzu grunted as the Attack connected, however, her Monster remained on the Field.

 **Yuzu: 3000-2200 LP**

"Now! Panther Dancer! Destroy Yuzu's Bloom Prima!" Serena declared the finishing blow to Yuzu's Monster.

Yuzu saw an Action Card in the air. She rode to the side and launched herself in the air. The audience saw her in front of them and they started to clap. Yuzu grabbed the Action Card.

"Action Magic! Damage Banish! The damage I take from this attack becomes 0!" Yuzu exclaimed as Panther Dancer scratched Bloom Prima with her claws, destroying the Monster. Yuzu made no reaction as she took no damage.

"I activate the effect of my Fountain! I banish Bloom Prima! Her attack is 1900! So, I gain 1900 life points!" A white Fountain appeared in front of Yuzu as an image of Bloom Prima appeared out of it. The image turned into a white fire as it rushed to Yuzu and enveloped her, giving her more life points.

 **Yuzu: 2200-4100 LP**

"And Hiragi Yuzu has more life points than she had at the beginning of the game!" Melissa continued to spectate and commentate the match. "If I wasn't mistaken, I would say that Serena will lose next turn!"

"Not bad, Yuzu. I end my turn. With this, Panther Dancer's Attack returns to normal." Serena closed her eyes as her Monster lost power.

 **Panther Dancer: 4400-2800 Atk**

Yuzu and Serena were getting a positive reception from the audience.

"All right! Now _this_ is a Duel!" Someone shouted out of satisfaction.

"I really wish these two didn't have to knock one another out of the competition…" A female were heard murmuring.

"I don't care who wins this one! I just want it to keep going!" Another person exclaimed.

Then, a cheering started between the audience. Two sides. One side was rooting for Yuzu, the other for Serena.

Serena looked around at the audience. She felt the excitement of a Riding Duel now. An excitement, that she for some reason wasn't feeling earlier. Is this how Yuzu felt in that Miami Championship thing? Emotions that Serena had never felt before flooded through her. But...what were these emotions?

Yuzu glanced at her Hand and remembered she had no Cards left. She had nothing on her Field with the exception of The Fountain in the Sky and Fortissimo.

"Hiragi Yuzu has no Cards in her Hand, and she only has two Continuous Magic Cards on her Field! Can she turn this around?" Melissa asked rhetorically.

"Serena has this game in the bag." Someone proclaimed.

"I and my hopes up, but Hiragi Yuzu lost this once." Someone agreed.

"Damn it! Just when it was getting good too!" A Tops male pouted.

"Yuzu has to be the rest of this Duel on this last draw." Yuto spoke calmly.

" _If she can get a Monster with at 2200 Attack Points or more, then she might be able to stall for another turn with Fortissimo."_ Yuya laid out Yuzu's potential plan for survival.

 _It all counts on this one draw! Yuya, please! Give me strength!_ Yuzu pleaded. Suddenly, she realized something. Yuya was in these situations a lot. And there was one thing he usually did when he was in a pinch like this…

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Yuzu quoted Yuya and Yusho's catchphrase. Yuya gasped as he heard this three words that he himself hasn't said in a while.

" _Yuzu…"_

"As you can see, my opponent has driven me into quite a pinch! I am left with no Monsters, no Cards in my Hand, and only 2 Continuous Magic Cards! It now depends on this one draw! And this one...will be a Destiny Draw!" Yuzu placed her hand on the top of her Deck.

"Hoh! It seems as if Hiragi Yuzu is moving on without any hesitation! Will her Deck respond to her will?!" Melissa wondered as she continued watching.

About half of the audience was cheering. People were saying "Go, Yuzu-chan!" and "Show that Serena who's the real Fusion user!"

"DRAW!" She glanced at her drawn Card and grinned. She held the hand with the Card up. "It's here! I activate the Magic Card Monster Reborn! With this Card, I am allowed to revive a Monster in either of our Graveyards! Come to me, Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart!"

 **Prodigy Mozart: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Next, I activate the effect of Fortissimo! I give my Prodigy Mozart 600 Attack Points!" Yuzu pointed to her ace as it gained a yellow aura.

 **Prodigy Mozart: 2600-3200 Atk**

"Battle! Prodigy Mozart, attack Moonlight Panther Dancer! Graceful Wave!" Mozart let out a wave of musical notes at Panther Dancer.

"Nice job, Yuzu!" Yugo cheered from his quarters.

Serena noticed an Action Card and drove over to get it. She reached out for it and grasped in her hand. She quickly activated it. "Action Magic! Evasion! The attack is negated!" Panther Dancer leaped over the wave, landing near Serena as she floated in the air alongside her owner.

Yuzu ended her turn as she glanced at Serena, who was looking down with her hand on the top of her Deck.

Serena had finally got it now. She knew what it was…

The emotions rushing through her right now. They were feelings of suspense, excitement and…

Fun?

 _I...am having fun in a Duel?_ Serena pondered in her thoughts. _Yes. There is no doubt. This is what fun feels like. I don't remember having 'fun' in a Duel for a long time._

* * *

 **Flashback-8 Years Ago-Fusion Dimension**

" _My parents...they resented me. They wanted a son, not a daughter. They saw that I couldn't do anything that they asked me to do. I was a loose cannon in the school they put me in. I never made any friends."_

" _However, those weren't the reasons why they resented me. The real reason was that for some reason, at night, I would wake up in a trance, chanting something."_

"Hey! Can you make out what she is saying?!" Serena's father asked the first night it happened.

"Quiet! I'm trying to listen!" The two became tense and quiet as they tried to listen to the words Serena was saying.

"Must...find...the boy...of destruction...and fear…" A 6-year old Serena chanted. Her parents noticed her bracelet was blinking as they peered into her room. She was sitting up in bed, with her eyes wide open with no emotion, she didn't even notice her parents looking at her. It was as if she was possessed.

"Must...find the boy...before it's too late…" Serena whispered, but loud enough so the parents could hear.

"Find the boy?" Serena's mother mouthed.

"The...entire world is...in danger...if I don't find him…" Serena continued to chant.

"Must. Stop. Unification. Of...the dragons…" Serena paused.

"Our daughter...is crazy…" Serena's father spoke in a fearful tone.

"Dear! Let's not give up on our daughter! Perhaps this is a sleepwalking kind of thing." Serena's mother said.

"She isn't walking! And how can you explain her bracelet?" Serena's father asked.

"We could get rid of it." Serena's mother answered as the both glared at the bracelet.

They had gotten rid of it immediately, but when they saw Serena the next day, they found that the bracelet was back on her wrist.

They heard Serena chanting the same words that night. They got rid of the bracelet again, and the cycle continued for a week. Then, they decided not to get rid of the bracelet.

" _I remember clearly, at one point, they had enough. They tried to kill me many times. But, somehow, the bracelet protected me._

Her father had tried drowning her multiple times. Not any other method. He didn't want to try any other method, cause he didn't want to kill a kid in cold blood, even if the kid was a freak!

Eventually, the chanting actually got louder, and it drove Serena's parents mad.

Who did she want to find? What unification needed to be stopped?!

Then…

* * *

 **One Night**

Serena was gone…

Her parents panicked and rushed out of the house to look for her. They looked on the roof of their house and saw Serena standing there, with no emotion in her eyes.

"I must prevent the resurrection of Z***!" Serena, who seemed to be posed shouted to the sky. Some people woke up because of it. They went out of their houses to see what was going on. They saw Serena on the roof.

"SERENA!" Her dad bellowed. He was pissed. "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

No response.

"Who the hell is Z***?" Serena's mother questioned.

"No...we cannot do this much longer! We took time off of work to take care of her! We need to leave her! Who knows what could happen to us if this continues! She could try to kill us!" Serena's father told his wife.

Serena's mother paused, thinking very hard on what to do. They couldn't just leave their daughter...could they?

Sure, taking care of her as harmed them financially, but it's their daughter! They have to take care of her...but then again, what good would she be? She wasn't good at anything. Not good at chores, not good at school. The girl had no future...they would be much better off getting rid of her…

"Fine." Serena's mother gave up with her daughter. The other people on the neighborhood came to the house.

"What the hell is she doing up there?!" Someone wondered.

"Get rid of her!" Multiple people shouted, and this soon began a chant.

"Just kill her!"

Silence.

Whoever had said slapped his own face. What was he saying? They couldn't kill her. She was just 6-years old! But, she was acting creepy. She was always creepy after all. She wasn't human…

"It's not possible. The bracelet is somehow preventing her death." Serena's dad said.

"Get rid of the bracelet then." Someone replied.

"Also impossible, somehow, it always pops back onto her wrist later, and the powers of the bracelet still work even if it isn't on her wrist." Serena's father replied.

Whispers went throughout the crowd. Most of them of Serena not being human because of the bracelet.

" _So, they sent me off to an orphanage. There, my parents had spilled the beans on how I chanted weird things at night. The other kids overheard and they rejected me. The memories of those nights came back to me when I tried to sleep. I knew the reason why they sent me off, but it was far too late…"_

" _My parents had moved away to get as far away from me as possible. I never had any friends, I stayed in my room all day, and I could never have fun because of no friends. Then, one day, I had decided to leave my room."_

Serena left the building as she walked around the structure, as she was still in the grounds of the orphanage. Then, when she reached the back, she heard…

"Hey, stop that! Please! Don't!" A boy that sounded to be about Serena's age begged.

Serena looked over to see a boy with purple hair that looked like...cabbage? Anyways, he saw him jumping, trying to reach a Card an older and taller boy had in his hand. The boy was holding the hand with the Card up so the cabbage boy couldn't reach the Card.

"No! Why would I give this powerful Card to a freak like you?!" The bully laughed.

"Please! That's been with me my entire life! I can't lose it!" The boy cried out loud.

Serena had decided to step in.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Serena questioned the big guy. "Give the kid his Card back!"

"Haha! Look at this, a little girl who thinks that she can 'play hero.' Hahaha!" The bully cackled along with some of his friends.

Serena formed a fist with her hand and walked straight up to the guy. She kicked the guy in the...well...let's just say that he that the way he doubled over and groaned out of pain as he held his crotch is how he expressed his pain of being kicked in a certain place.

"Ok! I give! I give!" The boy croaked as Serena had prepared to trample him. "Take the Card...just don't hurt me!"

Serena snatched the Card out of his hand. She turned to cabbage boy. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Later**

Serena gave the cabbage boy his Card. So, as a way to say thanks, cabbage boy let Serena into his room.

Immediately, Serena saw the standard room. A small square room with a Bedouin the corner, and a table next to the bed. The boy had a Deck on the table along with a bottle of water along with an empty glass next to the bottle.

"You Duel? I thought that Card was your only one." Serena expressed her thoughts to the boy.

"No. I have a Deck. But, this Card is important to me…" The boy looked at the Card and smiled. The Card was named Starve Venom Fusion. The boy suddenly realized something. "Oh yeah, I never said thank you for getting my Card back. My name is Yuri."

Serena paused when she heard the boy actually introduce himself politely. It took everything she had not to respond harshly, as she thought this was a joke. However, there was something about the kid…

"Serena." She spoke.

"Huh?"

"My name is Serena." The girl repeated.

"Cool! Great to meet you celery!" The boy responded, Serena twitched when she heard him mispronounce her name, but she maintained her composure.

"The name...is Serena. Not celery." Serena corrected.

"I know. I just wanted to see how you reacted Celina." Yuri said the incorrect name once again on purpose.

Ok, this kid was a bit of a troll.

Serena sighed.

"So...I...never really had a friend before…and uh...you...seem like a nice girl...so uhh…" Yuri's face flushed red as he couldn't finish his sentence.

Serena froze. He was asking her to be his friend? No, he only wants her to be his friend because he had no friends. If he had some, he wouldn't bat an eye on the subject.

"You just want a friend. I refuse." Serena declined as she crossed her arms and looked away.

"You seem lonely too, Serena. I see you in your room every time I walk by." Yuri told the Moonlight user. "You seem...lonely."

Serena once again froze, before sighing in defeat. "Fine...we can be friends…"

"Yay! I have a friend! I have a friend!" Yuri cheered as he ran circles around Serena. "Oh, oh! Do you have a Deck?! If so, then can we have a couple of Duels? As a friend, it would be great! As...everyone who Duels me gets scared…"

Serena's ears perked up at that. Scared, of this kid?

"You see, they say I'm a monster, cause I do real harm in a Duel. Because of that, people ignore me. They hate me. That's part of the reason why the guy earlier took my Card, because...that one...terrified him." Yuri's outgoing personality soon turned into a depressed one.

"They don't see you as human." Serena deduced.

"Yeah…"

"I know how that feels."

"You do?" Yuri looked at Serena out of confusion.

"My parents left me here. They're not coming back. They think I am a freak." Serena's expression visibly darkened.

"You're not a freak. You...seem like the nicest person I've ever seen. And I barely know any nice people." Yuri told Serena.

"Hmm...maybe you're not so bad after all. I'll come by more, Yuri."

"Please do! And thank you for being my friend! It really...makes me happy!" Yuri let out a wide smile filled with joy.

" _That guy and I became fast friends. And I was having fun with him, albeit, I got my ass handed to me in most of our Duels. But still, I actually had fun. We made it a goal that both of us would pass the entrance exams for Academia. And so, 5 years later, we had a dream that we would make it to the top together. However...I flunked the written part of the exam. I only made it in because of my performance in the Dueling portion."_

* * *

 **5 Years Later**

" _Because of my grades, I was placed at the bottom. At Osiris Red. (Slifer Red in the dub.) Yuri made it to Obelisk Blue. He wanted to demote himself so he could be with me, but for some reason, they didn't allow that. They said that Yuri did so well that he was going to be placed in something called...Project Arc-V."_

"And that's pretty much it." Yuri finished telling Serena about why he couldn't be demoted. "It starts today. And all members must take part when they graduate. But...I'm a special case, according to the Professor. It is for all ranks! Who knows, maybe you will get in the project too!"

Serena's expression saddened, before getting angry. "We had a vow to reach the top together! So we could be respected by people! So we wouldn't have to be alone anymore! And now, you're leaving me in the dust?!"

On a nearby table, there was a cup filled with tea. In the middle of the drink, there was a white heart. The heart started to break.

"What?" No, that's not it! I…"

"Admit it!" Serena interrupted Yuri. "You just wanted to get to the top no matter what happened to me! You didn't care about what happened to me, you just wanted to go yourself!"

The heart continued to split, little by little splitting into two parts.

"No! That's not true! I really want you to join me! Serena, you were my first and and only friend! The candy boy eats too much sugar, and Dennis is fricking Pennywise the killer clown in disguise! You're my only friend...I don't want us to be separated…" Yuri's voice softened.

"Get out…" Serena whispered as she looked down at the floor, not showing

Yuri her face.

"No-

"I SAID GET OUT!" She screamed, revealing her face full of tears and anger. "Just when I thought I had a real friend!" Ironically, Serena is the one who rushed out of the room instead of Yuri, who stood there in silence as the door was slammed shut behind him.

The heart on the tea, was on its last threads before breaking apart, as if symbolizing Yuri and Serena's severing friendship.

"She...hates...just like everybody else…" Yuri stood there wide eyed as he pondered on what just happened.

Finally, the last threads broke on the heart.

* * *

 **Now**

 _I haven't seen that guy since that day 3 years ago. There were rumors that he was the one who had kidnapped my lookalikes, but I don't believe it! He was the only one who gave me fun. He was the person who gave me a grasp on the word fun._ Serena closed her eyes, asking a vow. _I swear, Yuri. Whatever happened to you, I'm getting you back!_

"Serena! Serena! SERENA!" Melissa screeched in order to get Serena's attention. She gasped out of shock, realizing that she was still in a Duel.

Yuzu was glancing back at her out of concern.

"Yuzu. Thank you for teaching me how to have fun." Serena thanked Yuzu with a small on her face.

"Y-your welcome?" It sounded more like a question than a response.

"Now! I will Duel my hardest! Even if I win or lose! My turn, draw!" Serena looked at her Card and smiled. "I activate Cyclone! With this Card, I am allowed to destroy a Magic or Trap Card on the Field! Of course, I destroy your Fountain in the Sky!" Our f Serena's Card, a cyclone rushed out and enveloped Yuzu's Magic Card, destroying it.

"With this, Yuzu won't be able to gain any life points." Ruri realized.

"When this Card is in the Grave except the turn it was sent, I can activate the effect of Moonlight Cat Fusionist! By banishing this Card from the Graveyard, I am allowed to Fusion Summon a Moonlight Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck by banishing Cards I control or in my Grave as Materials, including this Card! I fuse this Card with Panther Dancer and Moonlight Purple Butterfly!"

"Another Fusion Summon?!" Yuzu gasped out of disbelief.

"Elegant beast dancing on moonlit wilderness! Cat with eyes of a vortex! The butterfly that wields violet poison! Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlight wilderness! Moonlight Lio Dancer!" Serena Fusion Summoned yet another Monster.

 **Lio Dancer: Level 10, 3500 Atk, 3000 Def**

"Serena has Fusion Summoned a very powerful Fusion Monster! One that is a level 10 with 3500 Attack! It seems that this Duel is going to be her win!"

"This Card can't be targeted or affected by your Card effects! Next, this Card can attack twice per Battle Phase!" Serena revealed the effects of her Monster.

"No way!"

"Battle! Lio Dancer! Attack and destroy Prodigy Mozart!" Serena declared battle as her Monster charged Yuzu's Monster.

"Action Magic! Miracle! My Monster isn't destroyed by the battle and the damage I take is halved!" Yuzu quickly slapped the Card onto her Duel Disk.

Serena quickly accelerated toward the wall, launching her d-wheel as she grabbed an Action Card.

"Action Magic! No Action!" Serena countered with her own Action Card. "I negate the activation of your Card and destroy it!" Yuzu's Action Card broke into multiple pieces, and the battle continued. Prodigy Mozart was cut in half by Lio Dancer's sword. An explosion occurred as the Monster was destroyed.

Yuzu ducked and grit her teeth as her d-wheel started veering from left to right.

 **Yuzu: 4100-3800 LP**

"Now, Lio Dancer, attack Yuzu directly!" Lio Dancer spun around, unleashing her tail at Yuzu, whipping the Melodious user with it. Yuzu cried out in pain as she lost control of the d-wheel.

 **Yuzu: 3800-300 LP**

"Yuzu!" Yugo and Yuya unknowingly called out for the girl out of concern. Yuto grit his teeth, fearing for Yuzu's safety instead of calling out the girl's name.

Meanwhile, in his quarters, Gongenzaka was fuming. "Why do I have to vote against one of my comrades! Yuzu is one of my best friends! But Serena is a comrade! But Yuzu is one of my best friends! Damn it! It's unforgivable!"

Yuzu managed to regain control of her d-wheel as she continued driving straight. However, she had to slow down, and Serena had managed to zip right pass her.

"Serena has turned the tides in the Duel! And now Yuzu is on the edge of losing once again! These two girls are evenly matched here folks!"

"You did very good, Yuzu. But this where the road ends for you." Serena retorted. "I end my turn."

"No! I mustn't give up yet! I still have to prove my strength! I have to prove that I'm not a helpless girl! And I have to find Yuya!" Yuzu started her resolve.

" _Yuzu…"_ Yuya ushered the name of her childhood friend out loud in a whisper.

"Back in the Standard Dimension, I met with a boy who had the same face as Yuya! He called himself Yuri." Yuzu started.

"Yuri!" Serena blurted out of shock, however, Yuzu didn't seem to hear her. What would Yuri being doing in the Standard Dimension? Unless...the rumors were true…

"Yuri…" Ruri said the name. It was all to familiar. It was the guy who kidnapped her. He went after Yuzu too?!

"I stood no chance. He toyed with me. I felt helpless, scared. That's when Yugo appeared and saved me." Yuzu admitted out loud.

" _Yugo...saved Yuzu."_ Yuya repeated.

Yugo, in his quarters, looked at the television with, for once, 100% seriousness.

 _Yuri...that bastard who took Rin! And the guy who made me hurt that Yuya guy!_ Yugo punched his bed. _I swear, when I see him, I'll make him pay!_

"Now, I must become stronger! So I can protect myself, and my loved ones! Like Yuya! I already lost him! Now, I need to find him again! I can't lose here! My turn!" Yuzu placed her hand on her Deck.

" _Yuto...can I have control over the body...for a minute?"_ Yuya asked.

Yuto didn't need to question why. He knew being in control while seeing Yuzu out there would make him feel better. "Ok."

Yuto closed his eyes, when he opened them, they were red now. Yuya was in control.

"Yuzu...I'm sorry I worried you. I wish I could be there...but I can't!" Tears started to swell in Yuya's eyes. "You always tell me to do this and that and to be careful! But I didn't do that! I made you and everyone at home worry! Mom is in great pain now! Dad is gone, now I'm gone! She's alone! Hurting. And I can't be there for her. And now, you are hurting...and I was too stupid to realize. I'm sorry Yuzu...I'm sorry I never truly realized how much you cared for me...I'm such an idiot!"

Yuya picked up a pillow and threw it at the television. The pillow plopped to the ground as fortunately for Yuya, the television didn't break.

" _Yuya…"_ Yuto started, but he didn't say anything else. He wanted to say that he would be here for him, but that wouldn't do much. At times, it is best to leave a person in pain to cope with their pain. This was one of those times.

"I DRAW!" Yuzu roared as the sound of the Card leaving the Deck ripped across her ears. She glanced at it. "Thank you, Yuya. Now, watch my newest evolution! From my Hand, I Summon the Tuner Monster Melodious Diva Scale!" Yuzu Summoned a Monster with black hair and a red dress.

 **Melodious Diva Scale: Level 2, 600 Atk, 100 Def**

"What?!" Yuto, Yuya, and Gongenzaka widened their eyes out of shock.

"Yuzu has a Tuner Monster?! So that means…" Serena trailed off.

Yugo, in his room, smirked. _It's here. That power you showed me. When we were doing that practice Duel for the Friendship Cup._

* * *

 **Flashback-A Couple of Days Before the Friendship Cup-Commons**

Yuzu and Yugo were facing off. Yuzu has a level 4 Melodious Monster on her Field with 600 life points left, with two Cards in her Hand. On the other hand, Yugo had Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and one Card in his Hand. Yuzu was about to draw her Card for the turn.

" _Before the Duel. I decided to teach you Synchro Summoning. So, I gave you two of my Cards. A Tuner Monster, Speedroid OMK Gum, and a Synchro Monster, High-Speedroid Chanbarider. To my surprise, you didn't use either."_

"Draw!" Yuzu widened her eyes as she saw the Card. Her bracelet was blinking dimly, so Yugo and Yuzu didn't notice. Yuzu Summoned her new Monster, and used it to Synchro Summon a new Monster that Yugo didn't give her.

"Awesome, Yuzu!" Yugo dropped his hands to his sides as he looked at the new Monster in awe. "How did you do that?! You just got a Tuner Monster and a Synchro Monster out of thin air!"

Yuzu looked at the new Monster out of confusion. But that confusion turned into a smile.

"I have a Synchro Monster now…"

* * *

 **Now**

"Unleash the power of that Monster, Yuzu!" Yugo held his fist at the television.

"I activate Melodious Diva Scale's effect! If this Card is the only Monster on my Field, I am allowed to Special Summon a level 4 or lower Melodious Monster from my Deck! Appear, Melodious Diva Canon!" Yuzu Special Summoned her Monster.

 **Melodious Diva Canon: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Melodious Diva Canon with the level 2 Tuner Monster Melodious Diva Scale! Supreme prodigy! Tip the scales with the guidance of a baton and synchronize your power! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 6! Melodious Floral Saint Cadence!" Yuzu Synchro Summoned a Monster with long red hair, a pink face, and a purple skirt while wearing a maroon shirt showing off her midriff.

 **Melodious Floral Saint Cadence: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Yuzu...Synchro Summoned. She evolved even more!" Yuya spoke with a smile.

"What's this?! Hiragi Yuzu has just revealed the ability to Synchro Summon!" Melissa yelled out of shock as she took a deep breath.

"Impressive. She can use two Summoning methods." A Tops complemented Yuzu.

The Tops next to him clapped. "Splendid show!"

"Yuzu's got this!" A Commons from the audience exclaimed.

Yuto noticed how the audience was acting. " _They are completely different. They might have temporarily forgot about starting a revolution."_

"They are going to remember not long after the Duel is over. This Duel will only delay the inevitable." Yuya told Yuto.

"Battle! Cadence! Attack Moonlight Lio Dancer!" Yuzu declared as her Monster took a deep breath.

"What? My Lio Dancer has more Attack than your Cadence! Why attack? Unless…"

"I activate the effect of Cadence! Once per turn, when this Card attacks a Monster, this Card gains halve of the Attack of the Monster being targeted for attack until the end of the turn! Lio Dancer has 3500 Attack! So, Cadence gains 1750 Attack!" Yuzu explained as her Monster was surrounded in a yellow aura.

 **Cadence: 2000-3750 Atk**

"3-3750 Attack…" Serena mused at the sight of the Monster. She was finished.

"Continue your attack, Cadence! Graceful Shout!" Cadence let out multiple notes which wailed on Lio Dancer, causing her to scream in pain as she exploded. Serena grit her teeth as the rest of her life points were reduced to 0.

 **Serena: 200-0 LP**

As her d-wheel released steam, causing her to slow down, Serena had one thought in her head.

 _Thank you...Yuzu._

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Moonlight Cat Fusionist, Dark, Beast-Warrior: While this Card is face-up on the Field, you can Fusion Summon a Moonlight Monster from your Extra Deck using Cards you control or are in your Hand. If this Card is used for the Fusion Summon for a Monster, the Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn. When this Card is in the Graveyard, you can activate this effect (Except the turn when this Card is sent to the Grave,) Fusion Summon a Moonlight Monster from the Extra Deck by banishing Cards you control or are in your Grave as Materials. You cannot Fusion Summon Moonlight Cat Fusionist using this Card as Material.**

 **Melodious Diva Scale, Tuner, Light, Fairy: If this Card is the only Monster you control, you can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Melodious Monster from your Deck.**

 **Melodious Floral Saint Cadence, Light, Fairy, Synchro: Once per turn, when this Card attacks an opponent's Monster, this Card gains halve the Attack of the attacked Monster until the end of the turn. Once per turn, if this Card destroys an opponent's Monster by battle, you can banish a Melodious Monster in your Grave, this Card can attack another Monster. When this Card is destroyed, Special Summon a Melodious Monster from your Graveyard, except Melodiois Floral Saint Cadence.**

* * *

 **Holy crap! More than 12,000 words?! That is way more than I thought it would be!**

 **So...I decided to knock out Serena. Hope you guys don't flame me for this. I thought a win for Yuzu would be better for character development...honestly, it was a hard decision. But with Yuzu winning, that means a new match in the semi-finals instead of Yugo VS Serena. Which is a good Duel but having a new Duel is better.**

 **So, I decided to make Serena's backstory slightly different from the other counterparts like Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, Rin, and Ruri where they say they don't know their parents in the anime. (Although Yugo and Rin were orphans so they sort of have an excuse.)**

 **So, yes, I made Serena meet Yuri at some point in an orphanage. I figured that this would work with the backstory I made for Serena as both were alone. People thought they were weird for their own reasons.**

 **How Yuri became bad will be explained later.**

 **To Matrixnis really quick, I left a little present for you, I decided to have Yugo have a serious moment concerning Yuri for like one line. Hey, it's the little things that count.**

 **One more thing. I decided to give the bracelets two powers for all of the bracelet girls.**

 **1\. If the bracelet is not on contact with its respective girl for too long, then it will automatically teleport to that girl's wrist...unless they're in another dimension.**

 **2\. The bracelets will protect them from dying. By dying, I mean drowning, stabbed, and all of the physical ways to get killed. That DOES NOT mean it will protect them from death by old age. Although a situation like that will never happen in the story.**

 **Next chapter preview. We will take a small break from the actual Friendship Cup matches.**

 **Due to the cancellation of Tokumatsu's match with Damon, the matches ended early. However, the audience still want more entertainment. So, the council proposes a Duel between a Lancer who isn't in the Friendship Cup against Jack Atlas…**

 **So, literally, the honor of who will Duel against Jack Atlas will go to one of three people.**

 **Ryoga. Reiji. Or O'Brien.**

 **I'm making the final decision soon, but if you guys want, you can leave a suggestion on who fights Jack next chapter.**

 **(Honestly, I'm leaning more towards either Reiji or Ryoga. Reiji, cause it's fricking Reiji and Ryoga cause that would seem like a really good matchup, as they both are kings in their own aspect. But who knows, maybe O'Brien will get the spotlight.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro: Let's just say Aki may have made a deal with the devil. MUAHAHAHAHA-*COUGH* *COUGH* Excuse me.**

 **Skadi: I always wondered about how many actual days were spent in the Synchro Dimension arc.**

 **Matrixnis: Can you give an example of one of the unfinished sentences? Cause help would be appreciated so I can fix it.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	73. A King VS A Prodigy

The d-wheels stopped at the garage area. Both Yuzu and Serena got off their d-wheels and shook hands.

"Good Duel, Yuzu. You've gotten very strong." Serena admitted.

"Thank you, Serena. You're also very strong." Yuzu complimented.

"And with that, the match is over! Yuzu and Serena end the game on good terms! Now this is what the Friendship Cup is about!" Melissa raised her hand up to the air as she then pointed at the two girls. The audience erupted into applause.

"Now that was a good match!" A Tops said out of satisfaction.

"If only we had more Duels like this instead of ones with Commons scum." A Tops woman spoke.

"Good job, Serena!" And other positive comments were transmitted through Serena's ears when they were let out.

Serena smiled. So this is how it feels to make people happy.

"Oh, Yuzu. I need to as a quick question." Serena then leaned next to Yuzu and whispered into her ear. "Are you in love with Yuto?"

Yuzu flinched. Had it been a male, Yuzu would have either pushed them or smacked them with her fan. But this was a female, WITH HER OWN FACE no less. She couldn't bring herself to do it.

"N-no! I'm in love with Yuy-" Realizing where this was going and that Serena had just baited her, Yuzu shut her mouth and blushed. Serena chuckled as a result.

 _So she has a crush on that Yuya kid._ Serena thought to herself.

Suddenly, two guards came to escort Serena to the facility.

"Serena!" Yuzu called her counterparts name out of concern.

"Don't worry, Yuzu. I'll be fine." Serena turned her head to face Yuzu and assured her Standard counterpart.

Soon, Serena and the guards were out of sight.

 _Where do the people who lose go?_ Yuzu wondered as she prepared to leave the grounds. Little did she know, it was not anywhere good.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Roget**

Roget was slightly pissed. At the fact that Serena had lost. However, he at least had her lookalike still in the game.

"The results are in." Someone spoke through a transmission. "Serena...has los to Hiragi Yuzu."

Roget slammed his hand in the table, toppling over most of the chess pieces. "I don't pay you to tell me what I already know!"

"Uhh...you barely pay me at all, sir." The person replied.

Roget paused and thought about something for a second. "You're fired. On your way out, make sure the idiots escorting Serena don't make it to the underground facility."

"We have already sent 3 Security Officers to apprehend the girl." The person spoke glumly as he had just lost his job.

"Good. Now get out of the building in one minute or else I'll have Security keelhaul you with a d-wheel." Roget threatened.

"Y-yes sir!" The person on the other side exclaimed out of fear as he cut off the transmission.

Alone in silence, Roget scoffed. "Idiot." He began to readjust the pieces on the board as he thought to himself. "Those Academia bastards are here. That Commons scum did something good after all. His Carding let me know that Academia is here. So, I need Serena or the other two girls who look like her as a bargaining chip. Actually, I will need all girls to make it even better."

He finished adjusting his chess board and began another game.

"I will lure them into my trap. And then...it will be checkmate."

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Serena**

Serena was being escorted by two guards to the underground facility. They were currently approaching the door.

 _So, that is the facility that Reiji talked about in that last minute message._ Serena narrowed her eyes at the door. Suddenly, the two guards next to her were hit on the back of the head, causing them to drop to the ground unconscious.

Serena gasped out of shock as he grabbed her Duel Disk, which the guard was for some reason holding.

The next thing she knew, there were 3 Security Officers in front of her.

"Security has come here to capture me, huh? Well bring them on!" Serena readied her Duel Disk, prepared to Duel for her freedom. However, a sudden blur caught her eye as all of the Duel Disks the Security Officers had we're missing from their wrists, much to their surprise.

"What the hell?" One of them exclaimed out of shock.

Then, the blur appeared again, knocking out the three Officers instantly. The blur stopped moving, revealing a person. Someone Serena recognized instantly.

"Tsukikage! What are you doing here?" Serena questioned.

"I am here on Akaba Reiji's orders. I was sent to investigate the facility, however, I then got orders to wait until you, Ruri, or Yuzu got sent to the facility." Tsukikage answered simply. "Security seems to be on the hunt for you. You must hide in the facility. Don't worry, you should be under the protection of others, including me. I can easily get out of the facility, due to my training under the Fuma Clan."

"Well, let's get going then!" Serena told Tsukikage as they hurried over to the door.

As they entered, Tsukikage added another thing. "Also, I have a change of clothes for you, so you can blend in more.

* * *

 **At the Stadium**

"Well, folks! That will be all for today!" Melissa announced. This got much negative reception from the audience, particularly the Commons. "Hey! Hey! Guys! Don't complain! We always do only 4 matches the first day! Those are the rules!"

"Screw the rules I have money!" A Commons quoted. (Don't sue me!)

Another Commons scoffed. "No you don't."

* * *

 **With the Council**

"The audience is mad. They are craving for more since the match between Tokumatsu and Damon was cancelled, therefore making only 3 matches today." O'Brien stated.

"We are aware of that." Gale started.

"We have a solution to the problem." Gray continued.

"This won't have anything to do with the Friendship Cup." Azul said.

"Correct, Chairman?" Bordeaux asked.

White Taki nodded his head out of confirmation. "Yes. We will have another match so the audience can get excited for tomorrow. We will have a second match to show the King's power. We will have the King speak for himself." White Taki gestured towards the entrance door. It was being opened, and the person who opened it was…

Jack Atlas.

Jack calmly walked forwards towards the council and the others. He stopped facing a Reiji and the others.

"I have heard about your Lancers and other things from the council. And I have heard that you have come here to collect strong allies. This second match has two purposes. One, to calm down the audience. Two, to prove that your Lancers are worthy of recruiting me." Jack told Reiji specifically, as he was the leader.

"I am the leader of the Lancers, Akaba Reiji. If you are going to face anyone from the Lancers to prove our worth, then it shall be me." Akaba Reiji said.

"Very well. We will Duel soon then. We will be having dinner later at some point after the Duel. I will tell you my answer then, along with any questions you have for me." With that, Jack began to walk away. He stopped at the doorway. "Oh, one more thing. This will be a Standing Duel."

"Why a Standing Duel?" Ryoga asked the council as Jack left the room, closing the doors behind him.

"We want to show that the King is strong even when not in a Riding Duel setting." Azul responded stoically.

O'Brien was spacing out. _Why are they holding a second match even though the council and possibly Security know that Academia is here? Are they trying to make sure no one finds out about Damon Lopez's Carding? Something doesn't add up…_

* * *

 **With Yuya and Yuto-Quarters**

"They want even more. Are they not satisfied? And are they completely aware of what happens to the losers?!" Yuto wondered.

" _Serena was sent underground...however, as much as I hate to say it, with Akaba Reiji, she should be fine."_ Yuya spoke. Although it may seem harsh, Yuya was glad Serena was sent underground, as it meant that he got to see Yuzu more. He didn't have anything against Serena, he just wanted to see his childhood friend.

"Do you think they're going to immediately send Shinji to the underground right after he has healed?" Yuto asked.

" _Pff! Knowing this society, I wouldn't be surprised if they carried him off on a stretcher only to throw him into the facility."_ Yuya spat his dislike for the city.

Yuto remained silent, trying to think of another topic to talk about.

"The King is strong. He beat our combined might in 3 turns. He could be really good in the fight against Academia, and so could Crow and that Aki girl." Yuto started.

" _Yeah...if anything, I would say he would rival Akaba Reiji in strength."_ Yuya gave Yuto his thoughts.

Then, Melissa's voice rang through the television. "It seems we have a false alarm. That match will not be the last one."

The jeering audience started to quiet down as some of the people who were getting ready to leave froze.

"We will have one more match to compensate for the cancellation of Chojiro's match against Damon! However, the match is not related to the Friendship Cup at all!" Some people started booing when they heard that. "Hey! I'm not finished yet! Ugh, I'll just keeping going. The match will feature someone not participating in the Friendship Cup against Jack Atlas!"

The audience started to cheer now that they heard Jack Atlas was Dueling. Well, the Tops and some of the Commons were cheering. The leftover Commons were either silent with anger or loud with booing.

"Jack Atlas!" Yuto ushered the name of the man who had defeated him recently.

"Awesome! We get to see the King's strength again! Whoo! I'm getting excited!" Yugo punched the air as he imagined Jack Atlas Dueling.

"One more thing, this will NOT be a Riding Duel!" Melissa then repeated what she had just said to the audience.

"Not a Riding Duel?!" Yugo's jaw dropped.

"This will be a good old Standing Duel! The King wants to show us that he can still be strong outside of a Riding Duel!"

The decision of a Standing Duel had mixed feelings from the Tops, but the Commons were still going on and on about how they hated Jack Atlas and how they didn't want him to Duel.

"Now, let us introduce the challenger! His name is...Akaba Reiji!" Melissa announced.

Everyone who was in their quarters, including Yuzu, gasped out of shock, except Yugo.

"Akaba Reiji is Dueling?!" Yuto whispered with wide eyes while Yuya looked at the screen in awe.

"Akaba...Reiji." Ruri repeated the name of the leader. She still couldn't trust the man, as he WAS the son of the Professor. The only reasons she was 'trusting' the man now was because Yuto, Shun, and Ryoga trusted him.

"WHY CAN'T THEY MOVE ONTO MY MATCH?!" Sawatari shrieked out of frustration holding his hair tightly, ready to pull it out should he be held off any longer.

"Akaba Reiji is here too?!" Yuzu mused, now back in her room with her Deck and Duel Disk in hand.

Akaba Reiji entered the grounds as his feet pounded against the ground. The audience became more quiet. They could feel the strong aura coming off from the man.

"Now! It is time for our King and symbol! Jack Atlas!" Melissa introduced Jack once again as the audience erupted into cheers for the most part. Jack walked onto the grounds calmly. He stopped in front of Reiji, both Duelists were glaring daggers into each other.

"Now, as stated before, this will be a good old Standing Duel! However, the new Action Field function will be thrown into the mix! So, without further ado, let's get on with the show! Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!" Melissa snapped her fingers as blue platforms appeared along with a jumble of Action Cards above Jack and Reiji, who began to walk away from each other.

"We will be able to see more of Jack's strength now." Yuto said, intending to watch this Duel to the fullest.

Both Duelists activated their Duel Disks, crying out one word in unison.

" **DUEL!** "

"This guy beat Yuto. But...can he beat Akaba Reiji?" Shun asked himself.

"I'll take the first move." Jack started, however, he was interrupted by the audience.

"Traitor!"

"What kind of match is this?!"

"We don't want this?!"

These comments were from the Commons Jack Atlas haters. Melissa tried to calm them down, but to no avail.

"Quiet, all of you! Grow up! Jeering at me is not going to get your point across! Show me your hate in a battle between souls! You people are acting like little kids who've been raised from a swamp! First, you people wanted another Duel, now you don't want one! Make up your mind, and stick with your decision! If you keep switching ideals and decisions, you aren't going to go anywhere in life!" The audience went silent.

Yuya also noticeably flinched at the mention of switching ideals.

Jack then turned to Reiji. "Now! You! Show me your strength and resolve through Dueling!"

"He shunned the audience just like that…" Yuto murmured from his room.

" _He is the King after all."_ Yuya stated.

"Where was I? Oh right, I was about to take the first move! My turn! From my Hand, I activate the effect of Red Gargoyle! When I don't control a Monster, I am allowed to Special Summon this Card!" Jack slammed the Card on his Hand onto his Duel Disk as his flaming Monster appeared.

 **Red Gargoyle: Level 4, 1200 Atk, 1400 Def**

"Next, I shall Summon the Tuner Monster Red Resonator in Attack Position!" A red fiery ball appeared in front of Jack as it exploded, revealing the Red Resonator.

 **Red Resonator: Level 2, 600 Atk, 200 Def**

"While the Card is on the Field, if a Red Monster is Normal or Special Summoned to the Field, I can double the level of that Monster! Red Resonator's is now raised to 4!" Jack declared as his Red Resonator was surrounded by a fiery aura.

 **Red Resonator: Level 2-4**

Reiji sharpened his gaze at Jack's Field.

"He can Summon a level 8 Synchro Monster!" Ruri exclaimed.

"Don't tell me he's Summoning the Monster at bear Yuto…" Shun trailed off.

"Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight!" Yuto and Yugo recited the name in unison, albeit Yugo said in an excited tone.

"I tune the level 4 Red Gargoyle with the level 4 Red Resonator! The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might. Let the power of the one and only supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon! The savage soul, Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight!" Jack chanted as he Synchro Summoned his ace Monster.

 **Scarlight: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

"I set 2 Cards and end my turn." Jack finished his turn.

"In just one turn, he has already brought out his ace Monster! As expected of the King, Jack Atlas!" Melissa cheered.

"I wonder what the other guy has got. He doesn't seem fazed at being stared down by the King's ace." Someone from the audience spoke.

"My turn, draw! I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 2 D/D Savant Schrodinger and the Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler!" Reiji swiped his Cards across his Duel Disk. The two D/D Monsters flew up above Reiji in tubes, one an either side, as the number of their scales appeared below them. A blue pendulum began to swing right above Reiji in between the scales.

"What's this?! Our challenger iable to use Pendulum Summoning!" Melissa gasped out of surprise.

"That's not all." Gongenzaka said.

"There is much more where that came from." Yuto stated, knowing from his Duel with Reiji just how skilled the man is.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters from levels 3 to 9! Grand power that shakes my very soul, arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters!" Reiji thrusted his hand towards his currently empty Field. Out of a blue portal erupted 4 Monsters.

Reiji Pendulum Summoned D/D Night Howling, D/D Vice Typhon, and two copies of D/D Savant Nikola.

 **Night Howling: Level 3, 300 Atk, 600 Def**

 **Vice Typhon: Level 7, 2300 Atk, 2800 Def**

 **Nikola: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I overlay the two level 6 D/D Savant Nikolas!" Reiji raised his hand as his Monsters turned into overlay units, flying into the portal appearing in front of him. "Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 6! D/D/D Wave High King Executive Caesar!"

 **Wave High King Executive Caesar: Rank 6, 2800 Atk, 1800 Def**

"I'm not done yet! I tune the level 7 D/D Vice Typhon with the level 3 Tuner Monster D/D Night Howling!" Night Howling turned into three rings as Typhon flew into them, turning into 7 bright stars. A light greenish-blue wave of light rushed through the rings. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 10! D/D/D Gust High King Executive Alexander!"

 **Gust High King Executive Alexander: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

"Akaba Reiji has just used 3 Summoning methods!" Melissa spoke out of disbelief.

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Vice Typhon, by banishing this Card and other Monsters in the Grave, I can Fusion Summon a D/D/D Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck! I banish this Card and Night Howling! Fusion Summon! Come to the Field, Level 8! D/D/D Flame High King Executive Temujin!"

 **Flame High King Executive Temujin: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2400 Def**

The audience went wild.

"He just used 4 Summoning methods and Summoned 3 Monsters from the Extra Deck like it was nothing! This guy just might beat the King!" Melissa announced.

Murmurs went throughout the audience about who would win and about how strong Reiji was to control 4 different methods of Summoning.

"This is...the Professor's son?" Ruri murmured out of concern. Just how strong is tone Professor then?

" _Those 3 Monsters...they are the advanced forms of the original Caesar, Alexander, and Temujin."_ Yuya said.

"Yeah." Yuto nodded in agreement. "They have to have some strong effects."

"Akaba Reiji is even more powerful than I thought…" Shun mused quietly. He didn't stand a chance from when they faced each other back on Standard. Reiji didn't even show his full power.

"This is what is beyond Pendulum Summoning!" Reiji declared out loud. "Using Pendulum Summoning to access the other methods, that is what it's true potential is!"

"Interesting." Jack admitted with a smirk growing on his face. "I can see. You are indeed strong, you have the strength and passion that a Duelist should always have. Now, come! Clash your soul with mine! Let us see who is stronger!"

Reiji adjusted his glasses before pointing at Alexander. "When there are two or more other D/D Monsters on the Field, Alexander's Attack is doubled!"

 **Gust High King Executive Alexander: 3000-6000 Atk**

"6-6000 Attack! Unbelievable!" Melissa grabbed her hair as she blurted out into the microphone.

"Is there...a limit to just how strong he can be?" Yuto wondered out loud.

Yuya stared at the screen for a long time. _So that is Pendulum Summoning's true potential. I'm such a fool that I didn't see it sooner. It makes sense though._ Yuya looked at his translucent hand. _Maybe I can find what is beyond even that…_

"Battle! Go, Alexander!" Reiji commanded as his Monster's sword glowed a bright green energy. Alexander pointed his sword at Red Daemon's as a stream of green energy was unleashed.

"I activate the Trap Card Tuner's Interference! When a non-Tuner Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I am allowed to Special Summon a Tuner Monster from my Deck and negate the attack! Appear, Flare Resonator!" Jack was going to Summon his Monster, however…

"I activate Caesar's effect! During either player's turn, when a Card or effect is activated that would Special Summon a Monster, I am allowed to negate the effect of by detaching an overlay unit, then, this Card gains the Attack of the Monster whose Summon was negated." Jack counters with his Monster's effect.

Flare Resonator momentarily appeared but it immediately disappeared.

"Flare Resonator's Attack is 300." Jack informed Reiji.

"So, Caesar gains 300 Attack!" Reiji deduced.

 **Wave High King Executive Caesar: 2800-3100 Atk**

"Next, by detaching another overlay unit, I can increase the Attack of another D/D Monster I control by the same amount!" Caesar's last overlay unit disappeared as Reiji targeted Temujin, who was surrounded by a fiery aura.

 **Flame High King Executive Temujin: 2800-3100 Atk**

"Both Attack increases last until the end of the turn." Reiji told Jack as the latter's Trap disappeared and was sent to the Graveyard. "Now, since your Card's effect was negated, my attack continues! Charge, Alexander!"

"I activate the Trap Card Red Crystal, until the end of the turn, Red Monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle or a Card effects! Next, I chain the effect of Red Golem! By sending this Card from my Hand to the Grave, I can make the damage I take from this Attack 0!" Jack explained as Alexander clashed with Jack's Monster, who punched the beam as a struggle occurred. The beam dissipated and Scarlight did a spin in the air.

"Jack Atlas has avoided the destruction of his Monster and heavy damage! Incredible! This man is incredible!" Melissa complimented Jack's skill.

"Jack!" Multiple fangirls cried out from the audience either trying to get his attention or just out of excitement.

"Even in the face of Akaba Reiji's Monsters, he doesn't falter." Yuzu said to herself.

"The King is so cool!" Yugo fanboyed over Jack for a bit before continuing tow arch the Duel. He paused as he looked at Reiji, getting serious. "Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum. Just how strong is this guy?"

"Temujin, Caesar, attack Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight!" Caesar let out a wave of water as Temujin let out flames from his sword, all assault Scarlight, who writhed in pain. When it was over, Scarlight was still in the air. Jack merely stood there as he took damage.

 **Jack: 4000-3800 LP**

"I end my turn. At this moment, Caesar and Temujin's Attack returns to normal.

 **Caesar and Temujin: 3100-2800 Atk**

"My turn, draw! I activate the effect of Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight! Once per turn, I am allowed to destroy all other Special Summoned Monsters with Attack less than or equal to this Card's! Absolute Power Flame!" Scarlight let out a stream of fire at Reiji's three Monster, Caesar and a Temujin were destroyed, while Alexander used his sword, creating gusts of wind to protect himself. Reiji covered his eyes as he took damage.

 **Reiji: 4000-3000 LP**

"Battle! Scarlight, attack Alexander!" On his order, Scarlight flew towards the Monster.

"How daring! The King is attacking a Monster with the same amount of Attack Points!" Melissa chimed in.

"But that will leave him wide open…unless…" Yugo suddenly realized something.

"I activate the Grave effect of a Red Golem! When a Red Monster I control would be destroyed, I can banish this Card from my Graveyard to negate the destruction!" Jack explained.

"What?" Reiji spoke with slight surprise.

"Continue your attack! Fiery Crimson Hell Burning!" Scarlight scorched it's an hand with fire as it punched Alexander, who struck the dragon with its sword, but to no avail, Alexander was destroyed. "I end my turn."

"Everything seems to be even at the moment." Shark said to O'Brien.

"At the moment." O'Brien repeated, knowing that someone was going to get the lead on the other.

"My turn, draw!" As Reiji drew his Card, Kepler's Scale was reduced by 2 during the Standby Phase due to its Pendulum effect.

"Huh? Why did the Scale go down?" Melissa questioned.

"It's the Pendulum effect of Kepler, every Standby Phase, it reduces its Scale by 2. A Pendulum effect is another effect for a Pendulum Card. However, the Pendulum effect can only be activated in the Pendulum Zone." Reiji explained to the audience what a Pendulum effect was.

 **Kepler: Scale 10-8**

"Oh! It's that thing Serena used when she used Pendulum!" Melissa thought back to Serena's recent match against Yuzu.

"This is getting fun." Jack told Reiji with a small smile. Reiji still remained his usual serious self as he showed the only Card in his Hand.

"I activate the Magic Card D/D/D Draw! I can draw Cards up to the highest number of D/D/D Monsters I had on the Field last turn! I had three, so I draw 3 more Cards!" Reiji drew his Cards as he let out a slight gasp at the sight of what he drew.

 _It's here._ Reiji thought to himself.

"Once again, with the already set Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monster! D/D/D Ultimate Wisdom King Chaos Apocalypse!" A giant Monster about the size of Hell Armageddon appeared to the Field.

 **Ultimate Wisdom King Chaos Apocalypse: Level 7, 2700 Atk, 2000 Def**

"By releasing a D/D/D Monster I control, I am allowed to Special Summon this Monster! I release Chaos Apocalypse in order to Special Summon D/D/D Destiny King Zero Laplace!" A skeletal Monster with 4 legs, 4 demon horns on his head, and 2 skeletal horns appeared. The audience got frightened at the appearance of the scary Monster.

 **Destiny King Zero Laplace: Level 10, ? Atk, 0 Def**

"What in tarnation is that?! It looks so creepy! And yet...it has no Attack…" Melissa trailed off once she realized that fact.

"What the hell is that abomination?!" Shun widened his eyes out of shock.

"I'm getting a really bad vibe from that Monster." Ruri mumbled to herself. She felt cold air surrounding her that only came when that Monster was Summoned.

"Just how strong is that guy?" Yugo's jaw dropped. He was glad Reiji wasn't a participant in the tournament.

"How much more power does Reiji have lurking in that Deck of his?" Yuto wondered.

" _It has no Attack. What can it do?"_ Yuya asked the real question that should be asked.

Reiji's Monster glared down at Jack, who glared back, before letting out a smile.

"Hahaha! Impressive! My soul is starting to burn JUST from being in this Monster's presence! Now, come at me, Akaba Reiji!" Jack threw out his hands as a way to accept Reiji attacking him.

"I will! When this Card battles a Monster you control, this Card's Attack becomes double the original Attack of the targeted Monster until the end of the Damage Step! Go, Zero Laplace! Attack Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight! Now, his effect activates!" Reiji reminded Jack of the effect as Laplace's Attack rose.

 **Zero Laplace: ?(0)-6000 Atk**

5 knives appeared before Zero Laplace. The knives were thrown at Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight.

"Kgh!" Jack grunted as he dove for an Action Card. The attack connected and Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight was destroyed. Jack was enveloped in a big smoke cloud as he cried out in pain.

 **Jack: 3800-800 LP**

When the cloud of smoke cleared, Jack was seen with an activated Action a Card in front of him.

"I activated the Action Card Damage Draw! When I take 2000 or more battle damage, I draw 2 Cards!" As he said that, Jack ripped the top two Cards off his Deck and glanced at them before looking back at Reiji.

"I end my turn." Reiji concluded, glaring daggers into Jack.

"Don't falter now! My turn, draw!" Jack paused and looked at Akaba Reiji. "You are strong! Very strong! I, Jack Atlas, acknowledge your skill as a Duelist! However, I am afraid that even with all of that strength, you still won't be able to beat me!"

"A bold declaration coming from the King! Can he back up such words with his next move?" Melissa asked a rhetorical question.

The audience remained silent for the most part, focusing on the Duel between the Commons King and the leader of the Lancers.

"My soul will never die! Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight is the embodiment of my soul! If it falls, a new fire rekindles and it rises from the ashes as a new power! I will show you this power!" Jack exclaimed as he took a Card out of his hand and activated it. "I activate the Magic Card Red Reborn! I am allowed to Special Summon a Red Monster in my Graveyard! Revive, my very soul! Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight!"

Scarlight grasped its fist as it momentarily fluttered with fire. The dragon then let out a ferocious roar, making its return known to everyone watching.

"Amazing! The King has revived his ace Monster!" Melissa bellowed into the microphone.

"When I control a Synchro Monster, I am allowed to Special Summon the Tuner Monster Create Resonator from my Hand!" Jack swiped the Monster across his Duel Disk.

 **Create Resonator: Level 3, 800 Atk, 600 Def**

"Next, I Summon the Tuner Monster Clone Resonator from my Hand!" Jack slapped the Card onto his Duel Disk as a Monster completely covered in a dark cloak appeared.

 **Clone Resonator: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def**

"I activate Clone Resonator's effect! Once per turn, I can target a Monster on the Field, that Monster's level becomes this Monster's level! I select Create Resonator, whose Level now becomes 1!" Jack explained.

 **Create Resonator: Level 3-1**

"Just what is he doing?" Ryoga questioned.

"Two Tuner Monsters on the Field…" O'Brien noted.

"Don't tell me…" Yugo started, thinking of something that he might do.

Jack closed his eyes before opening it, revealing a burning flame inside.

"Listen to the roar of my soul!" Jack announced as he formed a fist with his hand. He opened his hand, revealing a burning flame on his palm. Jack clenched his fist again as he pointed to his Monsters. "Bear witness, this my Dueling! The cry of a King who searches for a challenge to without end! With my level 8 Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight, my level 1 Create Resonator and my Clone Resonator, I perform Double Tuning!"

"What?! A Synchro Monster with two Tuners?!" Melissa's jaw dropped.

"Does such a Synchro exist?!" Even Reiji couldn't hold his surprise as the audience went crazy at the 5D's reference and the Double Tuning.

"No way...Jack has even more power…" Yuto whispered.

"Wow! Just when I thought the King was already strong!" Yugo smiled.

Jack's Tuners transformed into two flaming rings as Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight turned into 8 little stars that went inside the rings.

"Ruler and Devil, they cross now and here! Touch the soul of the Crimson Dragon, and raise up the cry of creation! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10, Red Daemon's Dragon Tyrant!" A dragon resembling Scarlight flew to the Field.

 **Tyrant: Level 10, 3500 Atk, 3000 Def**

"Jack's symbol has been powered up with Double Tuning!" Melissa exclaimed as the Jack fans cheered and the fangirls cried out 'Jack!'

"This is the King's true power…" Someone whispered from the audience.

"Jack is still evolving…" Aki, who had returned to her room, ushered.

"I activate Red Daemon's Dragon Tyrant's effect! Once per turn, it destroys all other Cards on the Field!" Jack declared.

"What?!" Reiji gasped out of shock.

"Absolute Power Inferno!" Tyrant's fist lit on fire as the dragon punched the ground. Flames erupted out of the ground and it lashed out at Reiji's Cards, destroying them immediately.

"Everything...even Pendulum Cards…" Melissa mumbled to herself, her voice not eve being picked up by the microphone in her hand.

"Such a strong effect." Ruri looked at the screen in awe.

"Akaba Reiji might lose!" Shun suddenly realized.

"Don't even think about using one of those Action Cards! When Tyrant declares an attack, if a Magic or Trap Card is activated, I can negate the activation and destroy it! Turn, this Card gains 500 Attack!" Jack revealed the additional effect of his new Monster. Reiji grunted in response. "Now, Tyrant, attack directly! Crimson Hell Tide Inferno!" Tyrant let out a spiral of flames from its mouth at Reiji.

The attack connected as a big dust cloud appeared, with everyone thinking Akaba Reiji was defeated.

"And with that, Jack Atlas is the…" Melissa stopped as she noticed Akaba Reiji standing, still in the game.

"I activated the effect of the D/D Substitute in my Hand. When a direct attack is declared, I am allowed to send this Card to the Grave, then I would Special Summon a D/D/D Synchro, Fusion, or Xyz Monster from my Graveyard with it's Attack halved in Attack Position! Oh yeah, and this is a Monster effect, so your Tyrant's effect doesn't go through." Reiji adjusted his glasses. "I revived Alexander, so I took 2000 damage as Alexander had 1500 Attack."

 **Reiji: 3000-1000 LP**

"So you held out. Hmph! Don't think that will do a lot for you! You don't have a single Card on your Field, and you don't have a Card in your Hand." Jack paused as he smirked. "But you aren't going to give up, are you?"

Reiji simply placed his fingers on the top of his Deck.

Jack smiled, knowing by the sign that he wanted to continue. "Great! Come at me with your power, Akaba Reiji! I set a Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I activate the Graveyard effect of my D/D Substitute! By banishing this Card from the Graveyard and a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster in my Grave, I can Special Summon a D/D/D Monster from the Extra Deck whose Summoning type corresponds with the banished Summoning type Monster with its effects negated!" Reiji explained. "Also, the Special Summon Monster has to have a lower Rank or level than the banished Monster."

" _Hmph, Akaba Reiji is full of surprises."_ Yuya spoke with a slight grin present on his face.

"I banish Gust High King Alexander in order to Special Summon D/D/D Gust King Alexander!" The downgraded Alexander appeared to the Field as it was colored with a gray tint, symbolizing that it has its effects negated.

 **Gust King Alexander: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"What's this?! A downgraded version of Gust High King Alexander!" Melissa exclaimed out of surprise.

"Impressive! However, your Monster is not strong enough to lay a finger on my Tyrant!" Jack reminded Reiji, but then he smiled. "Unless…"

"From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card D/D Soul! By banishing a D/D Monster in my Graveyard, I am allowed to increase the Attack of a D/D Monster I control by the Attack of the banished Monster until the End Phase! I banish D/D/D Wave High King Executive Caesar from my Graveyard!" An image of the declared Monster appeared as it swirled into nothing. A white aura surrounded Alexander. "Caesar had 2800 Attack! So, Alexander gains 2800 Attack!"

 **Alexander: 2500-5300 Atk**

"What?!" Jack widened his eyes out of shock.

"5-5300 Attack!" Melissa read the Attack Alexander have. "Will the King lose?!"

"KING!" Jack's fans called out of concern.

The people who didn't like Jack Atlas cheered, wanting Reiji to win badly. And they had that feeling around them that if Reiji didn't win, they would strangle him to no end.

"Akaba Reiji has surprised us all once again." Ryoga spoke.

"He is quite good." Gale said.

"Very good." Gray agreed.

"He just might beat the King." Azul retorted.

"Is that correct, Chairman?" Bordeaux asked.

"Yes. This is a very good Duel indeed. Akaba Reiji has quite exceptional skill. To use 4 Summoning methods in succession all in one turn and then to manage to hold on, it is incredible." White Taki spoke with a smile.

"We will now battle! D/D/D Gust King Alexander, attack Red Daemon's Dragon Tyrant!" Alexander charged at the dragon with its sword, preparing to slay the beast.

Jack looked around for an Action Card. He found one two platforms above him, so he jumped on one platform. He then jumped and reached out to get the Action Card. He grabbed it and dropped to the ground on his feet, immediately activating the Card he had received.

"Action Magic, Evasion! The attack is negated!" Jack told a Reiji, who had jumped into a platform to also get an Action Card.

"Action Magic, No Action! The activation of your Card is negated and destroyed!" Jack's Card disappeared right in front of him as it was sent to the Graveyard.

"Kgh!" Jack growled as he reached for another Action Card nearby, activating it. "Action Magic, Single Distraction! If you control 1 Monster, that Monster is destroyed!" A lightning bolt zoomed out of the Card and rushed to Reiji's Monster.

"Action Magic, Mirror Barrier! Now, Alexander can't be destroyed by Card effects!" The lightning bolt hit Reiji's Monster, but the warrior did no so much as flinch in response as it prepared to slice Jack's Monster in two.

Jack looked around for another Action Card, but he couldn't find one, and even if he did find one, it would be too late and he would lose the Duel by the time he would grab it. Jack looked at his set Card. He grunted out of frustration.

 _I have no choice!_ Jack thought to himself as he pointed to his set Card, activating it.

"I activate the Trap Card Shockwave! I can only activate this Card when my life is lower than yours. I am allowed to target a Monster on the Field, destroy it, then, inflict damage to both players equal to its Attack!" Jack revealed.

"What?!" Reiji bellowed out of shock as the attack connected with Tyrant. Multiple shockwaves occurred until Alexander exploded, enveloping Tyrant, Reiji, and Jack in the blast.

 **Reiji: 1000-0 LP**

 **Jack: 800-0 LP**

Everything went silent as the smoke dissipated, with Tyrant disappearing due to the Duel being concluded. Jack and Reiji were lying on the ground.

"I-it ended...in a draw…" Melissa broke the silence with a stutter.

"Wow. To tie with the King! That's incredible." Yugo said from his quarters with a look of awe on his face.

"Wh-what should we do now? The King has fallen. But, so has his opponent." Melissa spoke quietly.

"KEEP THE KING!" One of Jack's fans shouted, breaking the silence. He continued to chant those three words. Suddenly, other fans of Jack began chanting along with him.

"KEEP THE KING! KEEP THE KING! KEEP THE KING!"

The people who hated Jack jeered and shouted out of disapproval as a result.

Suddenly, the council appeared in hologram form appeared as giant figures.

"Citizens of the City. We have an announcement to make." Gale started.

"As the Duel ended in a draw, the King technically didn't lose." Gray added.

"Therefore, Jack Atlas shall remain as King." Azul finished.

"Correct, Chairman?" Bordeaux questioned.

"Yes." White Taki confirmed. "Good day to you all." And with that, the holograms disappeared.

The haters of Jack began booing at the fact that Jack was still King.

Whispers rang throughout the haters section of the Commons about starting the revolution soon, only to be halted by a 'we need to wait command.'

Both Reiji and Jack rose to their feet, they slowly walked towards each other. They stopped not so far from each other, glaring daggers into each other. Suddenly, and surprisingly to the Lancers, Akaba Reiji held out a hand. Jack paused for a couple of seconds, before smiling and shaking the hand.

"You have the strength and passion of a Duelist. You have my respect, Akaba Reiji." Jack told Reiji.

"As do you, King." Reiji threw back earnestly.

"You forced me into a draw. I am no King to you. Call me by my damn name, Jack Atlas. I hope to see you again. However, I am not satisfied just yet. We shall have a rematch in the future!" Jack declared.

Reiji thought about it. He had actually had a little bit of fun in the Duel, something that he hasn't had in a very long time.

"Yes. I am looking forward to it." Reiji accepted Jack's future challenge.

"Now, about the real reason why I Dueled you. I would have joined you if you beat me. However, you didn't do that. I will give you one more chance to prove your Lancers. This time, I need YOUR Lancers to prove themselves, not you. The challenge is that one of your Lancers has to beat me in the Grand Finals of the Friendship Cup." Jack set his conditions.

"Ok." Reiji accepted as he let go of Jack's hand and walked away, which the latter also did but in the opposite direction."

" _To think that Akaba Reiji would force Jack into a draw! And then there are those advanced forms of the D/D/D Monsters. He is much stronger than we could ever imagine."_ Yuya informed Yuto, who had a soft smile on his face.

"Not to worry. Jack and Reiji are just two more obstacles for us to overcome. If we cannot surpass them or at least be on equal terms with them, we can't hope to win against Academia. Plus, if Jack were to join the Lancers, we would have a major boost in fighting power!" Yuto smiled at the possibility. "There's hope again, Yuya."

Unfortunately, no one noticed the sign of good sportsmanship between Jack and a Reiji, they were to busy cheering or booing.

As he left, Jack glanced at the audience.

 _Idiots. They only cared about who would win and if I were to be dethroned. They didn't even bother to see the sportsman ship. To them, that Duel was just another lost to their hunger for satisfaction. And the Commons..._

 _They're animals just ready to strike._

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Tuner's Interference, Trap: When a non-Tuner Monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can Special Summon a Tuner Monster from your Deck, then, negate the attack.**

 **Red Golem, Level 4, 200 Atk, 2000 Def, Fiend, Fire: You send this a Card to the Graveyard, make the damage you take from an attack 0. When a Red Monster(s) you control would be destroyed, you can banish this Card from your Graveyard instead.**

 **D/D Substitution, Level 2, 0 Atk, 0 Def, Fiend, Dark: When a direct attack is declared, send this Card to the Graveyard, then, Special Summon D/D/D Synchro, Fusion, or Xyz Monster in your Graveyard to the Field in face up Attack Position with its Attack halved. During your Main Phase, you can banish this Card from your Graveyard and a D/D/D Synchro, Fusion, or Xyz Monster from your Grave, Special Summon a D/D/D Monster from your Extra Deck with the same Summoning type and a Rank or level lower than the banished Monster. The Special Summoned Monster's effects are negated.**

 **D/D Soul, Magic: You can only activate D/D Soul once per turn. You can banish a D/D Monster in your Graveyard, increase the Attack of a D/D Monster you control by the amount of Attack the banished Monster had until the End Phase.**

* * *

 **And another one bites the dust!**

 **Now, before I begin ranting like I usually do, I have an announcement to make. Tomorrow, I will be traveling back to my home in the U.S. The travel is roughly a day if you don't count the fact that I sleep the moment I'm back. Once I get home, I will need some time to get myself situated again, so, updating the story will be halted for about 3 days, so the next chapter might take some time to be posted.**

 **Also, sorry for the late update, I've been spending time with my family since I will be leaving most of them as of tomorrow.**

 **Sorry for those of you who wanted Ryoga or O'Brien to Duel. Also sorry if you guys were annoyed that the Duel ended in a draw. But...Jack couldn't be defeated here because that would technically make Reiji the Duel King then. And having Reiji lose was a possibility, especially since both Scarlight and Tyrant can constantly bomb the Field and burn in Scarlight's case, but I just wanted it to be a draw.**

 **Skadi: Lol, sorry since you wanted O'Brien to Duel. I was thinking about it, but then I realized that 1. Jack would win that matchup and I wanted the Duel to end in a draw. 2. It fits better that the leader of the Lancers battle Jack. Once again, I'm sorry. Who knows, there might be a small chance where I'll make an alternate thing where O'Brien Dueled Jack. It wouldn't change much…**

 **Guest: I had already planned for the Duel to be a draw.**

 **Bridgey: I'll tell you this, for the tournament, the matches that haven't changed (Like Dennis VS Shun) will stay in the same position on the bracket as they did in the anime. So, if you think hard about it, you will be able to find out who Yuzu faces next.**

 **(Speaking of that, once the preliminaries are over, I will be revealing who will be facing who in the quarter finals.)**

 **Matrixnis: Hope you don't see as many of those unfinished sentences you were talking about last time.**

 **That's all for now guys. Unless I'm forgetting something.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	74. Supreme Paladin of Rebellion

"And that wraps up the agenda for the first day of the Friendship Cup's tournament! Everyone! Did you enjoy yourselves?!" Melissa shouted into her microphone out of wonder.

Most of the audience cheered out of approval clapping while some either booed or remained silent.

"That's great, that's great! So before we finish up, let's give it up for our catchphrase one more time, shall we?! The City is one!" Melissa paused, expecting to hear the audience to response. However, she was met by silence. "Huh?"

Melissa looked at the stadium only to see people getting up and leaving the stadium, not even caring about the catchphrase.

"Hey! We're all friends, right? Do it properly with me before we all leave! Geez!"

At that moment, Yuto switched off the television, not wanting to hear anymore of this bullshit. He could hear Yuya scoffing.

"We're all friends?" Yuto started. "Sending people who lose underground! Some Friendship Cup this! Ruri, Aki, and Yuzu won their matches...but Crow, Shinji, and Serena were all sent to the underground against their own will!"

" _I agree with you on that. But what can we do? No matter how much we yell, it's not like anyone is going to care. If the Commons don't get what they want, they get pissed, and for good reason! If the Tops don't get what they want, they also get pissed. The Tops view Commons as scum and dirt. In reality, that's all the Tops are."_

Yuya was about to go on, however, he paused when he heard a doorbell of some sorts ring. Yuto and Yuya turned to the door to see it open with a table of food rolling in slowly to the room.

"Food…" Yuto whispered as he felt his stomach growl. It had been a very long time since he had ate proper food. When Academia attacked, he and the other members of the Resistance had to fight off their hunger and eat off of scraps.

And when Yuto, Shun, Ryoga, and O'Brien arrived at Standard, it wasn't that much better. They had no money thanks to Academia's invasion. So, they couldn't buy any food. They had to resort to stealing, and even then it had to be in low quantities so they could actually carry all of the food.

Here though, it was all fancy food, there was nothing stopping him from eating. Yuto paused and glanced at Yuya, who was looking out at the window.

"Do you want to take control and eat some?" Yuto asked his counterpart.

" _What? Don't be crazy! You probably haven't had a good meal in a very long time, Yuto. Plus, I can't get hungry since I think I'm technically a ghost."_ Yuya replied, albeit slightly surprised at the fact that Yuto offered food to him even though he hasn't had a good meal in a very long time.

"Suit yourself then." With that, Yuto began to eat.

For Yugo, when his food came in, he stared at it for a while.

He hadn't seen such good food in his life. The meat looked good, and so did the other things. However, there was one thing that kept him from eating at the moment.

The food was courtesy of the Tops.

Had this been any other situation, Yugo would have chowed down immediately. However, he just stared at his food. Should he eat it?

For all he knew, there could be poison hidden in the food. He knew how much the Tops hated the Commons. This could be yet another of their devilish ways to get rid of them.

But he was hungry. Really hungry. He couldn't Duel on an empty stomach. So he had to take a risk.

Yugo bit down on the meat and then the bread. He let out a small smile. The meat was delicious. It was his very first time eating meat that actually tasted really good.

As much as he hated the thought, Yugo at times had wanted to be a Tops. For the food, and the luxury. Becoming the King was one of the reasons he entered the Friendship Cup. However, Yugo never really thought about what he would do as King.

To him, he just wanted to be King with Rin by his side, so they could live in luxury unless they got dethroned.

It was a selfish ideal on Yugo's part, he did admit. But living in the slums for so long…

Could anybody blame him?

While he ate, Yugo suddenly realized something.

"Wait, didn't Yuzu say something about speaking out about the dimensional war. She didn't say a thing about that in her Duel."

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Dining Room-Tops**

Reiji, Reira, Ryoga, and O'Brien were currently sitting at a dining table with the council and Jack Atlas. The council had invited them to dinner to give their thoughts about the first day of the Friendship Cup, so here they were.

"So King, who do you think performed the most spectacular Duel today?" White Taki asked Jack as the latter sipped on a cup of Blue Eyes Mountain Tea.

"The three female Duelists that have Dueled today show promise. Kurosaki Ruri and Hiragi Yuzu both Dueled with passion. Yuzu was especially impressive when she showed the ability to Fusion and Synchro Summon. Ruri on the other hand displayed a very unique play style. Now, about Aki…" Jack trailed off, remembering her a Duel against Shinji. "I had met the daughter of the former senator at one point. She seemed like a nice girl, but in her final turn of the Duel, I saw no kindness in her Dueling at all. It was just sheer rage.️"

White Taki sighed. "It's a shame that Tokumatsu didn't get to Duel."

"Enjoy Chojiro is one of his favorites." Gale stated.

Jack glanced over at Reira, who was looking at the table with a blank expression on her face. "I thought that kid was going to participate. And the same for those two."

"I apologize. Because of the circumstances, I had exempt Reira for entering, and the other two as well for my own reasons." Reiji told Jack.

"I wanted to see that trio's Dueling, especially this child." Reira gasped as she looked at Jack with a shocked expression on her face.

"Reira's Dueling? Why is that?" Reiji questioned Jack.

"I had those eyes once too." Jack paused as he stared at Reira intently, earning yet another gasp from the girl. Jack then continued. "Back then, I was always afraid and lived with my nerves stretched taut. That was when I was about this child's age."

"I see. Sorry about this, but I heard that you are from the Commons." Reiji said.

"There is nothing you have to be sorry for. Born as a Commons, and having lived at the very bottom, I set my mind on climbing up and aiming for the summit. The Commons are my pride, and where my origins lie. Could this could have grown up in a similar environment?"

"As expected of the King." Reiji spoke. "I can see that you have keen insight."

"Is that true? Isn't that child your younger brother?" White Taki asked Reiji.

"Adopted younger sister." Ryoga corrected.

"Excuse me? May you repeat that?"

"Adopted younger sister. Reira is a girl and also isn't biologically related to Akaba a Reiji. At least, that's what he told me." Ryoga said.

"Excuse me, but I would like to ask how the King set of on his path to becoming a Duelist." O'Brien intervened. "Perhaps, it could help me come with a future for my Dueling."

"I would like to hear it as well. Reira would also benefit from knowing." Reiji informed Jack.

Jack took another sip of his tea before beginning to talk.

"It all started with one Card." Jack started as he placed the cup down. He had remembered that one day when he was sitting alone in the Commons as a child. Suddenly, a Card had dropped down next to him from the sky. Jack had picked up the Card and looked at it. He looked around for anyone, but saw no one. He looked up at the tall buildings from the world above.

"That Card fell from the Tops cities above. Had someone dropped it by accident? Or was it tossed aside because it was no longer wanted? I suspected the latter. No matter how you looked at it, the Card didn't seem like anything important. But the moment I saw it, I felt like I'd been struck by a revelation. And so I thought this. I must return this Card to the world above the sky. With my own hands. I had to get stronger to do that. As a person, and as a Duelist. I had to be stronger than anyone."

Ryoga had paused as he darkened his expression. To be stronger than anyone. He remembered a certain in his life where he had to be stronger and ruthless to protect his sister.

He had remembered that Rio had came back one day saying that she was almost killed by some maniac. She never told him anything else...or more like Ryoga didn't let her tell anything else. He became overprotective like a Shun, and he became cold and ruthless for a couple of months. He distanced himself from his friends and he kept an eye on Rio whenever he could.

To become stronger, Ryoga had trained himself in the harsh conditions of underground Dueling secretly. Even a city filled with smiles such as Heartland had dark secrets and mysteries.

"Obviously, I've heard that you lot have come from a foreign land, and you request my assistance to fight against an enemy which could soon attack this place as you claim." Jack closed his eyes as he took a sip before continuing. "Had this been me a long time ago, I would have said you were crazy. But now with these new Summoning methods and people, I'm starting to think this stuff is true. And if your enemy could attack this place soon, then I will help you. So I can protect this city with my own bare hands and soul!"

Jack then formed a fist with determination and fire.

"If you want to accomplish something...don't hesitate!" Jack shouted out loud, causing Reira to gasp at him. "You're called Reira, right? I look forward to the day you set your mind on something and show us your bravery in Dueling."

Reira merely looked at Jack in awe.

"We're honored. Reira must also be proud to be held in such regard by the Duel King, Jack Atlas." And with that, silence had filled the room as everyone continued eating. No sound was made except the sounds of sipping, chewing, and the clanging of spoons, forks, or knives.

* * *

 **Later-The Next Day of the Friendship Cup**

Fireworks were going off above the stadium as multiple cheers were heard for the continuation of the Friendship Cup.

Melissa Claire, was adding extra fuel to the positive output from the audience by saying the slogan and purpose of the Friendship Cup.

"The City is one! We are all friends! Doing great, everyone!" Melissa viewed the entire stadium from her place with a smile on her face. "Now, the second day of the Friendship Cup! The first match in today's line-up is...Yuto vs Duel Chaser 227! What kind of match will we see today?"

"Yuto…" Both Yuzu and Ruri whispered from their rooms. Yuzu cause Yuto was a close friend and Ruri because...she was an even closer friend to Yuto.

"Alright, Yuto's Dueling! This should be good!" Yugo smirked.

"Don't you dare lose, Yuto." Shun sharpened his gaze at the television.

Reiji looked at the matchup. _Show me the evolution that Sakaki Yuya was going through. Complete what he was destined to complete._

Yuto merely looked at the screen as he stood up. At that moment, a knock was heard at the door. When the door was opened, Yuto saw Sam standing right in front of him, with a glum expression on his face.

"I'm here to lead you to the grounds." The boy said.

As they began to head to the garage where the d-wheel and riding suit were, Yuto decided to initiate a conversation.

"The Card that you gave me. You said you want me to win and give it back to Jack, right?" Yuto asked as he showed the Card he received from Sam. "But if I win, that means other people will get sent underground. Before I Duel, there is something I have to do."

* * *

 **Later-At the Grounds of the Stadium**

"First up, Duel Chaser 227 makes his entrance!" Melissa announced one of the Duelists as said Duelist rode into the stadium on his vehicle. "He lost a Duel during a pursuit and lost his job as a Duel Chaser. He's lacking quite a bit lately, huh? Now he's stepping up to the challenge as a Commons!"

"Heh! That unlucky bastard's here too." Yugo spoke as he continued watching.

"But he registered as an ex-duel chaser." Melissa realized as Duel Chaser 227 stopped at the starting line.

In his office, Roget was watching the Duel. "This Duel decides whether you can restore your reputation and your job as a Duel Chaser. Don't lose."

"Next up, Yuto makes his entrance! Does this guy have a surname?" Melissa whispered to herself.

As he came riding out, Yuto was immediately met with boos from the audience.

"Wait a second, booing?" Melissa immediately noticed the negative reception Yuto was getting.

Jack Atlas merely looked on with a scowl.

In his quarters, Sawatari face palmed. "Look at this! This is all because you're not letting _me_ get out there! Yuto isn't even the entertaining type!"

"Yuto…" Ruri whispered in a typical anime fashion.

Yuto parked his d-wheel right next to Duel Chaser 227. His opponent took a moment to glance at the younger boy.

 _He looks so much like the other kid. The one who robbed me of my job!_ Duels Chaser 227 frowned as he thought of Yugo. _Perhaps they are related? Brothers? Twins? Well, let this be a message to that other guy, I am not a pushover!_

 _Come on Yuto, show this guy who's boss. He doesn't stand a ghost of a chance against you._ Yugo thought to himself, knowing that this would be a walk in the park for Yuto.

"With that, let's get things fired up!" Melissa started.

Duel Chaser 227 then averted his attention to right in front of him, ready for the countdown.

"Action Field-"

"Wait!" Melissa was cut off by Yuto's voice. Melissa stared at the boy as he started talking. "Does everyone know what happens to the losers in the Friendship Cup? They're sent to the underground garbage disposal facility!"

"The underground?" Dennis repeated out of slight surprise.

"They never return from the underground. From the moment they enter, they're forced to do labor forever!" Yuto revealed to the audience and others who were watching.

"No way…" Yuzu gasped and put covered her mouth with her hands out of horror. "That means Serena was…"

Serena was sent to the underground, all because Yuzu had defeated her…

Ruri suddenly gasped in her own quarters. "Crow…" She immediately. Thought of his kids. Frank, Amanda, and Tanner and how she had just separated them from Crow. Guilt poured into Ruri's body as tears formed in her eyes.

"And I wondered what he was going to say." Gray scoffed as he looked down with a stern look.

"One of your lot doesn't seem to understand the concept of a competitive society." Gale said.

Ryoga noticeably stiffened at that very moment. A competitive society? That wasn't the case at all! More like a society where the people with money live and the people with little money live in the dirt and despair!

However, his anger was about rise even more...when he heard the cheers of the audience that followed.

"What?! They're...cheering…" O'Brien said with wide eyes.

"They're cheering! Why are they cheering?! It's completely wrong! Why are they laughing at the mention of other people's suffering?!" Yuto spoke out of shock.

He knew that everyone in the world/dimensions were far from perfect. However, the cruelty of the citizens of the Synchro Dimension were similar to how Academia soldiers were on the invasion of Heartland but on a much lesser extent.

"Disgusting." Jack muttered from his throne.

Melissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and smiled at Yuto.

"Is there a problem with that?" Melissa questioned the boy. Yuto gasped as a response. "That's just how it is, the defeated will fall, right?" Melissa turned to the audience to see them continuing to cheer.

"That's _just_ how it is?!" Yuto repeated out of disbelief that no one of this dimension agreed with him.

In his quarters, Yugo formed a fist and dug his nails deep into his skin. _That's always how it was. The losers keep losing. And the winners keep winning. It's an inescapable fate. Sometimes, I question if I can change my fate or not...or whether it is already set in stone from the day I was born. That's just how this city works. Those who are born winners win. And those who are born losers lose everything._

"Yuto, you just have to win this." Melissa told the boy as she continued with what she was originally doing. "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!" Melissa winked as the stadium was enveloped in an Action Field. A jumble of Action Cards appeared above Yuto and Duel Chaser 227.

"Wait-" Yuto was interrupted by the voice of his Duel Disk.

 _Duel Mode, on! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

Inside Yuto, Yuya heard it all. The roars of the audience as they cheered for the fact that losers were sent to the underground. The sounds of those cheers still played in his head. It would never leave his mind no matter how much he would try to force it out.

" _Smiles...Dueling for smiles...that's not going to cut anymore, Yuto! Why can't you see that?"_ Yuya asked Yuto.

"Yuya, the old you wanted to bring smiles to people. I promised to do just that! I may not be half the Entertainment Duelist you are, but that doesn't mean I can't make people happy! I have people I want to protect! To protect the smiles of my friends, comrades, and others, I must continue on!" Yuto told Yuya with determination burning in his eyes.

3.

Yuto quickly turned his head forward.

2.

Both Duelists gripped their handlebars.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

"Acceleration!" Melissa exclaimed as the Duelists immediately started their d-wheels as they bursted off, racing in order to decide who goes first.

" **Duel!** " Both Duelists shouted in unison.

Yuto got off to a slow start, as a result, Duel Chaser 227 stayed ahead of him and made it to the first corner before the Xyz user.

"Taking the first corner and the first turn is Duel Chaser 227!" Melissa announced.

"Sending defeated Duelists to the misery of the underground is wrong!" Yuto called out to the audience.

"Already worried you'll lose?!" Someone taunted from the audience.

"Why you!" Shun grit his teeth from his room as he stood up after the comment, wanting badly to punch the guy who said it towards his friend.

"Jack sure messed him up!" Someone else from the audience added.

"That's not true." Ruri spoke to herself.

"You shouldn't use Dueling to hurt people!" Yuto preached. Knowing from his own experiences on how a Dueling can be used as a weapon of destruction and despair to others. It just wasn't right. Dueling wasn't created for that purpose. It was created for the purpose of having fun and making memories with others.

"You just don't get it. Hmph, making a racket before you even understand...around here, people only see Duels to see the losers get beat, and for the winners to win! That's why I said you lacked the strength to climb the summit where I stand." Jack mused from his room as he watched the Duel.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Duel Chaser 227 bellowed, earning Yuto's attention. "Did you come here to give a speech? Then this isn't an invitation! Surrender immediately and get outta here!"

"Kgh!" Yuto grunted out of annoyance as Duel Chaser 227 picked up a Card from his Hand.

"I Summon Jutte Lord from my Hand!" Duel Chaser 227 slammed the Monster Card onto his Duel Disk as a man with a blue and black trench coat appeared.

 **Jutte Lord: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def**

"When Jutte Lord is successfully Summoned, I can Special Summon a Jutte Monster from my Hand! Come! Jutte Knight!" Next to Duel Chaser 227, a guy with glasses, black hair, purple vest and an orange shirt floated near him.

 **Jutte Knight: Level 2, 700 Atk, 900 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Jutte Lord with the level 2 Jutte Knight! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 6, Goyo Predator!" Duel Chaser 227 Synchro Summoned his Monster.

 **Goyo Predator: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Next I activate the Equip Magic Card, Goyo Arrow from my Hand!" The Card depicted a gun with multiple holes for arrows. The gun appeared in front of the Card. "This Card can only be equipped to Goyo Monsters. I equip it to Goyo Predator! Now, I activate the effect of Goyo Arrow! Once per turn, the equipped Monster can deal damage to my opponent equal to its level multiplied by 100! My Goyo Predator is a level 6! So, you shall take 600 points of damage!"

Goyo Predator turned around and fired the minigun like mechanism as it pounded at Yuto's d-wheel, causing him to slightly swerve out of control.

 **Yuto: 4000-3400 LP**

"I end my turn." 227 finished.

"He couldn't attack in the first turn, but Duel Chaqser 227 has already inflicted damage on Yuto!" Melissa smiled.

"Now, it's your turn. What will you do? Will you Duel in this unjust tournament?" 227 interrogated Yuto rhetorically.

 _If they won't listen to words...then they'll have to listen to my Dueling!_

"My turn!" Yuto announced as he drew his Card. "I, using the Scale 1 Phantom Knights Scavenged Armor and the Scale 8 Phantom Knights Shattered Javelin, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto swiped the Cards across his Duel Disk as a body with a ghostlike head holding a broken javelin along with a set of armor with piercing green eyes floated upwards beside Yuto as a pendulum started swinging in between.

"Phantom Knights Pendulum Cards?!" Ruri widened her eyes. Yuto had never used Pendulum a Summoning except for the match before where he used Entermate Monsters. Which are Monsters that Sakaki Yusho uses, but even Sakaki Yusho didn't use Pendulum Monsters. What was going on?

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are from 2 to 7! Swing! Pendulum of my soul! Carve an arc of hope across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear beside me, my Monsters!" Yuto rose his hand to an opened portal where beams of light shot out, revealing 3 Monsters. "First up is Entermate Partnaga! Next up are two copies of Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace!"

 **Partnaga: Level 5, 500 Atk, 2100 Def**

 **Lost Vambrace: Level 2, 600 Atk, 0 Def**

"I activate Partnaga's effect! When this Card is Summoned, I get to target a Monster I control, and it gains 300 Attack for every Entermage Monster I control! I target Partnaga himself!" Yuto declared as a yellow aura appeared around the snake.

 **Partnaga: 500-800 Atk**

"What?! According to this thing that is those two Vambrace are Trap Monsters!" Melissa exclaimed out of shock as she looked at a screen that showed the Monsters, Magic and Traps, players, life points and basically anything during a Duel.

The audience started to jeer at this. Yuto heard multiple people say that he was cheating and that he was just scared to get sent to the underground facility.

"I'm not cheating!" Yuto interjected. He pointed a finger to Phantom Knights Shattered Javelin. "The Pendulum effect of Phantom Knights Shattered Javelin states that I am allowed to Pendulum Summon Magic or Traps that can be treated as Monsters with the stats their Cards display from my Hand or Graveyard! As long as the level of the Trap Monsters are within the Scale! If Trap Monsters are Pendulum Summoned from the Grave, they are banished when they leave the Field."

Shun grinned as he heard Yuto's explanation. "Hmph, Yuto isn't one to cheat, bastards. He always keeps surprising me."

"I overlay the both of the level 2 Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace! Piercing through ten thousand warriors, the cursed spear of rebellion entombed in darkness, descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!" Yuto recited the chant for his Xyz Monster.

 **Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def**

"Now everyone! Feast your eyes on this! I activate Cursed Javelin's effect! Once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can then negate the effects of a Monster you control and reduce its Attack down to 0!"

"What?!" Duel Chaser 227 gasped out of shock as Cursed Javelin pointed its spear at Goyo Predator. A blue fiery light erupted from the spear, striking Predator and stopping it in its tracks.

 **Goyo Predator: 2400-0 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin! Attack Goyo Predator!" Cursed Javelin jumped into the air and threw its spear towards Goyo Predator. The spear stabbed Goyo Predator, destroying the Monster. Duel Chaser 227 cried out in pain as he swerved from left to right in order to regain control of his d-wheel.

 **227: 4000-2400 LP**

"Now, Entermate Partnaga! Attack directly!" Yuto pointed his finger at his opponent as the snake slithered over to the voiceless and whipped Duel Chaser 227 on the back, causing him to wince as he slowed down, allowing Yuto to pass him.

 **227: 2400-1600 LP**

"And with this, Yuto has turned the tides completely!"

"I end my turn." Yuto concluded.

"He's doing much better than I thought." A man from the Tops commented.

"Well, it's because his opponent isn't Jack." A red haired girl wearing a white hat with a red stripe said.

"I'll win, and go back to the Tops…" Duel Chaser 227 mumbled in a way to boost his morale. "Back to being a duel chaser!" He had hated every second of his life after being thrown into the Commons. He had no money, he was attacked by gangs quite frequently, and he was sooner or later going to run out of food. He couldn't live in that dump called the Commons any longer. He has to win this game! So he could return to the Tops and his life of luxury!

"My turn!" Duel Chaser 227 slid the top Card of his Deck and looked at it. "I activate the Magic Card Monster Reborn! Return to me, Goyo Predator!" 227's Monster rose from the Grave.

"Not so fast!" Yuto reacted quickly as he thrusted his hand upwards. "Cursed Javelin's effect! I detach his second overlay unit!" Cursed Javelin turned around and pointed the spear at Goyo Predator.

Duel Chaser 227 spotted an Action Card up ahead of Yuto. He sped up he's d-wheel and rode to Yuto's right, and eventually passing him with ease. He held out his hand and got the Card into his grasp.

"Action Magic, Invisibility! I select Goyo Predator! And now, for the rest of the turn, my Monster can't be targeted by your effects nor can it be affected by other Card effects!" Duel Chaser 227 countered as a blue beam erupted from the spear and clashed with Goyo Predator. However, the Monster made no reaction whatsoever.

"Wow! Duel Chaser 227 not only got his Monster when it was just destroyed last turn, but he protected it from the deadly effect of Yuto's Monster!" Melissa commentated.

"Nice one!" People cheered on Duel Chaser 227.

"Now! Battle! Attack, Goyo Predator!" On his command, Goyo Predator set his sights on Cursed Javelin, whom 227 was pointing to. Goyo Predator threw its weapon at Cursed Javelin, destroying the Monster with no mercy. Yuto winced as the remains of his Monster rained down on him.

 **Yuto: 3400-2600 LP**

"Next, I use Goyo Predator's effect! When this Card destroys a Monster by battle and sends it to the Grave, I can Special Summon that Monster to my Field!" Yuto gasped out of shock after hearing this. "Come, Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!"

A portal appeared next to 227 as Yuto's Monster went over to the enemy's side.

"Duel Chaser 227 boosted his forces with Yuto's Monster!" Melissa pointed out the obvious by just looking in the Field.

"I attack Entermate Partnaga with Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!" Cursed Javelin leaped at its opponent and stabbed the snake with the spear, destroying.

"AHH!" Yuto yelled out of pain as he suffered even more damage.

 **Yuto: 2600-1800 LP**

"Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck when destroyed! So, you can't revive Partnaga!" Yuto informed Duel Chaser 227.

The man ignored this statement and simply clicked his tongue out of annoyance. "I end my turn." Under his glasses, 227 had closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"And in one turn, Duel Chaser 227 has managed to close the gap between the two even further with successive attacks!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Come on, Yuto!" Ruri rooted for her comrade.

"Don't lose now!" Yugo blurted out for no particular reason.

"I'm not done yet!" Yuto cried out loud as he ripped the Card of his Deck and glanced at it. Yuto widened his eyes as he saw the Card he drew.

It was Entermate Trump Witch. The Card that could make him Fusion Summon.

Yuto felt fear run down his spine just holding the Card. Memories of the war flooded his head. The screams, the cries of civilians being sealed into Cards. The laughing of the soldiers as they performed their horrendous deeds.

"ARGH!" Yuto clutched his head out pain as the memories kept flooding in. The emotions and torment were too much for him. His hand started to shake uncontrollably.

He couldn't do it! He couldn't use the Card! What if the method corrupted him? What if he ended up like the Academia soldiers back in Heartland? Merciless. Sadistic. And outright disgusting.

He couldn't risk that. He didn't know if he was overreacting or not anymore, he didn't know what to do anymore! And the thing was, it was only HIM who had to make the decision! To have the stakes this high to make a decision such as this! The other Duelists of the Resistance would never use Fusion, the same goes for Ruri and Shun.

He was alone in this decision.

He had no one.

" _Yuto."_ A voice spoke.

Yuto paused.

That's right, he wasn't alone. Yuya was there with him.

" _I'm going to regret saying this but...as much as the match is important to win...you don't have to use Fusion if you don't want to."_ Yuya told his counterpart with eyes of steel.

"Yuya…" Yuto ushered the name of his partner as he looked at a Trump Witch. He still had problems for the Card. Well, Fusion at least. He couldn't use the Card. It's not just that he didn't want to, he just couldn't. Even if he wanted to use Fusion, his scales were full. Trump Witch can only bring out a Fusion Monster in the Pendulum Scale.

"Oi! How long are you going to keep sitting there for?! Get on it with it!" Duel Chaser 227 rushed Yuto as the crowd agreed, insulting Yuto with comments such as 'you're just scared to get sent to the underground' and 'scaredy-cat!'

"Using the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Reappear, my Monsters!" Yuto raise his hand up to the sky as three beams of light flew to his Field, revealing three Monsters.

From the Extra Deck was Entermate Partnaga in Defense Position, and from the Grave was two copies of Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Phantom Knights Scavenged Armor! Once per turn, I can declare a level from 1-6! All Monsters on the Field that have the declared Level have their levels doubled! I declare 2! So, my Lost Vambraces levels double!" Yuto explained the effect of his Monster.

 **Lost Vambrace(s): Level 2-4**

"I overlay the two level 4 Lost Vambraces!" Yuto's two Monsters turned into overlay units as they flew into the portal that opened in front of him. A light erupted from the hole when the Monsters entered. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"It's Yuto's ace Monster!" Melissa noted.

"With Dark Rebellion's effect, Yuto can end it this turn." Ryoga said.

"I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster until the end of the turn! Then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount! Treason Discharge!" Yuto cried out as Dark Rebellion assaulted Goyo Predator with purple electricity, weakening the Monster.

 **Goyo Predator: 2400-1200 Atk**

 **Dark Rebellion: 2500-3700 Atk**

"Good going!" The audience immediately switched to Yuto's side as he was winning.

"Get him!" Someone cheered.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" The crowd chanted repeatedly.

"Send him flying!" A Commons shouted.

"Smash him to bits!" Another person joined in.

"Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!"

The words were repeating in his head. They were glad that 227 was going to lose.

 _If I attack, I win. But then…_

"Come on, Yuto. What the hell are you doing?" Shun wondered.

Duel Chaser 227 had almost given up until he saw an Action a Card in front of him.

"Over there!" He yelled as he made a mad dash...or a mad ride for the Action Card, an Action which caught Yuto off guard.

The former officer drove up the wall and launched himself off, snatching the Action Card from its bubble.

"Duel Chaser 227 grabbed an Action Card! That's some impressive d-wheel maneuvering!️" Melissa complimented 227.

"Action Magic, Battle Lock! During this turn, my opponent cannot declare an attack!" A chain appeared from the Card as it wrapped itself around Dark Rebellion. The dragon howled at being restrained.

"You missed your chance at victory! Being like this would get just lead you to your grave around here!" Duel Chaser 227 mocked Yuto for his incapability of finishing the job.

"Damn it, Yuto!" Shun cursed as he slammed his hands onto the table in front of him out of anger. "Why are you so soft?!"

"The heck are you doing!" Someone yelled.

"Don't you even wanna win?!" Another person from the audience asked loud.

"Turn end." Yuto said simply as the chains were dispersed from his ace. "At this moment, Dark Rebellion's effect ends, and the Attack of Both Monsters return to normal."

 **Dark Rebellion: 3700-2500 Atk**

 **Goyo Predator: 1200-2400 Atk**

"Why? Why would you do that, Yuto?" Ryoga questioned. "You don't know nothing about the guy, yet you still treat him with care, even though he taunted you…mocked you..."

"Yuto...I think I understand why you hesitated…" Ruri whispered to herself.

It was because he didn't want to hurt his opponent.

Yuto was like many others of the Resistance. He didn't even want to be in the war. But out of all of the Resistance members, Yuto seemed like the person who wanted to fight the least. He had the appearance of a battle hardened soldier, but deep down in his heart, he hates to fight.

"My turn!" Duel Chaser 227 drew the top Card of his Deck. His eyes beamed as he saw the Card. "I Summon another copy of Jutte Knight from my Hand! Next, since I control a Warrior-Type Monster, I Special Summon Kiribi Lady!"

 **Kiribi Lady: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"I tune the level 1 Kiribi Lady with the level 2 Jutte Knight! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 3, Goyo Defender!" Duel Chaser 227 Synchro Summoned as his Monster appeared.

 **Goyo Defender: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Chief! I'll present you my victory to you with the Cards you gave me! I activate the Magic Card, Fusion!"

"Fusion?!" Melissa exclaimed out of shock.

Horrified expressions appeared on the faces of Yuto, Shun, Ryoga, and Ruri, while looks of shock appeared on the other faces of the Lancers.

How is someone of the Synchro Dimension using Fusion?! The Synchro Dimension have just learned of the method?! There couldn't be someone using the method now! Which meant only one thing, Academia is already here.

"I fuse a Goyo Defender with my Goyo Predator! Fusion Summon! Appear, level 10! Goyo Emperor!" Duel Chaser 227 bellowed as a person sitting in a throne with a white necklace appeared alongside 227.

 **Goyo Emperor: Level 10, 3300 Atk, 2500 Def**

"A level 10...Fusion Monster…" Yuto whispered as more memories flooded in. This time of multiple Ancient Gear Chaos Giants roaming the city, destroying everything in its path, starting fires, injuring people, potentially killing people, and destroying the peace of a city once filled with smiles.

"Fusion…" Reiji repeated the name of the method.

"Don't tell me…" O'Brien walked over to Akaba Reiji.

"Yes. Our fear has been confirmed. There is a member of Academia in this dimension." Reiji spoke at a low enough voice so the council couldn't hear.

"Go! Goyo Emperor, attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Goyo Emperor turned around and faced the dragon. The emperor took a deep breath, blowing out fire at the dragon, incinerating the beast immediately. Yuto flinched as he took damage, moving his d-wheel slightly away from Dark Rebellion to avoid most of the shockwave ensuing from the dragon's destruction.

 **Yuto: 1800-1000 LP**

"I activate Goyo Emperor's effect! It negated the destruction of the opponent's Monster it battled! However, I then gain control of that Monster!" 227 revealed the upside of the effect for him.

"So that means even Pendulum Monsters will be affected by this Card!" Melissa suddenly realized.

Dark Rebellion reappeared to Yuto's Field, only to disappear again and to reappear once again over to 227's side. 227 threw up his hands.

"As long as Goyo Emperor is on the Field, I control your ace Monster!" Yuto growled in response to this statement. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Attack Entermate Partnaga!" Dark Rebellion rushed to the snake, ready to pounce on its prey.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Phantom Knights Scavenged Armor! When an Xyz Monster is on the Field and a Monster I control were to be destroyed, I can send to the Graveyard this Card from my Pendulum Zone instead!" Yuto countered as his Monster disappeared into a vortex. Dark Rebellion head butted the snake, however, the animal was protected by the image of a suit of armor. Dark Rebellion retreated right as the armor disappeared.

"You're not safe! Action Magic, Single Destruction!" 227 activated a Card on the ground. "Since you only control one Monster, I destroy your Partnaga!" 227 turned his d-wheel around as a lightning bolt electrocuted the Partnaga to destruction.

"Yuto has no more Monsters on his Field!" Melissa pointed out.

"If he attacks, the match is set!" Someone from the audience spoke.

"Get him!" Someone cheered as the audience erupted into claps and cheers for 227, once again only cheering for the person who was winning.

"Checkmate!" Duel Chaser 227 held up his fist out of victory.

"Yuto!" Both Ruri and Yuzu called the name of their friend out of concern.

"What are you doing, Yuto?! He's gotten all pumped!" Sawatari yelled at the screen, knowing full well that Yuto couldn't hear him.

Shun looked at the screen with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. And neither could Ryoga.

"Shall we see how this man will crumble at my feet?!" 227 asked the audience in a mocking tone towards Yuto.

Time had slowed down for Yuto in that moment. The claps of the audience echoed in his mind. The insults thrown at him during the course of this Duel. The laughs. The laughs were of greed...and something else that reminded him of the laughs that the soldiers of Academia had in Heartland. And that, was the worst part.

He looked down.

The laughs he heard that day has haunted him. And now, to hear something similar, hurt him. It reminded Yuto of how much he had failed.

"Go! I attack directly with Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!"

The words were in slow motion, and Yuto didn't seem to hear them.

" _Yuto!"_ Yuya's voice called out to the boy, but his Xyz counterpart couldn't hear the voice.

There was only one thing he could hear at that point as he continued to fade out of reality.

" **One cannot make everyone happy. To make people smile, you have to give in to the urge of the audience. Give them what they want. Give them...the destruction of that trash you're mucking in the mud with. Rise...yearn for more power. Give into the hate. The hate will get you what you want. Give into the power of the supreme king, and you will be free of your pain. The pain of living through such tragedy and despair. It's an endless cycle of fighting. Fighting will only bring more fighting. And more fighting will lead to more hatred and anger. And more of those will bring more power. And with more power, there is even more fighting. It's an endless cycle. It will never end. Give into the power of the supreme king, and maybe it could end for you.** " The dark voice said. The voice was just suffocating to listen to.

Yet, it sounded so convincing…and soothing…

Yuto revealed his face. It was full of anger and hatred as Yuto's veins could be seen at the top of his face. Yuto's pupils were glowing with a blue tint.

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Phantom Knights Scavenged Armor! When a direct attack is declared while this Card lies, I am allowed to Special Summon the Card, negate the attack, and then end the Battle Phase!" Cursed Javelin backed away as the suit of armor rose from the Graveyard. A set of blue eyes appeared inside the helmet.

 **Scavenged Armor: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def**

"A 2100 Attack Monster is Summoned onto Yuto's Field!" Melissa viewed the Field, not noticing what was wrong with Yuto.

Duel Chaser 227 grit his teeth out of annoyance. "What futile resistance. Turn end."

"Yuto's taken heavy damage! And he doesn't have a Monster left on his Field! What can he do?!" Melissa asked the question the audience thinking.

Yuto put a hand on the top of his Deck.

At that moment, Jack noticed Yuto's change in demeanor. It was completely different earlier.

"My...turn!" Yuto roared as he swiped the top Card of the Deck, a purple light glowing in his Extra Deck as Yuya's pendant was glowing around his neck. However, the pendant was hidden by the riding suit.

"I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 4 Entermate Trump Witch and the already set Scale 8 Phantom Knights Shattered Javelin!" Yuto slammed the Card onto his other Pendulum Zone as the word Pendulum played across his screen. "With this I can Summon Monsters from levels 5 to 7! Pendulum Summon! Revive from the Extra Deck, Entermate Partnaga!"

The previously destroyed snake returned to the Field.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Entermate Trump Witch! Once per turn, using Monsters I control as Materials, I can conduct a Fusion Summon!" Yuto revealed.

"What?!" Ryoga's jaw dropped out of shock.

"Yuto is...using Fusion?!" Shun spoke out of both anger and confusion.

"Yuto…" Ruri looked at the screen in awe.

"So has he finally gotten over it?" Yuzu asked herself.

Unknown to both Ruri and Yuzu, their bracelets were glowing slightly. The same was happening to Serena, who in the underground.

"Yuto has just revealed the ability to be able to use 3 Summoning methods! Fusion, Pendulum, and Xyz!" Melissa said.

"I fuse Entermate Partnaga and Phantom Knights Scavenged Armor! Dark shadow that resonates with the innocent beast! Merge into one fearsome being and unleash your dark powers to the rest of this pathetic world! Fusion Summon! Appear! The dark warrior that strikes fear into those it faces! Supreme Paladin of Rebellion-Enterknight Dark Phantom!" Yuto Fusion Summoned his new Monster as a warrior clad in purple with a black purple sword appeared to the Field. The warrior, had black eyes, void of emotion, as if it was a robot. On its sword, the kanji for Rebellion could be seen at the hilt.

 **Enterknight Dark Phantom: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Alright! This just got interesting!" Someone from the audience smirked as the other people agreed and cheered for Yuto to finish 227 off.

"Battle! Dark Phantom, attack Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin! Slash of Rebellion!" Yuto declared as the Fusion Monster jumped towards Cursed Javelin, slicing and dicing the Monster into pieces. 227 leaned forward as he took damage in Ryder to keep control.

 **227: 1600-700 LP**

"I activate Dark Phantom's effect! Once per turn, when a Card on the Field is destroyed, I am allowed to destroy another Card on the Field! Disappear, Goyo Emperor!" After Yuto's explanation, Dark Phantom slashed its sword at Goyo Emperor, destroying the Monster. 227 covered himself from the smoke of the explosion.

"Now that Goyo Emperor is gone, Dark Rebellion returns to my Field." Yuto stated as Dark Rebellion flew over to his owner. "Now! Time to finish you off for good! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack him directly and end this! Rebellious Lightning Disobey!" Dark Rebellion flew towards 227 as his fangs surged with electricity.

"Damn it!" 227 cursed out loud, however, he noticed an Action a Card up ahead. "Alright!"

"Oh no you don't!" Yuto yelled as he accelerated his d-wheel even further, smashing his right into 227's d-wheel, causing him to move away from the Action Card.

Dark Rebellion then came and flew upwards, causing a shockwave that blew away 227.

"AHHHHH!" 227 cried out in pain as he fell of his d-wheel, hitting the cold ground.

 **227: 700-0 LP**

The audience cheered when the winner was finally decided. Yuto parked his d-wheel at the garage.

Yuto held his head in pain as he blinked a couple of times. He rubbed his eyes. They were no longer glowing blue. They were back to the normal gray hue.

"Yuto...this wasn't how you were supposed to use Fusion." Yuzu whispered to herself.

The Xyz Duelists, and O'Brien still didn't believe that Yuto had used Fusion.

"Wait. Fusion are the people that attacked Yuto's home. So why is he using their Summoning method?" Yugo wondered out loud in his quarters.

Reiji looked at the screen. _You're getting closer._

"Oh, so that's his true nature." Roget, who is in his office said. "Looks like 227's defeat was not wasted."

"Yuto, splendid work! His missed chance at victory out him in a pinch, but he pulled out in the end. Highlights aplenty!" Melissa congratulated Yuto.

"Nice job! That was interesting!"

"The best!"

"Yuto! Yuto! Yuto!" He heard the chants of his name now.

"What the hell happened?" Yuto asked himself as he looked at his Duel Disk to see a Fusion Monster on it. "Oh yeah! I used Fusion. But where did this Card come from? Oh no!" Yuto turned his head to where 227 was. He was being carried out on a stretcher.

"I did that...all because I used Fusion!" Yuto widened his eyes out of horror. He had lost himself in that short timespan. "If that is how it's going to be...then I can't use it! I can't use Fusion! Plus, Shun and the others are going to be beyond pissed at me now! I never thought about how they would feel if I were to use the Summoning method…" Yuto looked at the Card and picked it up. He then took out his Extra Deck and out it at the bottom.

"I can't use Fusion. Not like this."

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Scavenged Armor, Dark, Warrior, Pendulum, Scale 1: Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, you can declare a level from 1 to 6. Monsters on the Field with the declared level have their levels doubled. When a Monster would be destroyed while an Xyz Monster is on the Field, you can send this a Card to the Grave instead. Monster Effect: If a direct attack is declared while this Card is in your Grave, you can Special Summon this Card, negate the attack and end the Battle Phase. If this Card is destroyed, you can place it in your Pendulum Zone.**

 **Phantom Knights Shattered Javelin, Dark, Warrior, Pendulum, Scale 8: Pendulum Effect: You can Pendulum Summon Magic or Trap Phantom Knight Monsters as long as their level is in the range of the current scale. Monster Effect: When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, add a Phantom Knights Card to your Hand. You can only activate this effect of Phantom Knights Shattered Javelin once per turn.**

 **Enterknight Dark Phantom, Dark, Warrior, Fusion: 1 Entermate Monster + 1 Phantom Knights Monster. Once per turn, when a Card on the Field is destroyed, you can destroy another Card on the Field. When this Card is destroyed, you can banish an Entermate or Phantom Knights Monster from your Graveyard, Special Summon this Card, then, this Card gains Attack equal to the Attack of the banished Monster until the end of the turn.**

* * *

 **Welp! Looks like I've got some explaining to do.**

 **Now. Why have I not updated in...12 days or so. Well, Days 1-3ish was traveling and unpacking. Days 4-6ish were relaxing, getting used to life back at home and catching up with some friends. Day 7-10 me being an usuratonkachi (If you watch the first Naruto subbed you'll know what an usuratonkachi is. Though for me the dub is actually better than the subbed in some scenes, in which case I still prefer the dub.)**

 **Anyways, basically I was being an idiot for the past 5 days and I didn't start working on the chapter again since yesterday. Hope you guys understand lol!**

 **rgriffin8999: When you say 'that guys' who are you referring to? I won't be able to answer if I don't know who.**

 **Unknowndez: Who knows…**

 **Skadi: A Jack vs Kaito duel? Now that is a mouthwatering one just thinking about it.**

 **Matrixnis: YOU CAN NEVER SUE ME! Honestly, other than the reason I gave in last chapter, one of the other reasons why I had it be a Standing Duel was because I cannot picture Reiji riding a d-wheel. Every time I do, I just laugh out loud like a monkey and forget. That's one thing I HATED about Canon Arc-V Jack. He didn't a flipping card game on a motorcycle for the Tops and Commons.**

 **Alright! Now, with that out of the way I am now going to post this chapter and go dump my head in a bucket of water as punishment for not updating in 12 days. Should be fun!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	75. Super Mega New Sawatari Shingo VS Yugo

The Xyz counterpart of Sakaki Yuya walked into his quarters as the door was unlocked thanks to Sam, who closed the door behind him, leaving the Xyz Duelist to ponder on what he did during his match.

"I don't want to hurt anyone." He kept telling himself after his match. But no matter how much he whispered that to himself. That feeling of guilt was still beating at him like flames that never go out. "No matter what I do...I always somehow end up hurting someone…"

Yuto heard the television switched on, as he heard Melissa Claire's voice play through.

"The next match of the Friendship Cup Yugo vs Sawatari Shingo!"

"Sawatari…" Yuzu's ears perked up at the familiar name.

"So he's up before me huh? That's too bad." Dennis said from his room, not really bothered by it at all.

"It's that guy." Ryoga mused after hearing Yugo's name, remembering the encounter Yuto had with the boy.

"Why is it Shingo again! It's about time I, Sawatari Shingo, got my turn!" Sawatari grabbed his hair out of frustration, before coming to a realization. "How could I be so stupid! That's me!"

"Alright. The moment I have been waiting for is here!" Yugo revved up his d-wheel, ready to go. He suddenly got a serious expression on his face. "Rin...wherever you are...watch me. I swear it, I will win and fulfill our dreams. Then, immediately after, I will continue my search for you, no matter what! Oh, that's right! I should talk about the interdimensional war in Yuzu's place, since she totally forgot."

"Sorry for the long wait, everyone!" Melissa apologized through the microphone. "Our Duelists are now making their entrance!"

"Alright!" Yugo yelled out of excitement as he launched his d-wheel into the air.

"First up is Yugo!" Melissa introduced the Duelist to the audience as the boy crashed to the ground.

The crowd started cheering at seeing Yugo.

"Next, Sawatari Shingo!" Melissa spoke the name of the eccentric Entertainment Duelist, who took after Yugo and also launched himself into the air when entering the stadium.

"The wait is over!" Sawatari raised his hand with a wide smile. "The star of The a Friendship Cup, Sawatari Shingo, makes his debut!" As he landed, he waved to the audience, to which he was getting very bad reception from.

"Who the hell are you?!" Someone questioned out loud so Sawatari could hear.

"Some star you are!" Another person from the audience scoffed as people continued to diss Sawatari.

"I don't know who you are!" Someone called out to Sawatari.

Both Duelists parked their d-wheels at the startling line.

"An excited, lively audience. This stage was made for me!" Sawatari turned to Yugo. "I won't settle for a subpar Duel."

"Right back at you." Yugo responded with a smirk.

"Hah! Let's see if you're more than just talk." Sawatari spoke.

"I think that's what I should be saying to you." Yugo said because of how he has seen Sawatari acting so far. However, deep inside his head, Yugo was having some...slightly negative thoughts about Sawatari.

 _This guy...he's egotistical and so...full of himself! He acts just like the normal Tops citizen would...like a spoiled brat!_

"Sparks fly between our contestants even before we begin! Now, let's begin! Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!" Melissa snapped as the entire stadium was enveloped in by an Action Field.

 _Duel Mode! On! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

The timer appeared in front of both Yugo and Sawatari as they narrowed their eyes at it, ready to punch the engines right when the timer hit 0.

3.

2.

"Riding Duuuuuuuuuuuuel!" Melissa started, stretching the word 'Duel' for some odd reason.

1.

"Acceleration!"

Go!

Both Duelists zoomed off like rockets at the same speed, neither one of them was ahead of the other.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists exclaimed in unison.

"I'm taking the first move!" Yugo proclaimed as he sped ahead of Shingo.

Shingo smirked out of amusement as he gripped the handlebar in an attempt to speed up. However, his d-wheel did a wheelie, much to the boy's surprise, which was evident by his shriek of fear, causing Yugo to glance back at him.

Sawatari had no control of his d-wheel as he kept swerving from left to right in the wheelie position all the while gaining on Yugo. He would have collided with Yugo if the latter didn't move to his right slightly. Sawatari's d-wheel returned to its normal position as he was now ahead of Yugo.

"He's ahead!" Melissa bellowed. "Taking the first corner and the first turn is Sawatari Shingo!"

Sawatari took multiple deep breaths as he tried to compose himself. "That was close!"

"You're not bad." Yugo admitted.

"How'd you like my Riding technique?" Sawatari asked Yugo.

A confused look grew on Yugo's face. _His Riding technique? Anyone can do a wheelie with enough practice._

"I'm getting serious now!" Sawatari retorted. "Time to kick off my entertainment theatre! I'll put on the ultimate performance! My turn!" Sawatari picked up a Card from his Hand. "However, we cannot end the show too quickly! That way it wouldn't be a good show! From my Hand, I Summon Abyss Actor-Wild Hope!"

With the Summon, a Monster holding a blow horn type mechanism wearing a black and yellow hat appeared, ready to fight at any moment.

 **Wild Hope: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Abyss Actor? Sawatari switched Decks yet again?! This has to be the third time!" Yuzu grabbed her hair in her room.

"I set a Card and end my turn." As he spoke, a set Card materialized in front of Sawatari's d-wheel before disappearing. Yugo sped up to get closer to Sawatari, who glanced back at him. "You're up! Don't disappoint me!"

"I'm not going to hold back! My turn!" Yugo drew the top Card of his Deck. "I Summon the Tuner Monster Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" A blue colored pyramid shaped Monster with red eyes on each side appeared next to Yugo.

 **Tri-Eyed Dice: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Next, if I control a Wind Monster, I am allowed to Special Summon this Card from my Hand!" Yugo lifted another Card from his Hand and revealed it. "Come, Speedroid Taketomborg!" A toy robot appeared onto the Field next to Yugo's Tri-Eyed Dice.

 **Taketomborg: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I tune the level 3 Speedroid Taketomborg with my level 3 Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" Yugo lifted his hand in front of him as Tri-Eyed Dice transformed into three rings. Taketomborg was enveloped in therings and it turned into 3 bright white stars. "Magical sword with the form of a cross. Use your power to rend all enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 6! High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama!"

 **Magical Sword Dama: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate Magical Sword Dama's effect! Once per turn, by banishing a Speedroid Monster from my Graveyard, I am allowed to inflict 500 points of damage to you! I banish Speedroid Taketomborg! Take 500 damage!" Yugo pointed at Sawatari as his Monster let out a green ray at his opponent. Sawatari moves to the right slightly to avoid collision, however, the ray hit the ground and caused a minor shockwave, causing Sawatari to lose control of the d-wheel for a moment.

 **Sawatari: 4000-3500 LP**

"Battle! Go, High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama! Attack and destroy Abyss Actor-Wild Hope!" Yugo declared as Magical Sword Dama sped up towards Sawatari's Monster, stabbing in it the stomach, immediately destroying the Monster.

"AHHH!" Sawatari yelled out of pain as he slowed down his d-wheel to avoid falling off, allowing Yugo to pass him.

 **Sawatari: 3500-2900 LP**

"Yugo's already chipped off more than a quarter of Sawatari's life points!" Melissa noted as the Duelists made a turn.

"I activate the effect of Wild Hope! When this Card is destroyed, I am allowed to add an Abyss Actor Monster from my Deck to my Hand! I add Abyss Actor-Twinkle Littlestar!" A Card was ejected out of Sawatari's Deck as he grabbed it and revealed it.

Yugo glanced back at Sawatari to see the Card. When seeing the Card, he widened his eyes, but regained his composure so fast that if you blinked you wouldn't be able to see any sort of difference in Yugo's current expression.

 _Pendulum…_ The thought wisped through Yugo's head in the blink of an eye.

"Lastly, I set two Cards and end my turn." Yugo concluded as he swiped two f the Cards in his Hand across his Duel Disk. Two Cards appeared in front of Yugo before immediately disappearing.

"The preparations are set for the ultimate performance! My turn, draw! I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 2 Abyss Actor-Pretty Heroine and the Scale 9 Abyss Actor-Twinkle Littlestar!" Sawatari quickly placed the Cards on each ends of his Duel Disk. The world Pendulum was spelled out on his Duel Disk as Sawatari's Monsters rose into blue tubes that appeared on his sides.

"Ooooh! Sawatari Shingo has just revealed the ability to Pendulum Summon!" Melissa exclaimed out of shock.

"I'm not done just yet! I activate my set Card! It's the Trap Card Abyss Actors Back Stage! If I have two Abyss Actor Cards in my Pendulum Zones, I am allowed to add 2 Abyss Actor Pendulum Monsters with different names to my Extra Deck face-up from my Deck! The two I choose, are Abyss Actor-Devil Heel and Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie!" Sawatari explained as he took two Cards from his Deck and placed them into his Extra Deck compartment.

"A Card effect that allows you to move a Pendulum Card from the Deck to the Extra Deck? Looks like you're not just talk." Yugo smiled at his opponent.

"I'm far from done! With my already set Scales, I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters whose levels are from 3 to 8! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my servants!" Out of a portal, three beams beams rushed onto the Field. First was Abyss Actor-Wild Hope. Following that was Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie, and finally was Abyss Actor-Devil Heel.

 **Sassy Rookie: Level 4, 1700 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Devil Heel: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate the effect of Abyss Actor-Devil Heel! When this Monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target a Monster you control and have it lose 1000 Attack for every Abyss Actor Monster I currently control!" Sawatari informed Yugo as he pointed to Magical Sword Dama. "I control 3 Abyss Actor Monsters! So, your Magical Sword Dama's Attack is reduced to 0!"

"What?!" Yugo gaped as he looked at his Monster, a purple aura surrounded it, reducing its Attack.

 **Magical Sword Dama: 2200-0 Atk**

"I'm not finished! The true part of my Entertainment begins now! Here and now, you all will be the first to witness my newest evolution!" Sawatari raised his arms with a grin on his face as a way to attract the audience. Suddenly, his d-wheel tumbled out of control. "AHH! WAAAAAAAAAH!"

Sawatari quickly grabbed onto the handlebars and regained control of his d-wheel.

"After making a bold statement, Sawatari Shingo has decided to make a fool of himself!" Melissa noted. "Can what he boasted about make up for his foolish display?!"

Sawatari snapped at Melissa hearing those words. "Shut up and watch woman!" He turned his attention back to Yugo. "Are you ready?"

"Get on with it!" Yugo urged Sawatari, already impatient with all of the stalling.

"You asked for it! I, using the level 4 Abyss Actor-Wild Hope and Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie, overlay!" Sawatari declared.

"What?!" Ryoga almost shouted out of shock. "Since when could he Xyz Summon?!"

"Sawatari can Xyz Summon?" Gongenzaka mused with his arms crossed, albeit he was a little shocked as well.

"Since when could that idiot Xyz Summon?" Shun wondered out loud.

"No way!" Yuto gasped, breaking out of his trance after Sawatari's declaration.

Sawatari's Monsters turned into overlay units, flying to the portal that opened in front of him. When they were inside, an explosion was heard from the portal as a beam of light rushed out.

"Rookie of the underworld, wild gunslinger of the underworld's very own Wild West, draw forth each other's power and become the antagonistic star! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4, Abyss Actor-Dark Star!" Sawatari grinned as his Xyz Monster appeared.

The Monster wore a black cowboy hat, covering his eyes clad in a black cowboy jacket and pants, with a gun holster and a knuckle duster on his right hand. The Abyss Actor revealed his face, revealing blood red eyes with black pupils.

 **Dark Star: Rank 4, 2400 Atk, 1800 Def**

"Wow! This is going to be my second time fighting an Xyz Monster! I'm getting excited!" Yugo looked at his hand as he made a fist.

"Amazing! Sawatari has just revealed the ability to Xyz Summon! But...Pendulum into Xyz...Yuto already did that…" Melissa murmured through the microphone.

The audience jeered at the fact that it was something already done and not new.

"Oi! Just shut up and watch!" Sawatari snapped at the audience. "Yuto may have performed it first, but that doesn't mean he's better than me at it! Now, witness the descent of the new Super Mega New Sawatari Shingo!"

In the council room, O'Brien glanced over to Akaba Reiji, who was merely looking at the screen with a neutral expression on his face.

"Let me guess, you gave him the Cards." O'Brien said to a Reiji, who simply nodded in response.

"Of course." O'Brien sighed.

"I activate the effect of Dark Star! When this guy is Special Summoned, I am allowed to pick 3 Magic Cards from my Deck that has 'Abyss Actor' in its name! Then, you pick 1 at random, the one you picked is added to my Hand, while the other two Cards are sent to the Graveyard!" Sawatari picked out 3 Cards from his Deck.

The Cards were Abyss Script-Opening Ceremony, Abyss Script-Fantasy Magic, and Abyss Script-Rise of the Demon King. Yugo had unknowingly picked Abyss Script-Opening Ceremony. Shingo added the Card to his Hand and sent the other two to the Graveyard.

"I activate the Magic Card Abyss Script-Opening Ceremony! I gain 500 life points for each Abyss Actor Monster I control! I control 2, so I gain 1000 life points!" Sawatari explained as fireworks erupted from the Card as Sawatari grinned.

 **Sawatari: 2900-3900 LP**

"Damn, he nearly regained all of his life points." Yugo muttered to himself.

"Battle! Go, Abyss Actor-Devil Heel, attack High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama!" Devil Heel jumped over to Sword Dama in order to trample the Monster.

"Continuous Trap, Burning Sonic, activate! When a Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I am allowed to negate the attack, then, the attacked Monster gains 500 Attack!" Magical Sword Dama moved out of the way as Devil Heel slammed onto the Field, hitting nothing as the Monster jumped back to Sawatari.

 **Magical Sword Dama: 0-500 Atk**

"Dark Star, continue the onslaught!" Sawatari commanded as his Monster pulled out a gun, shooting at Magical Sword Dama.

"From the Graveyard, I activate the effect of Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice! This Card will negate your attack!" Yugo countered as his Monster once again dodged.

"Yugo has managed to keep his Monster on the Field without taking a single point of damage!" Melissa exclaimed.

"I don't think so! I activate the effect of my Dark Star! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I am allowed to attack your Monster again! Also, until the end of the next turn, this Card gains Attack equal to the amount of Magic Cards in the Graveyard with 'Abyss Actor' in their names times 500! There are 3 Magic Cards, so my Monster gains 1500 Attack!" Sawatari revealed as a purple aura enveloped his Monster.

 **Dark Star: 2400-3900 Atk**

"Attack, Dark Star!"

"Shit!" Yugo cursed under his breath as his Monster was destroyed by being punched by Dark Star, Yugo swerved from left to right to stay in control. Sawatari passed Yugo.

 **Yugo: 4000-600 LP**

"With that, I set a Card and end my turn." Sawatari concluded as he glanced back at Yugo. "Come on, you can do better than that!"

"I made a promise to Rin that I would win the Friendship Cup, I won't lose!" Yugo whispered as he drew his Card. Yugo looked at the Card he drew. Perfect! Yugo scanned the rest of his Hand as he took out a Card. "I activate the Magic Card Speed Rebirth! With this Card, I am allowed to revive a Speedroid Monster in my Graveyard! Come back, High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama!"

As a portal formed in an empty space in front of Yugo, Magical Sword Dama Rose from the ashes to see the light of day once again.

"But he won't be staying here for long!" Yugo told Sawatari as he held the Card he drew in his hand. "From my Hand, I Normal Summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"

 **Red-Eyed Dice: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"I tune the level 6 Magical Sword Dama with the level 1 Tuner Monster Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!" Yugo declared as his two Monsters flew up above. Red-Eyed Dice transformed into a white ring as Magical Sword Dama turned into 6 bright white stars as a flash of white light surged through the lone ring, all the while with Yugo reciting a chant. "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

 **Clear Wing: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Yugo has brought out a strong dragon with 2500 Attack, but will it be enough to topple Sawatari's Monsters?" Melissa asked rhetorically.

Yuto was silently watching the television, suddenly, his ears detected a sound coming from his room. He looked to his Deck and saw it emitting a dim light.

Meanwhile, Reiji narrowed his eyes at the sight of the dragon. _Yugo...the same boy who single handedly took out 3 members of the Obelisk Force in 1 move without even declaring an attack, all the while manipulating his opponent's Cards to win. He seems to be no pushover…_

"A dragon, huh. A fitting antagonist. Sawatari's Entertainment Theatre! In today's program, Slaying the Dragon! I'll cut you down in one blow!" Sawatari exclaimed.

"Just try it!" Yugo challenged Sawatari before continuing with his turn, picking up a Card from his Hand. "Whenever a Monster is Special a Summoned to my side of the Field, I am allowed to Special Summon this Card from my Hand! Come, Speedroid Rubberband Plane!"

 **Rubberband Plane: Level 5, 1800 Atk, 0 Def**

"When this Card is Special Summoned, I can target and decrease the Attack of a Monster on the Field by 600! I choose my Clear Wing!" Yugo selected his desired Monster.

"What?! Why would you reduce the Attack of your own Monster?!" Sawatari questioned out of shock.

"It seems the dragon will be slain easily will the advantage Yugo has given Sawatari!" Melissa took the time to speak.

In his quarters, Yuto picked up the Deck and looked at it. He moved Dark Rebellion off the top of the Deck, as the Card wasn't glowing. The next Card however...was.

The glowing Card was Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Yuto looked at the Card confused while Yuya was mesmerized by the sight.

" _Odd Eyes…"_

The next thing Yuya knew, he wasn't in the quarters anymore, he was on a d-wheel. After a help of shock after realizing that he could fall, he soon realized that he didn't have control of the body. He looked to see that he was Dueling Sawatari.

" _Why is…Sawatari there? Am I Dueling?"_ Yuya wondered. Yuya looked up to see Clear Wing flying next to him, roaring out loud for the audience to hear. " _Clear Wing...Synchro Dragon...the dragon that Yugo used to beat me…"_

"At this moment, I activate the effect of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo suddenly spoke. For some reason, Yuya knew what was next, so he recited the effect in unison with Yugo.

"When a level 5 or higher Monster activates its effect on the Field, I can negate the activation and destroy the Monster! Dichroic Mirror!" Both counterparts shouted as the wings of the dragon flowed a light green. Clear Wing let out multiple shards of light at Rubberband Plane, destroying the Monster.

"Yugo has just negated the effect of his Monster and destroyed! Could it be…" Melissa trailed off, remembering what happened during the Duel between Yugo and Duel Chaser 227.

"Next, Clear Wing gains the Attack of the destroyed Monster!" Yuya and Yugo spoke in unison as Clear Wing gained a green aura.

 **Clear Wing: 2500-4300 Atk**

 _I can destroy his Devil Heel, but he can just Pendulum Summon the Monster back to the Field, and in the off chance that he gets something to negate Clear Wing's effect, I'll be screwed!_ Yugo carefully analyzed the Field, something that Rin has told him to do many times. _If I destroy the Xyz Monster, I won't have to worry about it, so the choice is obvious!_

"Battle!" Yugo declared.

" _Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack and destroy Abyss Actor-Dark Star!"_ Yuya finished.

"Whirlwind Hell Diving Slasher!" The boy's called out the name of the Attack as Clear Wing flew spiraled into the air and came tumbling down towards Dark Star. Clear Wing rammed right into the Monster, shattering the Monster into particles. Sawatari bent over to keep control as he was pelted with the particles of his now deceased Monster.

 **Sawatari: 3900-2000 LP**

"I activate another effect of my Abyss Actor-Dark Star! When it is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can add a Magic Card with Abyss Actor in its text from my Grave to my Hand! I return Abyss Script-Rise of the Demon King to my Hand!"

Sawatari's desired Card was ejected from the Grave as he slid it out and added it to his Hand.

"I end my turn." Yugo concluded. His serious expression turned into a grin. "My Field is set up. You're the one who's gonna be slain."

"You're pretty good. But the least the villain can do is keep up the excitement! My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Abyss Encore! I am allowed to Special Summon an Abyss Actor Monster in my Extra Deck or my Graveyard! Return, Sassy Rookie!" A portal appeared in front of Sawatari as his chosen Monster jumped out of it.

"For some reason, Sawatari Shingo decided to revive a weaker Monster! Why not the Xyz Monster?" Melissa wondered.

"You Summoned a level 4 Monster out of desperation. A Monster like that is no match for Clear Wing." Yugo said as he looked at the recently revived Sassy Rookie, who was glaring at him.

"Don't underestimate a Card just by its appearance. That is a lesson I've learned from two people. And frankly, I'm kind of grateful for them, between me and you." Sawatari got a little serious and spoke in a slightly quieter tone.

In his throne room, the usually stoic and bored Jack Atlas actually had a smile creeping on his face when he heard the part about not underestimating a Card.

"He learned that from Yuya!" Yuzu suddenly realized. "But who is the second person?"

"The names of those two are…" Sawatari paused as he looked down at the ground. After they had both defeated him in a Duel, he had grown to hate them. Sawatari was the son of the mayor, and he was a student at the most prestigious Duel School, LDS.

He was a genius, they called him...when it came to Dueling at least. He was respected by many. He was feared by some too.

But then, two boys came into his life. One from a lower Duel School who had made a name for himself after discovering a new Summoning Method. The other, was from another world, and he had been through hell.

Before meeting the two, he had thought that there were trash Cards in the world. Cards that shouldn't even exist because of how bad they were. He had gave his Cards away and used dirty tricks to get more power.

Funny, it was because he gave the Cards away that he was beaten.

After being defeated by both of the boys, he had started to actually reflect on how he had been acting.

Like a spoiled rich kid.

Lately, he had been faking his arrogance and his usual persona. But after being beaten again by that idiotic Entertainment Duelist, he had found a use for many Cards and he could truly have fun with a Dueling again.

In short, he was grateful that those two people came into his life and taught him a lesson.

And the names of those two were…

"Yuto and Sakaki Yuya!" Sawatari called out loud.

Yuto's ears perked up as he heard his and Yuya is name.

" _Sawatari…"_ Yuya ushered the name of the boy he beat twice. Now he would truly feel guilty if Sawatari got sent to the underground. He wanted to stop Yugo, but he couldn't.

Yugo froze, if it weren't for his d-wheel being an auto-pilot, he would have slowed down and would have eventually stopped.

"Yuya...and Yuto?" He whispered to himself. This guy knew those two. If that were the case, then he would know where they were, specifically Yuya.

Ever since the incident in Standard, he wasn't able to let go of the fact that he could have murdered the boy.

Actually, when Yugo returned to the Synchro Dimension with Yuzu in tow, he had trouble sleeping that night because all he was thinking about was that incident.

 _Maybe after the Duel...I can ask him about it._ Yugo thought to himself as he turned his attention back to Sawatari.

"I devote this turn to Sakaki Yuya! My first true friend! One of the guys who made me open my eyes! From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Abyss Script-Rise of the Demon King! I am allowed to destroy face-up Cards on the Field up to the number of Attack Position Abyss Actor Monsters I control. I destroy Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Sawatari selected Yugo's ace. "In addition, when there is a level 7 or higher Abyss Actor Monster when this Card is activated, you cannot activate Cards or effects in response to this activation!"

"What?!" Yugo widened his eyes out of shock. He was planning to go try and grab an Action Card, but that just ruined his plan.

From Sawatari's Card, a book appeared. It opened on its own and a purple demon-like creature sprung out of the pages, taking Clear Wing in its clutches as the dragon cried out in pain.

"Clear Wing!" Yugo called out of concern for his dragon.

Clear Wing shattered into multiple particles as Sawatari smirked.

"This is the end! Devil Heel, attack Yugo directly and finish this!" Sawatari pointed at his opponent as Devil Heel began to make its way over to Yugo.

"Now that the effect of your Card has resolved, I can use my Cards now! Trap Card, open! Clear Winds, activate! During the turn in which a Wind Attribute Monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I am allowed to Special Summon it back to the Field!" Yugo and Yuya both explained.

Clear Wing rose from the Grave and roared out in fury next to its owner.

"Battle! Devil Heel, attack Clear Wing!" Sawatari changed the attack to the newly restored Clear Wing. Devil Heel proceeded to run towards Clear Wing, in order to punch the dragon.

"The Monster Special Summoned by Clear Winds cannot be destroyed by battle the turn it's Special Summoned!" Yugo informed Sawatari.

"But you still take the damage! I activate my Trap Card, Abyss Impromptu Play-Impro! When a Monster on the Field battles a Monster you control, I can target a level 4 or lower Abyss Actor Monster I control, except the battling Monsters, and increase the damage inflicted from the battle equal to the Attack of the targeted Monster!" Sawatari quickly countered as he clicked a button on his Duel Disk, revealing the Card, targeting Sassy Rookie.

"Originally, the damage inflicted during the battle would be 500, leaving Yugo with 100 life points! However, adding Sassy Rookie's Attack as damage would be overkill!" Melissa bellowed.

"That would be a shame, if it weren't for another effect of Clear Winds!" Yugo spoke suddenly.

"Huh?"

" _The turn Clear Winds is activated, I don't take battle damage."_ Yuya revealed, however, to everyone else, it was Yugo who they heard.

"Kgh! Damn, you held on until the end. I end my turn." Sawatari finished as he closed his eyes. "Sorry...Sakaki Yuya."

"My turn!" Yugo placed a hand on the top of his Deck as he closed his eyes.

 _I just barely managed to make it out of that turn. If I don't get what I need right now, I'm finished. The only way I can win this now is if I get Speedroid Razorang or if I Summon that one Monster or some Card that boosts Clear Wing's Attack...I need to do it! For the promise I made to Rin, I cannot give up!_

Yugo opened his eyes and ripped off the top Card, glancing at it, he cheered, "Hell yeah!"

He saw the path that he needed to take to win. He was

"I Summon Speedroid Double Yoyo!" Yugo slammed the Monster Card onto his Duel Disk, as the Monster stepped onto the Field.

 **Double Yoyo: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def**

"If Double Yoyo is Normal Summoned, I am allowed to Special Summon a level 3 or lower Speedroid Monster in my Graveyard! Return, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!" The cube-shaped die returned to Yugo's side next to Clear Wing.

"Don't tell me!" Sawatari realized what Yugo was going to do.

"I tune the level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and with the level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!" Yugo and Yuya declared in unison as they recited the chant together.

"Shine the wings that store the holy light…" Yugo began.

"And strike down your enemies with its radiance!" Yuya continued the chant.

A flash of light went through the ring as the Monster appeared to the Field.

"Synchro Summon!" Yugo and Yuya shouted in unison. "Come forth! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo Synchro Summoned an advanced form of Clear Wing.

 **Crystal Wing: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

With its appearance, the sun's light reflected off the wings, creating a beautiful display

"Wow! What a beautiful Monster!" Melissa commented as the audience chattered in agreement for the most part.

"Nice Monster! But you should remember that both of our Monster's have the same Attack! Next turn it's over for you!" Sawatari told Yugo a she looked back at the boy.

"No! It's over for _you_! There won't be a next turn!" This declaration from Yugo caused Sawatari to gasp out of shock. He swore he saw Yuya in him.

"Battle! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Abyss Actor-Devil Heel!" Crystal Wing flew up into the air and prepared to attack. "When Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon battles a level 5 or higher Monster, he gains the Attack of the Monster its battling!"

"What?!" Sawatari gaped as he saw the Attack Points of Crystal Wing rise higher.

 **Crystal Wing: 3000-6000 Atk**

"6-6000 Attack!" Melissa exclaimed out of surprise.

"No way!" Sawatari widened his eyes, realizing that it was over.

"This is the end!" Yuya and Yugo yelled in unison. "Whirlwind Krystallos Edge!" Crystal Wing took off a high speeds, literally flying circles around Devil Heel, who tried to keep his attention on the dragon, but was too slow. When he finally caught up, it was too late. The dragon had let out a mighty roar and zipped right through the Abyss Actor like a sword.

The demonic Monster exploded, Sawatari spun out of control as he cried out in pain, losing the rest of his life points.

 **Sawatari: 2000-0 LP**

"It's settled!" Melissa screamed out of joy as the audience cheered at the result. "A grand Duel with one twist after another!" As she spoke, Sawatari and Yugo's d-wheels came to a stop as the Action Field disappeared.

Yuya was softly smiling within Yugo. That feeling he experienced through the Duel. It felt...familiar...it was a good feeling.

Before he could think anymore, his vision became distorted, the next thing he knew, he was back in Yuto's quarters, where he was next to said boy, who had just noticed him.

"Yuya. Something wrong?" Yuto asked due to the boy's sudden appearance.

" _What?"_

"I said is something wrong. After looking at Odd Eyes, you seemed to be spacing out and you weren't answering when I called your name." Yuto explained.

" _Huh? Oh, yeah...I'm...fine."_ Yuya answered with a confused expression ingrained on his face.

 _What was that?!_ He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, on the stadium, Yugo was quietly celebrating.

"Alright! I made it through the first round!" Yugo formed a fist with his hand, before realizing something. "I kinda got a little too fired up there...it feels like a I had something I wanted to say." He rubbed his helmet with his finger. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Yugo looked just like Yuya at that moment." Yuzu mumbled to herself.

"Damn! I was so close!" Sawatari Cursed under his breath as he slipped his helmet off. His negative mood was immediately erased when he heard something.

"Nice, Sawatari!"

A compliment from the audience.

"Sawatari Theatre's the best!"

Another voice relayed into Shingo's brain as he smiled a bright wide smile.

"Look over here!"

"That was fun!"

"SAWATARI-SAAAAAAAAAN!" Some new fangirls exclaimed.

Sawatari laughed as he took multiple bows towards the audience.

"Please watch! Their Duel brought the stadium's atmosphere to its highest point!" Melissa spoke as Sawatari waved to the audience.

"Huh?" Sawatari glanced back at Yugo to see that he wasn't really reacting to the cheers. He walked over to him. "Hey! What are you doing? Answer them! Can't you hear the cheers! Our Duel touched the audien-" Sawatari cut himself off as he took the time to get a good look at Yugo's face. "From here, you kinda look like Yuya and Yuto."

"Yuya and Yuto!" Yugo suddenly remembered as he took of his helmet. "Yeah, it seems that way. You know them?"

"Yeah...I called out their names but...you three look exactly alike. I'd even say you three would be twin brothers...minus the hair of course."

"Wait! Do you know where Yuya is?" Yugo suddenly asked the Entertainment Duelist.

"Huh? Yuya is…" Sawatari caught himself, it would be best if the fact that Yuya is inside of Yuto should be kept secret. "I don't know."

Suddenly, a memory popped up into his head. It was right after the Battle Royale had finished.

It was something Yuto had said…

" _Well, it turns out the green light was a boy in a white suit on a white motorcycle, he looks just like Yuya and I. His name is Yugo."_

Then, another thing he said was…

" _Yugo and Yuya Dueled."_

And then...

" _Yugo beat Yuya."_

Which was finally followed by…

" _...He disappeared out of thin air."_

 _White suit...white motorcycle, and he knows both Yuya and Yuto. The description fits perfectly! This is the guy that caused Yuya to disappear._

Before he could think anymore, he felt a hand make contact with his shoulder.

"Are you done?" A voice asked, sounding like it really wouldn't care what the answer would be. "Come along now…"

Two guards in green suits restrained Sawatari by the arms as he flailed angrily and told them to let him go, leaving Yugo there on the grounds.

Yuya could only walk in helplessness as he saw Sawatari get sent off the grounds heading towards the underground facility.

" _Sawatari..."_

* * *

 **Meanwhile-In Academia-Fusion Dimension-Professor's Throne Room**

The door to the room slid open as Shiunin Sora walked in. The first thing he saw Akaba Leo, sitting on his chair with a stoic and serious expression glued to his face, void of any other emotion. Just looking at his eyes was just like looking into a black hole. There was no telling was inside.

Sora walked further towards the Professor before stopping and bowing down on one knee.

"You called for me, Professor?"

"Dennis has recently given me a report." Akaba Leo started. "He said that the missing captive Kurosaki Ruri is in the Synchro Dimension, along with Hiragi Yuzu and Serena."

 _Yuzu!_ Sora widened his eyes for a moment before regaining his composure. _And that girl that guy mentioned...Ruri…_ Sora turned back in, hearing the Professor continue.

"That is why…" The Professor paused as he uttered out the next couple of words. "I am ordering a complete subjugation of the Synchro Dimension."

Sora couldn't hold his composure as he gasped out of shock. "A...complete subjugation? Like with the Xyz Dimension…"

"Yes, but this one has to be more fierce than the one on Xyz. After all, the final three girls are there." Akaba Leo spoke.

"P-Professor, surely there is another way! A way that doesn't involve subjugating the dimension! I can easily sneak into the dimension to retrieve Serena, and Dennis can take care of Ruri!" Sora tried to negotiate with the Professor.

"Shiunin Sora." Akaba Leo spoke the name of the boy.

"Yes?"

"When you agreed to work for the cause of uniting the four dimensions, did you expect it to be easy?" The Professor questioned coldly.

"N-no sir." Sora replied, sweat dripping down his face.

"In order for our goal to be complete, sacrifices are necessary." Akaba Leo stated. "Don't tell me that your venture into Standard has made you soft…"

"No! It hasn't!" Sora lied.

The truth is, his time in Standard did change him. During his time in Academia, there really wasn't any time for him to make friends. So, when he met Yuya and Yuzu and experienced it first hand...it changed him in a way. Albeit he didn't want to accept the fact at the time.

"However, I suppose you do raise a good point. Giving away our location right away could be troublesome for us." The Professor paused to make a decision. "Fine, I will give you about a day. I will also then have Dennis drop his act and make his move. You are placed with the mission to retrieve Serena. Make no mistakes!"

"Ok. But what about Ruri and Yuzu?" Sora asked the Professor. He really didn't care about Ruri that much, but Yuzu was one of his friends, and he didn't want her captured.

"Dennis will move onto recapture Kurosaki Ruri. As for Hiragi Yuzu...I will be sending _him_ to get her." The Professor spoke.

"You mean...Yuri?!"

"Although Yuri is an ideal choice, and he did manage to capture Ruri and Rin, he failed to capture Yuzu the last time. I will send it my other high ranking officer." Akaba Leo informed Sora.

"Wait...don't tell me...it's _him_!" Sora realized who it could be.

"He is already in the Synchro Dimension, spying on Roget, to see if he's going to make a move on here. However, I will have him postpone his current mission and have him capture Hiragi Yuzu."

 _This isn't good! If that guy is the one capturing Yuzu, then she's in trouble! There was a rumor going around saying that he is as strong as the Professor! Even Yuri would have a hard time with him!_ Sora panicked, but managed to stay calm on the outside.

"Yes sir. I will carry out the mission without fail! This time, the mission will be a success!" Sora declared.

"You may leave now." Leo told Sora, who did so quickly. As he walked through the halls, there was only one thought in his mind.

 _I must make sure Yuzu is safe!_

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Abyss Actor Dark Star, Dark, Fiend, Xyz: When this Card is Xyz Summoned, you can pick 3 Magic Cards with Abyss Actor in their texts, have your opponent pick one of the Cards randomly. Add the picked Card to your Hand and send the others to the Graveyard. Once per turn, if this Card has attacked, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, it can make a second attack and it gains Attack equal to the amount of Magic Cards in the Grave with Abyss Actor in its text times 500. When this Card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, add a Magic Card that lists Abyss Actor in its text from your Graveyard to your Hand.**

 **Abyss Encore, Magic: Special Summon 1 Abyss Actor Monster from either your Graveyard or your Extra Deck. You can only activate Abyss Encore once per turn.**

 **Clear Winds, Trap: During the turn a Wind-Attribute Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it. Until the end of the turn, you take no battle damage and the Special Summoned Monster cannot be destroyed by battle.**

* * *

 **I'm back! I finally returned!**

 **After what was a half a month hiatus, I have finally returned!**

 **Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this the longest I've gone without updating.**

 **Sorry bout that guys.**

 **But I was just lost on the path of life…**

 **A.K.A I was sitting on my lazy ass for most of the days and the other days I was either 1. Too lazy to go onto the website, or 2. I was checking out some other fandoms. (Hey, I can't stick to only 1 fandom now can I?)**

 **If I am counting right, the next two chapters should end the preliminaries of the Friendship Cup. I'm gonna be honest, I was originally do 2 Duels a chapter, but that would mean not uploading in a million years just like this chapter.**

 **Previews will resume after the preliminaries finish.**

 **So, Sawatari used Xyz Summoning. This was a tough decision, as I was debating on whether to have him use Synchro Summoning or Xyz Summoning. But then, looking back I realized that Gongenzaka already used Synchro Summoning, so why not have another person from Standard use a different Summoning method. And that is Sawatari with Xyz.**

 **Guest(rgriffin8999): Eventually, Yuya will progressively start to regain his love for Entertainment Dueling (or Dueltaining in the dub.)**

 **Skadi: Roget will definitely Duel. I've thinking that he should use two Decks, an Ancient Gear Deck and a Chess Piece type of Deck that I can just make up. The problem with making an archetype is you can any Card an asspull or something like that. As for the chants for the evolved forms, for the anime Monsters, I always went by what they had in the anime, if the Monster didn't have a chant, I wouldn't include a chant. However, since it IS the evolved forms of the D/D/D Monsters, I don't see why they shouldn't have chants. Next time you review, just write down the chants you have in mind and I'll try to remember to put the Reiji vs Jack Duel. Keep in mind, the chants for Reiji's Monsters usually change depending on what Monsters are used...for the Fusions at least.**

 **Bridgey: I'll tell you this, Yuzu won't be Dueling Sergey in the Friendship Cup. First of all, Sergey is literally the only villain participating in the Friendship Cup unless you counted Jack, who was more of an obstacle than a villain. So to have Yuzu win would knock the only villain win. To have Sergey win against Yuzu would make me remember how that was Yuzu's second to last Duel and that she got OTK'd and that the last time she Dueled was against fodder and I don't like that.**

 **Matrixnis: I knew it would be similar to Saber, which is why I added the final effect. Also, please don't tell me you took what I said in the wrong way…lol.**

 **That's all for now peeps. Again, I'm sorry for the long overdue update.**

 **See you guys next chapter, which hopefully won't take half a month to make.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	76. Beautiful!

"I said let me go!" Sawatari continued to struggle against the two guards carrying him to the underground facility. "Where do you think you're taking me, huh?!"

"Didn't you hear that Yuto kid in the last match?" One of the guards spoke.

"Losers in the Friendship Cup are sent to the underground." The other guard clarified for Sawatari. "And there is no way you can get out. Well, there is...but that would be giving up everything…"

Sawatari wasn't the brightest person in all of the dimensions, but he knew someone would allude to something with a cryptic message. In this case, the guard was alluding to Sawataring dying in the underground in some way, whether it be by suicide or starving himself or just getting murdered.

"You bastards! You believe that keeping the losers down there will make things better?! Well, news flash, it will do the exact opposite!" Sawatari yelled at the guards.

"Yell all you want, you'll still be going to hell." One guard said as the two carried Sawatari into an elevator.

"There some rules. We'll teach you a thing or two before we get there. Listen up if you want to survive!"

A button was clicked on the elevator as the shaft proceeded to shift downwards, leading to 'hell.' It was about a minutes wait to get to the bottom, but that one minute could have never prepared Sawatari for what he was about to see.

The entire facility was essentially an underground factory, hence the name. There was a lot of machinery at work.

Sawatari could only dread to think of what was being manufactured. He then shifted his attention to another part of the facility, where there was multiple heaps of trash so big that you could play king of the hill on them.

He witnessed multiple people, who had either been thrown in from the facility or because they lost in the Friendship Cup. The people who checking and filling boxes while placing them on conveyor belts, and they all had dirt and grime on their clothes and faces as they worked.

"This...is hell on earth?" Sawatari could only look on in horror at the sight.

"The defeated from the surface, the wearisome, the useless and discarded, all of them fall here. But the entire City is a competitive society." A man known as Gallagher explained to a person who was bowing down to him as the conveyor belts with multiple boxes lead to a pool of magma.

The boxes were dropped in as they burned.

"It's the same in this underground facility. Losers continue to fall for the City, we keep digging, and digging, and digging to no end! One day, the Commons will dwell here. When that day comes, you'll have to keep digging even deeper underground." Gallagher told the bowing man, who revealed his face.

Due to his loss, he had been stripped of his uniform, but he was allowed to keep his shades and his helmet, which made it easy to tell who he was.

It was Duel a Chaser 227.

"N-no way!" 227 exclaimed out of exasperation as Gallagher let out a long sigh in response. "I-I'm going back to the surface! This time I'll defeat that Yuto bastard and take back my job as a duel chaser!"

"You _had_ your chance." Gallagher put emphasis on the word 'had' to make his point more clear. "You could've gone back if you beat these guys."

Duel Chaser 227 ran closer to Gallagher and continued to bow down, pleading out of desperation. "P-please give me another chance to go back to the surface!"

"You only have one chance!" Gallagher interjected as he kicked 227 on the face, successfully knocking him backwards as he let out a cry of pain, his body hitting against the ground with a loud thud.

Gallagher smirked as he signaled 'down' with his finger.

"If you want to go back up, then start winning from the very bottom! I'll warn you though, the bottom has its own share of scuffles. It's gonna be a huge pain just making it back up here. Get lost if you get it!" Gallagher raised his voice as two of his minions helped up 227 and immediately restrained him.

"No! Please, don't!" 227 pleaded as he was being carried away.

Duel Chaser 227 turned his attention to Crow and Shinji, who were walking (in Shinji's case, limping, as even with the medical assistance, he still was injured pretty badly) towards the group with neutral expressions on their face. However, immediately after seeing 227, Shinji shot a look of disgust at the man.

"You two, please! Help me out here!" Duel Chaser 227 begged Crow and Shinji.

Shinji glared at him with contempt, anger flowing through his veins from that very statement, as if a button was switched on inside of him. "Look who's begging now Tops scum! What, are you so desperate that you would ask so called filthy Commons like us for help now? Don't make me laugh! After your kind took everything away from us, do you really expect we should give you anymore? This is how we of the Commons felt our entire lives! If you have a problem with it, deal with it!"

Crow merely stayed silent as he stared at 227 with no emotion present on his face. However, on the inside his anger was boiling for the very same reason Shinji was pissed.

"Well, if it isn't Crow Hogan and Shinji Weber!" Gallagher adjusted his good glasses, a smirk painted on his face. "Oh right, you guys haven't had your welcoming party yet. How 'bout taking up the challenge now?" He stood up and walked towards the two Commons as he said, "As long as you defeat everyone here in a Duel, we'll send you back up there in a jiffy."

Both Crow and Shinji's ears perked up at this.

They could return home?

Relief flooded through them for a moment. If they won, they could see their home again. They wouldn't have to work like slaves for the Tops. They would have a life, and they could see Frank, Amanda, and Tanner again.

"We'll do it."

They both answered in unison with a steeped resolve to get home. Both with their own goals.

Both, for the kids.

And Shinji, for the revolution…

"Stop! Please!" 227 begged as he was about to be carried away, however…

"Hold it right there!" A strong female voice spoke. Everyone turned to the source to see Serena back in her regular clothes walking towards them.

"Serena?!" Crow gasped out of shock, surprised to see the girl in the underground.

"Let that man go." Serena demanded.

"Oh? And who might you be? Oh wait, he just said it was Serena. Actually, you haven't been told the rules down here either. I suppose you heard the challenge already?" Gallagher asked the former Academia Duelist.

"Some rules this place has! Ganging up on only one person who can't defend themselves is low! You don't get to even call yourself a man if you do that!" Serena spoke.

"You…" Shinji growled at Serena due to the fact that she was defending Duel a Chaser 227.

"Not a man? I'm offended. You know, I'm doing you a favor. Usually you get your chance after years of work, but I'm feeling generous this time around. There is no better chance at escape than this." Gallagher turned around and grabbed 227 by his shirt, putting his face close to his own. "This guy gets it too. But it looks like he took the men here too lightly."

Gallagher paused to let what he said sink in, before continuing, "Spouting stuff about how even if the Commons all came at him, they were no match for an ex-Tops." Gallagher let go of his shirt as 227 dropped to the ground out of fear. "This way you'll learn your place."

"Just who the hell are you?!" Serena questioned.

"I am Gallagher. I am a promoter...well, I guess you can call me a trash recycler in this case. And by trash I mean you lot. You're branded as discarded Duelists, useless on the surface world." Gallagher pushed his glasses down to reveal his eyes. "But once in a while, some outstanding folks show up in this heap of trash. My job is to sniff them out. I hand the best over to the authorities."

"The authorities?" Crow repeated. "As in…"

"Yes. As in this guy's ex-boss. Chief of the Security Bureau, Jean-Michel Roget." Gallagher revealed, causing Serena, Crow, and Shinji to beam at the man. "Roget lets me in on when there's a crackdown on the underground arena, so I can escape first."

"That bastard!" Crow cursed Roget under his breath.

"But what for?" Serena inquired.

"Not even I know his reasons." Gallagher shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "But no doubt he wants strong Duelists. By the way, that participant called Sergey in the Friendship Cup was one of my offerings."

* * *

 **Meanwhile-At the Friendship Cup Stadium**

Melissa lifted up a hand and winked as he began, "Now, let's introduce the Duelists for today's third match! Gongenzaka Noboru! And Sergey Volkov!" The holograms of the two participants appeared for the audience to see as they cheered.

"Hey, by Sergey, you mean.."

" _That_ Sergey?" A woman finished the sentence of the person next to her.

"Sergey...the Duelist Crusher...is here?" Yugo widened his eyes with a horrified look on his face. Sergey Volkov was a very well known person, and a very strong and scary one at that. It took 20 members of Security to subdue him and throw him into the facility. But the thing is…

"Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-In the Underground Area**

"Roget is from a different dimension?!" Serena gasped out of shock after hearing something that Gallagher had just told her.

"Well, as I said, it was a rumor. But...it is a possibility, with the sudden appearance of technology that was so advanced the City didn't even have until his sudden arrival."

 _Ok, so if Roget really is from another dimension, which one is it? Fusion, Standard, or Xyz? He can't be from the Fusion Dimension, I've never seen or heard of Roget once at Academia. Akaba Reiji would probably know if Roget was in Standard, but Xyz...no, it doesn't seem possible. Academia is the place with the advanced technology...could it be?_ Serena thought to herself.

Nearby, a hidden Tsukikage was secretly listening in on the conversation. With his new found information, he quickly jumped from his hiding spot and cringed to the now rising elevator.

In the council room, O'Brien suddenly realized something. _Gongenzaka and Sergey are Dueling now...that means the last preliminary match is...Kurosaki and Dennis._

Reiji adjusted his glasses. "I see. I'm leaving my seat." He Rose his voice for the council to hear. " This should be fine when the Lancers aren't Dueling, right?"

"That is fine." Bordeaux responded.

"Where are you going?" White Taki followed with a question.

"Out for some fresh air." Reiji answered cryptically as he turned around to leave, prompting Reira, Ryoga, and O'Brien to do the same.

As they walked, Reiji whispered quietly to Ryoga and O'Brien, "Go find some more information about Roget. Something doesn't sit well with me, especially with that guy who faced Yuto using Fusion."

"Understood." Ryoga said as they walked out of the room.

"Gongenzaka is Dueling next…" Yuzu murmured to herself, hoping for her friend to win.

" _I've got a bad feeling about that Sergey guy."_ Yuya spoke as both Sergey slowly drove to the startling line, where Gongenzaka was already waiting.

"Now, without further ado, let's get the second to last preliminary match started!" Melissa exclaimed as the Action Field activated with a ju,blue of Action a Cards appearing.

A clock appeared in front of Gongenzaka and Sergey that counted down from 3.

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

"Acceleration!"

With that cheer, Gongenzaka immediately took the initiative and took off. Sergey, on the other hand, stayed in place before driving off.

" **DUEL!"** Gongenzaka shouted all by himself, while Sergey remained silent.

Gongenzaka easily reached the first corner with ease, meaning that he had the first move of the game. Gongenzaka glanced back at his opponent.

 _He doesn't even seem to pay attention to the fact that I, the man, Gongenzaka is facing him. Unforgivable! He could at least show his opponents some form of respect!_

"My turn! From my Hand, I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 1 Superheavy General Hisu-E and the Scale 8 Superheavy General San-5!" Gongenzaka swiped the two Cards across his Duel Disk. Both of his Monsters entered blue tubes as they rose up near the top, one tube on either side of Gongenzaka.

"Just like many others in the tournament, Gongenzaka Noboru has just revealed the ability to Pendulum Summon!" Melissa commentated out of surprise that the new mysterious Summoning method seemed to be very popular.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are from 2 to 7! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!" A portal opened above a Gongenzaka as two beams of light flew out, revealing two Monsters.

First was Superheavy Samurai Hikya-Q. Following that was the Tuner Monster Superheavy Samurai Tama-C.

 **Hikya-Q: Level 5, 1200 Atk, 1800 Def**

 **Tama-C: Level 2, 100 Atk, 800 Def**

Gongenzaka once again glanced back at Sergey. The Duelist Crusher had lifeless look in his eyes. He seemed like he didn't care on what was happening right now.

"I tune the level 5 Hikya-Q with the level 2 Tuner Monster Tama-C! As fast as the wind! As quiet as the forest! Silent ninja, hit the finishing blow! Synchro Summon! Come! Level 7! Superheavy Ninja Shinobi-AC!" Tama-C turned into two green rings as Hikya-Q turned into 5 white stars, which traveled inside the rings as a flash of light surged through the rings.

The Synchro Monster thrusted its weapon through the wind as it took a defensive stance while covered in the color blue, showing that it was in Defense Position.

 **Shinobi-AC: Level 7, 1200 Atk, 2800 Def**

"Now, I will Summon Superheavy Samurai Soul Double Horn!" Gongenzaka slammed his new Card onto his Duel Disk as the Monster appeared.

 **Soul Double Horn: Level 1, 0 Atk, 300 Def**

"I activate Soul Double Horn's effect! Once per turn, I am allowed to target and equip this Card to a Superheavy Samurai Monster I control! I equip this a Card to Shinobi-AC!" Gongenzaka explained as the horns of the Monster were removed and placed on the ears of Shinobi-AC.

"With that, I end my turn." Gongenzaka concluded.

"Gongenzaka has just kicked the Duel off with a strong Pendulum Summon into a Synchro Summon! What will Sergey have to counter?" Melissa wondered.

"My turn. Draw." Sergey spoke with a monotone voice, drawing his Card from the top of his Deck. He glanced at it for only a second before playing it onto the Field. "I Summon Thorn Prisoner Van!"

 **Thorn Prisoner Van: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"I end my turn." Sergey stated, shocking Gongenzaka.

"What is Sergey doing? With a start lie that, there is no way he is going to defeat Gongenzaka!" Melissa exclaimed.

In his quarters, Yugo merely narrowed his eyes at the screen. _There's something more to this than meets the eye...he wouldn't just put a 0 Attack Monster in Attack Position for being careless._

 _Only a 0 Attack Monster, and it's in Attack Position? It must have some sort of effect. However, despite the risks, I must take them!_ Gongenzaka thought to himself as he placed a hand onto his Deck.

"My turn, draw! While in Defense Position, my Shinobi-AC can attack! Go, Shinobi-AC! Attack Thorn Prisoner Van!" Gongenzaka thrusted his hand towards his Monster and formed a fist. The Monster took its weapon and swung at Van.

"If this attack hits, Sergey will take 2800 points of damage!" Melissa realized.

"I activate the effect of Thorn Prisoner Van! When this Card is targeted for an attack, I can pay 400 life points. Then, I reveal a Thorn Prisoner Monster in my Hand, I take no damage from this battle!" Sergey explained calmly as a vine surrounded his body. Sergey then winced as the vines squeezed on his body.

 **Sergey: 4000-3600 LP**

Sergey showed his desired Card, Thorn Prisoner Darli as Van was destroyed, shattering into multiple particles.

"Next, since my Monster was destroyed, I can Special Summon this Card back from the Grave and being the revealed Monster to the Field to join it!" On his command, Van rose from a portal to the Grave while Daril appeared on its right.

 **Thorn Prisoner Daril: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"Huh? Another 0 Attack Monster?" Melissa questioned, much to the confusion of the audience as well, as although they have heard of the Duelists Crusher, they didn't know what kind of Deck he used.

"Just what is he planning?" Yuto asked himself from his room. Yuya meanwhile just stared at the screen, hoping nothing bad would happen to Gongenzaka.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of my Superheavy General San-5! When a Superheavy Monster I control destroys a Monster you control by battle, I can allow that Monster to attack again by destroying this Card." Gongenzaka told Sergey as his Pendulum Monster disappeared from the Field. "Attack, again, this time at Thorn Prisoner Daril!"

Shinobi-AC rose its weapon and proceeded to attack Sergey's Monster.

"I activate Daril's effect! Once per turn, during your Battle Phase, when a Monster you control declares an attack while I control another Thorn Prisoner Monster, I can pay 400 life points to negate the Attack!" Sergey remained emotionless a vines once again surrounded and squeezed him.

 **Sergey: 3600-3200 LP**

Daril dodger the attack effortlessly as Gongenzaka's Monster retreated.

"I'm not done yet! While there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, I am allowed to attack again! Attack Daril!" Gongenzaka declared as his Monster charged.

"Sergey has nothing to protect his Monster with!" Melissa announced, she then spotted an Action Card that Gongenzaka had passed.. "An Action Card! It's Sergey's one and only hope!"

Said man reached down and grabbed the Action Card, activating it. "Action Magic, Miracle. With this Card, the destruction of my Monster is negated and the damage I take is halved." Sergey flinched as the Monster was smacked, causing some particles to rain down on him.

 **Sergey: 3200-1450 LP**

Sergey's suit got torn up slightly due to the particles. Gongenzaka noticed blood starting to drip out from the open parts. Sergey glanced at it and merely muttered, "Beautiful."

Gongenzaka's ears perked up at this. What was 'beautiful about getting hurt and bleeding? Was this guy a masochist?

"Kgh!" Gongenzaka grunted as he ended his turn. Due to the absence of a Pendulum Monster in Gongenzaka's other Pendulum Zone, the Pendulum effect of Hisu-E destroys itself.

"My turn, draw." Sergey drew his Card and batted an eye at it. "I set two Cards, and then, I tune the level 1 Thorn Prisoner Van with the level 1 Thorn Prisoner Daril. Lay bare your twisted and wicked desire and offer your flesh to the thorns! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 2! Thorn Observer Zuma!" Sergey chanted as his Fiend-Type vine looking Monster appeared.

 **Thorn Observer Zuma: Level 2, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"Huh? What the hell is he doing?!" Someone from the audience questioned.

"He put another 0 Attack Monster in Attack Position?!" Another person from the audience soon followed with that statement.

"If Thorn Observer Zuma is Synchro a Summoned, I get to place a Thorn Counter in every Monster on the Field. While this Card remains on the Field, Monsters with Thorn Counters cannot attack!"

 **Shinobi-AC: 0-1 Counter**

 **Zuma: 0-1 Counter**

"I end my turn. The effect of Zuma activates, which inflicts 400 damage to me for every Thorn Counter on my side of the Field." Sergey revealed to Gongenzaka.

"He's decreasing even more of his life?!" Gongenzaka widened his eyes out of surprise.

More vines wrapped around Sergey as they squeezed, as he winced he ushered out "Beautiful."

 **Sergey: 1450-1050 LP**

" _That masochist!"_ Yuya spat out of disgust.

"My turn, draw!" Gongenzaka roared as he ripped the top Card of his Deck.

"Continuous Trap activate, Thorn Growth!" Sergey reacted, opening his facedown. "This Card inflicts 400 damage to the turn player for every Thorn Counter on their Field!"

"Battle! I activate the effect of Shinobi-AC! During the Battle Phase, I can halve the Defense of this Monster in order to attack you directly!"

 **Shinobi-AC: 2800-1400 Def**

"Attack directly, AC!" On his command, Shinobi-AC got its weapon ready to strike as he jumped into the air.

"Trap activate, Thorn Guard! This Card can only be activated by paying 400 life points! When you declare an attack while I control a Thorn Monster, I can Special Summon two Thorn Monsters from my Graveyard with the same level, and end the Battle Phase!" Sergey informed Gongenzaka.

 **Sergey: 1050-650 LP**

"Damn it!" Gongenzaka cursed as Van and Daril returned to the Field with his Shinobo-AC retreating. "I couldn't finish him this turn. I end my turn."

"At this moment, you take 400 points of damage as you have one Thorn Counter on your Field due to Thorn Growth's effect!" Sergey reminded Gongenzaka, who grunted due to vines wrapping around him and squeezing the life out of him.

 **Gongenzaka: 4000-3600 LP**

"Sergey has finally damaged Gongenzaka, but will it be enough in the long run?" Melissa wondered.

"My turn, draw!" Sergey went silent for a while, when suddenly the air around him felt much different to Gongenzaka. There was an intent to hurt Gongenzaka badly. He could feel in the air.

"What is with this feeling in the air?"

"Beautiful!" Sergey cried out in joy, revealing the Card he had just drew. "I activate the Magic a Card Fusion!"

"What?!" Gongenzaka gasped out of shock.

"Another Duelist from the Synchro Dimension with Fusion?!" Yuto gaped at the screen.

" _I knew there was something off about him."_ Yuya glared at the screen.

"Just what Fusion rat is here in this dimension?" Shun questioned quietly to himself in his room. It made no sense that two Duelist of the SYNCHRO Dimension had FUSION. Two completely different Summoning methods from different dimensions.

The only three Monsters on Sergey's Field flew into the Fusion vortex, while Sergey's Trap was destroyed due to the lack of Thorn Counters on Sergey's Field.

"Leave your suffering, pain, and vulgar values to your corpse! Now, cast everything away and embark on the path of thorns! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Thorn Overserver Vandarlizuma!" Sergey chanted as he Fusion Summoned his Monster.

 **Overserver Vandarlizuma: Level 8, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"A level 8 Fusion Monster with 0 Attack? Just what is going on here?" Gongenzaka glanced back at Sergey, to see him grinning madly.

"How beautiful! I can see it! Your body against the cold road, bleeding madly as you slowly become acquainted with the one called Death! It's beautiful!" Sergey pointed to his Monster. "The Attack of this Monster become double the result of subtracting my current life from 2500! I have 650, which results in 1850! Double that and the Attack of the Monster becomes 3700!"

 **Vandarlizuma: 0-3700 Atk**

"3-3700 Attack!" Gongenzaka gaped.

"I activate Vandarlizuma's effect! By paying 100 life points, I can make the Attack of your Monster 100 until the end of the turn!" Vandarlizuma threw some vines at Gongenzaka's Monster, squeezing it until it was weakened.

 **Shinobi-AC: 1200-100 Atk**

"Huh? What was the point of that?! Gongenzaka's Monster is in Defense Position!" Melissa pointed out the obvious.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card Stop Defense (Bet you weren't expecting that huh)! With this Card, I switch your Monster from Defense to Attack Position!"

"No! I don't have anything to protect myself with! And if I use an Action Card, my Deck is useless!" Gongenzaka grit his teeth.

" _No! Gongenzaka!"_ Yuya blurted out.

"Attack, Vandarlizuma!" Sergey commanded as the Monster threw out multiple vines, smashing right into Shinobi-AC, destroying it immediately. Then, one vine came out of nowhere and whipped Gongenzaka's d-wheel, causing it to tumble over as Gongenzaka cried out in pain, hitting the ground with a loud thud as the glass on the visor of his helmet broke, causing cuts to appear on his face, blood rushing down.

Gongenzaka could not move at all. Every bit of movement he tried to make would just result in even more pain. But even when staying still his body hurt like hell.

"GONGENZAKA!" Yuya and Yuzu unknowingly shouted the name of their friend out of the utmost concern.

 **Gongenzaka: 3600-0 LP**

Everyone in the room went silent as a picture of Sergye appeared, with the word WINNER next to him.

"A-and Sergey Volkov...is the winner…" Melissa whispered into the mic.

Yuya couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing right now, his best friend lying down on the ground injured. But he wouldn't believe what he would HEAR next.

"YAHOO!" Someone cheered from the audience. "GREAT MATCH, YOU SURE TAUGHT HIM A LESSON!"

Soon, other members of the audience began to cheer out of joy and satisfaction.

"How horrible…why would they cheer…" Ruri murmured, a horrified expression on her face.

"Gongenzaka…" Yuzu whispered.

Yuya and Yuto were frozen in place, their anger was building up immensely, Yuto's anger was building up because the cheers were reminding him of the laughs of the Obelisk Force soldiers pelting down on the weak in the invasion of Heartland, bringing dread and anger to those close to the Carded victims. However, Yuya's was skyrocketing at a pace where Yuto's anger couldn't even compare to.

Not only did was he reminded of Yuto's memories, but they were cheering over the fact that HIS best friend was injured.

" _I'll kill you all…Gongenzaka did nothing to you, yet you treat as just another pawn for your disgusting entertainment! If this was where Entertainment Dueling was getting me for all of this time, then I quit! I won't have me or my friends used as sacrificial pawns for the selfish entertainment of others, not even caring about what happens to the pawns!"_ Yuya ranted out loud.

Soon, a medical team came out onto the grounds to retrieve a Gongenzaka and to tend to his wounds.

"Good work, Sergey." Roget's voice rang through Sergey's earpiece. "You've quite the impression in the audience. However, a change will be needed with that Deck of yours. That match was too close for comfort."

Sergey remained silent as he got off his abnormal looking d-wheel, trudging off the grounds as if nothing had happened at all, however, his thoughts were filled with nothing but bloodlust.

" _Gongenzaka...I'm sorry I wasn't there."_ Yuya apologized to his best friend. " _I swear…"_

" _I'll make it up to you, and Yuzu..."_

* * *

 **Thorn Guard, Trap: You can only activate this Card by paying 400 life points. When your opponent declares an attack while you control a Thorn Monster, Special Summon 2 Thorn Monsters from your Grave with the same level, then, end the Battle Phase.**

* * *

 **HOLY FRICKING HELL!**

 **IT'S 3 WEEKS SINCE I'VE LASTED FREAKING UPDATED!**

 **Well, my excuse...I don't think I want to tell you guys that.**

 **So, rejoice, I haven't abandoned this fanfic. Actually, I never even considered abandoning it in the first place.**

 **Anyways, next chapter, Shun vs Dennis. I may or may not reveal the matchups for the next round after that Duel. So, pay attention for that.**

 **Skadi: Thank you for the chants, I'll be sure to put them in as soon as I can get off my lazy ass.**

 **Bridgey: They totally should gave Sawatari the ability to use at least one of main 3 Summoning Methods, if they won't give him a win, at least give something other than Pendulum. Hell, maybe even give him Rituals!**

 **Matrixnis: The mysterious Duelist is not Judai/Jaden, I'll tell you that. I've mentioned a VERY long time ago (so I don't blame you for forgetting, especially since this fanfic was donkey when I said that) that none of the previous protagonists would appear in this fic.**

 **Alright, I'll see you guys next time I update, I'm gonna try to muster up the strength to get off my lazy ass and attempt to update in 4-7 days or so.**

 **Also, sorry if the quality of this chapter was dogshit, I haven't been feeling like myself lately.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	77. The Shattered Mask

_Knock knock._

The sound of a hand rapping across the door rang through Yuto's ears as he looked at it with interest.

Why was someone knocking on the door? There was still one more match in the preliminaries.

Yuto walked over to the door so he could communicate with the person on the other side.

"Alright, who's there?"

"It's me." A very familiar voice responded to Yuto's voice.

"Tsukikage? But how are you here?" Yuto asked the ninja.

"I'm a ninja trained by the Fuma Clan. Things like sneaking around are very easy for me." The ninja answered bluntly. "Don't worry about everyone in the underground, they are safe."

"That's good...but what about Gongenzaka?" Yuto questioned.

"He's alive...he's getting medical attention as we speak. And when he's patched up, they're sending him to the underground immediately." Tsukikage replied from the other side. "Once I am done speaking with you, I must go report back to Akaba Reiji-dono, and I will have to return to my mission."

"Your mission?"

"Yes. To infiltrate the underground."

"If that's the case, then you can surely rescue the others." Yuto said.

"No, that is not what Akaba Reiji-dono told me to do."

"What?! Why?! Doesn't he care about his comrades?!" Yuto questioned out of slight anger.

"It's not that he doesn't. If Reiji-dono had no regard for people's lives like those of Academia, I would have abandoned him a long time ago." Tsukikage paused before continuing. "Us ninja of the Fuma Clan don't accept or work under those who leave their comrades in the dust. Reiji-dono detests Academia, and crossed dimensions to fight them. Someone like him will not abandon like-minded comrades."

"Tsukikage…" Yuto whispered at the words of the ninja.

"Don't worry, I will report the movements of everyone in the underground. You should concentrate on fighting and aim for victory in the Friendship Cup. It's not just Reiji-dono, Akaba Reira-dono desires the same." Tsukikage revealed.

" _Reira?"_ Yuya muttered out of surprise, the shy timid kid he saw in the Miami Championship desired the same way as Akaba Reiji.

"Yes." Tsukikage, unknown to the boys nodded his head. "Now, I must take my Lea very quickly."

"Wait!" Yuto called out suddenly, causing the ninja to halt.

"What is it?" Tsukikage asked.

"I need you to do something for me." Yuto spoke with a slight smile.

* * *

 **With Ruri**

"Yuto...brother…" Ruri whispered inside of her room. Ever since her match, she's been lying down on her bed constantly chanting the names of her loved ones. Particularly her brother and Yuto.

Suddenly, Ruri's picked up the sound of a person knocking on her door. An envelope was slipped through the bottom crack of the door.

"An envelope…" Ruri murmured as she walked over to the door, retrieving the envelope. Ruri proceeded to open the letter, she was surprised to see what was inside.

It was a letter. And she immediately recognized the handwriting of the person who wrote to her.

It was Yuto.

" _Ruri, the time I have to write this is short, so I'm sorry I couldn't say much while writing this letter. I'm glad your okay. Ever since you were kidnapped, Shun and I along with the rest of our comrades were worried sick about you. We thought we lost you forever...you wouldn't have liked what happened to your brother. As if him changing from the war wasn't enough, he became even more cold and distant than before. I couldn't even tell that he was your brother. So I wanted to say that I'm sorry, Ruri."_

" _I'm sorry I could never save your brother from his descent to hatred. At some points, he even had a hard time trusting me. Hopefully, with you back, he can start opening up again even if it is just by a little bit. There were at some points where I thought I would end up just like him, maybe even worse. But I clinged onto the possibility that you were still out there. I'm sorry I have to cut this letter short. But know this, I swear, I'm going to win this tournament, and carve a future where you, Shun, me, and the others back at home can be together again."_

" _Perhaps I should have been more protective of you. All this time, I kept assuring you that everything would be alright, but little did I know that those words were just empty lies. And had I not been so naive to you, I wouldn't be writing to you now as a desperate failure. Goodbye, Ruri, and know this…"_

" _No matter what happens, I will always love you."_

By the time she was finished she noticed a few wet spots on the parchment, it was at this moment Ruri realized she was crying tears of joy.

"Yuto…" Ruri smiled as she closed her eyes. "If that's the case, then I'll do my best to help you carve that future...after all, it's something I've wanted also, and I'm sure brother feels the same way deep down in his damaged heart. And…"

"I will also love you, no matter what."

* * *

 **With Yuzu**

Yuzu rose from her bed as she heard a knock on the door. She noticed an envelope being slid into the room. She walked over and grabbed it and opened it up. She widened her eyes as she read the letter that was directed to her.

" _Hi, Yuzu. It's me. Your friend. You've probably been wondering where I've been all of this time ever since my disappearance back in Standard. But I want to let you know that I'm ok. I'm close by, closer than you think I am. I'm sorry disappearing like that. It probably made all of you worried sick, and I resent myself for making you feel that way."_

" _Unfortunately, I can't tell you where I am right now. If you found you, you wouldn't like it. And you're one of my best friends, second to only Gongenzaka, I hate seeing you sad, and that is the reason why I'm not telling you where I am, due to the fate I have been sealed to."_

" _This fate isn't bad. I will admit, but there is nothing about this that I prefer over being with you guys! Not everything has been going well recently! But I've been doing my best to hang in there! But…"_

" _It hurts! It hurts to know that you are so close to me, yet I can't see you! I hate it so much! I've already lost father 3 years ago, I don't want to lose you too!"_

" _So after you read this, just know, that I am close by! And that you don't have to worry about me...and know that I'm doing my best! And I swear Yuzu, by my own hand, I WILL see you again, if it's the last thing I see, I don't care, as long as I get to see you again!"_

" _And Yuzu, by the off chance I never come back, tell my mother back in Standard, that I'm sorry for being a bad son. No, tell everyone sorry. This is goodbye Yuzu, Stay safe."_

" _Your friend, Sakaki Yuya."_

Yuzu hugged the letter to her chest tightly, not wanting to let go.

Yuya was alive, and he was ok.

But where was he? What's so bad about it that he couldn't tell her?

He's in this dimension, she knew at least that much, and he even said in the letter that he was close by.

Yuzu's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Melissa Claire's voice playing through the television.

"The final Duel of the first round! Our challengers are...Kurosaki Shun! And his opponent, Dennis Mackfield!" Melissa exclaimed as cheers erupted from the audience to Dennis' name due to his performance in the street a couple of days back.

"You mean...Dennis and _that_ guy are Dueling?! And Dennis is traveling dimensions with Serena and the others?" Yuzu suddenly realized.

In their respective rooms, Dennis and a Shun were looking at the screen intently, both of them having their own expression in their face.

Dennis: Just a smile.

Shun: A frown as he thought back to their Duel in the underground area.

"Back then, he showed his combat techniques. That's definitely not something you learn at LDS." Shun muttered as he looked out the window into the night sky.

"I'll make sure to destroy you this time. Bit by bit." Dennis said from his room.

"Shun and Dennis? But they're both Lancers. Are they putting them against each other to cause internal conflict?" Yuto wondered.

In the council room, the council immediately apologized.

"You may not be pleased with this match, but…" Gale started.

"This match is quite noteworthy to us." Bordeaux followed. "Chairman."

"Yes."

"I'm not displeased. I find this match compelling as well." Akaba Reiji spoke as he adjusted his glasses.

Ryoga was glaring intently the screen which allowed everyone in the room to see.

 _Come on you bastard. Show your true colors._

On the grounds, Kurosaki launched himself into the air as he landed on the ground, driving off towards the starting line.

"Go, Kurosaki!"

"Make you sure you get first on this one too!"

"The defunct underground arena's strongest and most popular, Kurosaki!" Melissa introduced the Xyz user.

"Underground arena?!" Ruri repeated out of shock and horror. "Brother...you didn't…"

In his quarters, Yuto punched the table that was in front of him. "Damn it, Shun! Why do you have to go out and do something like that! You already know how Ruri and the others feel about this kind of stuff!"

"And the talk of the town after his performance in Central Park, the entertainer, Dennis! He's cuter in person!" Melissa commented quietly, she screamed out loud when she realized that the comment was picked up by the microphone as Dennis entered the stadium.

Dennis rose his hand to the audience. "I'll bring a dazzling illusion to the citizens of the City overflowing with friendship!" Dennis threw 3 random Cards into the air as he snapped his fingers. "It's showtime!"

The three Cards Dennis threw turned into bright fireworks which mesmerized the entire audience.

"Their Duel may just be a match worthy of wrapping up the Friendship Cup's first round! You can't say that you haven't been looking forward to this, you just can't! I'm shaking with excitement!" Melissa bellowed as the Duelists parked at the starting line.

Dennis and Shun glanced at each other as Dennis spoke the first word.

"We're fighting even though we're comrades, but let's do our best!"

"Hmph. Let this Duel prove whether or not we're really comrades." This statement caused Dennis to slightly panic on the inside.

 _Does he know?_ Dennis wondered, but he managed to keep his composure and he immediately responded.

"You're so cold." Dennis faked a pout.

"Now, let's get on with the final match! Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!" A sphere of Action Cards shattered as the stadium was enveloped in an Action Field.

 _Duel Mode! On! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

"Acceleration!"

Kurosaki and Dennis flew off at the declaration.

" **DUEL!"** Both shouted in unison.

Dennis had a lead in Kurosaki, but the Xyz user was quickly gaining on him.

"I'll show your true colors!" Shun gripped the handlebar and sped up, zipping right past Dennis, claiming the first corner and the first move. Shun took a Monster Card from his Hand and Summoned it. The Monster was Raid Raptors-Skull Eagle.

 **Skull Eagle: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

"Next, from my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Raid Raptors-Call! First, I target level 3 or lower Raid Raptors Monster I control. Then, I Special Summon a Monster with the same name from my Deck!" Another Skull Eagle appeared next to the original. Next, the two turned into purple overlay units as Shun declared an Xyz Summon.

"Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 3, Raid Raptors-Devil Eagle!" Shun shouted as his Monster replaces the two that were used to Summon it.

 **Devil Eagle: Rank 3, 1000 Atk, 0 Def**

"The monarch of the underground immediately threw out an Xyz Monster!" Melissa cheered.

"I activate the Monster effects of both Skull Eagles as Xyz Materials! Devil Eagle's Attack increases by 300 for each one!

 **Devil Eagle: 1000-1600 Atk**

"Following that, I activate Devil Eagle's Monster effect! I use one overlay unit and deal damage to my opponent equal to the Attack of a Monster on the Field!"

Since Devil Eagle was the only Monster on the Field, Dennis took its Attack as damage. Devil Eagle flew up and turned to face Dennis, releasing a violent purple stream at the entertainer, causing him to spin out of control.

"Dennis already took massive damage!" Melissa cried out.

 **Dennis: 4000-2400 LP**

"You're going with that again?" Dennis chuckled.

"What do you mean _again_?" Shun questioned the Entermage user.

"Behold! My discerning magic! Let me guess, there is a Rank-Up Magic Card in your Hand right now." Dennis predicted as he snapped his fingers. "Just like last time, you'll activate it next turn to Summon a higher-level Monster." Dennis thought back to their Duel in the underground.

"Kgh!" Shun grunted as he glanced at tone of the Cards in his Hand.

"Looks like he hit the mark!" A girl from the audience commented.

"He's so amazing!" A male from the audience exclaimed.

"Please see through my heart too!" A black-haired girl fangirled, prompting members of the audience that were sitting near to give her confused and weird looks.

"You shouldn't use a predictable Hand! You'll bring down the show's mood!" Dennis told Shun.

"You bastard!" Shun muttered under his breath so Dennis couldn't hear.

"An entertainment show has to be full of surprises!" Dennis spoke.

"You plan to discourage your enemy and gain the upper hand. LDS doesn't teach that tactic." Shun said, his suspicions about Dennis rising even more.

"Huh? Is that a compliment?" Dennis asked dumbfounded.

"I end my turn with these two set Cards!" Shun inserted two of the Cards in his Hand into his Magic and Trap Zone.

 _Come on Shun, expose that bastard for what he really is._ Ryoga rooted for his friend silently in his thoughts.

"My turn, draw!" Dennis drew a Card and glanced at it, he was terrified to see it, but on the outside, he remained the same. "Ah, it's this…"

 _Shit! I must have forgotten to remove my Fusion Cards AGAIN!_ Dennis Cursed himself for being so careless. Shun narrowed his eyes at Dennis' facial expression.

"What do you want me to do, Lady Luck? Seriously." Dennis mumbled to himself. "Alright. After my discerning Magic is the biggest trick of the century!" Dennis snapped his fingers. Not long after, Shun's ears picked up the sound of an overlay unit being detached. When he looked back at Devil Eagle, it's remaining overlay unit was gone!

"What happened to Devil Eagle's overlay unit?!" Shun demanded for an answer, he then took notice of the Monster that was now on Dennis' Field.

"Huh? Isn't that Entermage Cup Tricker?" Dennis asked rhetorically.

 **Cup Tricker: Level 5. 1200 Atk, 1400 Def**

Cup Tricker lifted up its cup to reveal an overlay unit, Cup Tricker put the cup back on and move fit around for a little before removing the cup once again, however, this time, there was no overlay unit.

"Just kidding. By using an overlay unit from an Xyz Monster on the Field, I can Special Summon Entermage Cup Tricker from my Hand." Dennis explained to Shun.

"Using my Monster's overlay units...such childish tactics." Shun retorted.

"But that's not all." Dennis thrusted his hand forward with a smile. "The targeted Monster, Devil Eagle, loses 600 Attack!" Purple electricity sparked around the bird's body, weakening it.

 **Devil Eagle: 1600-1000 Atk**

"Damn it!" Shun cursed.

"Next up, we have the Magic Card, Magical Pendulum Box! With it's effect, I can draw two Cards from my Deck!" Dennis announced as he swiped the two Cards on top. "If they're Pendulum Monsters, I can add them to my Hand, anything else I get is sent to the Graveyard!" Dennis then looked at the two Cards. "WOW! The two are Pendulums!" Dennis' Magic Card began to erupt with confetti, trumpets glaring at the success.

"Dennis has Pendulum Monsters…" Ruri mused, surprised that Dennis had become even stronger since last time.

"Dennis is already throwing Pendulum out of the gate…" O'Brien trailed off, thinking it was a good idea to change subject. "Akaba Reiji, do you know that Dennis…" Akaba Reiji glanced at the boy and gave him a look, he adjusted his glasses before looking back at the screen.

"We don't know for certain, but yes, I have my suspicions." Reiji spoke in a quiet voice. "Something that caught my interest is that at one point he said he was taught by Sakaki Yusho, but he disappeared 3 years ago. And, if my memory serves me right, Dennis claimed to have come abroad. I don't ever remember Sakaki Yusho traveling abroad before his disappearance…"

"I set the Scale 3 Entermage Bonus Dealer and the Scale 6 Entermage Overlay Juggler onto the Pendulum Scale!" Dennis swiped both Cards onto his Duel Disk as the word PENDULUM played across the Disk in between the Cards.

"With this, he can simultaneously Summon level 4 to 5 Monsters…" Shun readied himself for a Pendulum Summon.

"Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Entermages!" Dennis rose his hand to the air as a portal appeared with three different colored beams of light flying out, revealing three different Monsters.

The first of the trio was Entermage Wind Sucker. Following that Monster was Entermage Wing Sandwichman and Entermage Ball Rider.

 **Wind Sucker: Level 5, 2100 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Wing Sandwichman: Level 5, 1800 Atk, 2100 Def**

 **Ball Rider: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1800 Def**

"Three level 5's, don't tell me he plans to Xyz Summon!" Yuto exclaimed from his room.

"Don't fret yet, Kurosaki! The show's just beginning!" Dennis lifted up his hand to Bonus Dealer, who had multiple shockwaves radiating off the Monster. "I activate Bonus Dealer's Pendulum effect! When I Pendulum Summon three or more Entermages from my Hand, I draw two Cards! Next, I Normal Summon Entermage Fire Dancer!"

 **Fire Dancer: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I overlay the level 4 Ball Rider and Fire Dancer! Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician!" Dennis chanted as his ace Monster swung next to him.

 **Trapeze Magician: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"This is amazing! Dennis pulled out an Xyz Summon! This is the very first Xyz showdown in Friendship Cup history! A red-hot development worthy of the first round finale!" Melissa exclaimed as the audience cheered out of excitement, urging both Duelists to keep fighting.

"If you keep this up, you'll pull the same trick as last time. How about revealing who you really are now?" Shun inquired, urging Dennis to reveal his hidden secret.

"Don't worry, my show's still going on." Dennis responded cryptically. "I overlay the level 5 Cup Tricker, Wind Sucker, and Wing Sandwichman!" The three Monsters turned into orbs as they flew into a portal which opened in front of Dennis, an explosion occurred as Dennis Summoned his Monster. "Show yourself, artist of the netherworld! Xyz Summon! Rank 5, Entermage Shadow Painter-Shadow Maker!"

 **Shadow Maker: Rank 5, 2600 Atk, 1000 a Def**

"With Shadow Maker as the target, I activate Trapeze Magician's Monster effect! I can use one overlay unit so that Shadow Maker can Attack twice in this turn!" An overlay orbiting Trapeze Magician dispersed as Shadow Maker gained a purple aura. "Shadow Maker is targeted for an effect, so I activate its effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can Special Summon another Shadow Maker from the Extra Deck!"

The shadow of Shadow Maker slithered to the slot next to it. The shadow formed into another copy of Shadow Maker.

"I activate the Monster effect of a Cup Tricker, which was used as an overlay unit and sent to the Graveyard! With its effect, I can detach an overlay unit from an Xyz Monster on the Field and attach it to another!" An overlay unit surrounding the first Shadow Maker left its orbit and traveled to the other one.

"Detaching an overlay unit and attaching it to another?!" Ruri gasped out of surprise.

"Next, I use Trapeze Magician's remaining overlay unit tans give my second Shadow Maker the ability to attack twice!" Trapeze's remaining overlay unit disappeared as the second Shadow Maker glowed purple. "After that, I use my second Shadow Maker's effect and Special Summon my third Shadow Maker!"

"Wow! Dennis has four Xyz Monsters with over 2500 Attack on his Field!" Melissa gaped while the audience cheered. "What's more, two of the Monsters can Attack twice! The sum...umm…" Melissa widened his eyes out of shock when she did the math. "1-15500 Attack?!"

"Battle! I attack Devil Eagle with Trapeze Magician!" Dennis declared as the Monster swung towards the bird, who turned its head at the Monster, seeing it approaching.

"Like I would let you! Quick-Play, activate!" Shun clicked a button on his Duel Disk, revealing a facedown Magic Card. "Rank-Up Magic Battle Up Force! When an opponent's Monster declares an attack, I can target an Xyz Monster I control, and, by using the selected Monster as material, I can Xyz Summon a Raidraptors Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 2 higher than the selected Monster.

"Hmm, just as I thought, a Rank-Up Magic." Dennis commented.

"Ferocious falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Raid Raptors-Blaze Falcon!" Shun chanted as his evolved Monster appeared in a blaze of fire.

 **Blaze Falcon: Rank 5, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"The attack still continues!" Dennis reminded Shun, who was already speeding up ahead, snatching an Action a Card from the ground and immediately activating it.

"Action Magic, Great Escape! With this Card, the Battle Phase immediately comes to an end!" Shun countered as Trapeze Magician attempted to kick the newly Summoned bird, but was met with nothing as he went back to Dennis' side.

"I end my turn." Dennis concluded with a sigh. "You're no fun, Kurosaki…"

"I activate a Continuous Trap targeting Trapeze Magician! Raid Raptors-Target Flag!" Shun chained the Card to Dennis' End Phase.

As the Trap was revealed, the Raid Raptors insignia was imprinted on Trapeze Magician's left eye, covering it completely.

"I draw one Card and reveal it!" With that statement, Shun ripped off the top Card of his Deck, glaring intently at it. "The drawn Card is Raid Raptors-Guard Lanius, a Monster! When the targeted Trapeze Magician leaves the Field, I destroy Target Flag and then check your Hand."

Dennis spaced out momentarily after looking down at his Hand, seeing Fusion in it.

"All of the Cards of the same type are destroyed and sent to the Graveyard!" Shun informed Dennis of his Card's effect. "You cannot hide your true colors for much longer!"

 _Damn it! He purposely waited for me to end my turn, now I can't set Fusion! I must protect my Trapeze Magician at all costs!_ Dennis thought to himself.

"What true colors? My show has no tricks at all." Dennis states as Trapeze Magician let out a laugh, however, it wasn't one of joy or happiness, it had a hint of sadism, and an allure of mischief surrounding it.

"What does Shun mean by true colors?" Yuto questioned from his quarters.

Yuya looked on at the screen, the mercilessness that Shun was showing was very familiar.

" _It's almost like that one time…"_

"I cannot afford to lose! To me, this is a battlefield, where losing the Duel means losing everything!" Shun bellowed, causing Yuya to search his memories for Sora's Duel against Shun.

" _It's just like Shun and Sora's Duel."_ Yuya spoke. " _That was when Sora revealed that he was a spy for Academia."_

Yuto glanced at his counterpart with a perplexed look on his face. "Wait, you don't mean that Shun thinks Dennis is from Academia, don't you?"

" _I don't know, but Kurosaki is acting the same way he did at that time."_ Yuya responded as he narrowed his eyes at the television, particularly at Trapeze Magician and Dennis.

"My turn, draw!" Shun ripped the top Card off his Deck as he detached an overlay unit from his Monster, which began to burn with a fiery aura. "I activate Blaze Falcon's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can destroy all Special Summoned Monster's you control and inflict 500 damage for each one destroyed! Go! Incinerate his mask with your blazing flames!"

"That's not good, Trapeze Magician is the main star of my show…" Dennis murmured nonchalantly, continuing to keep his mask on as he took a Card from his Hand and showed it to Shun. "From my Hand, I activate the Monster effect of Entermage Trick Guard!"

"Kgh! So he had an effect ready…" Shun grunted out of annoyance.

"By sending this Card to the Graveyard, I can target one Monster on the Field, the targeted Monster's destruction is negated! I negate Trapeze Magician's destruction!" Dennis selected as his Monsters were incinerated by the flaming falcon.

"But you'll still take the damage!" Shun rebutted.

"Wrong! Trapeze Magician's additional effect states that effect damage lower than or equal to Trapeze Magician's Attack is reduced down to 0!" Dennis countered as a shield formed around him, protecting him from the flames.

"There is still no escape for your Monster! Raidraptors-Blaze Falcon is allowed to bypass your Monster's and attack directly! Also, when it deals battle damage, I am allowed to destroy a Special Summoned Monster you control!" Shun explained as he commanded an attack on Dennis, his Monster carried his order out and soared right towards Dennis.

Dennis looked up to his right to see an Action Card floating in the air, he let out a small smirk as he snapped his fingers. He held out his hand and grabbed onto Trapeze Magician, who took him up to the Action Card, which he grabbed and activated immediately after Trapeze Magician put him back onto his d-wheel.

"Action Magic, Block Draw! With this Card, I can negate an attack and draw a Card as well!" Dennis said as he drove his d-wheel to the left in order to evade Shun's falcon, drawing a Card from his Deck as he did so.

Shun drove over to an Action Card on the ground and snatched it. "Action Magic, Single Distraction! When you control only one Monster on the Field, that Monster is destroyed!" A lightning bolt appeared from Shun's Card as it wrapped around, bolting towards Trapeze, completely vaporizing the Monster as it let out a scream of pain.

The mask of the Monster slid of its face as it dropped to the ground, cracking into two.

"Trapeze Magician!" Dennis called the name of his Monster out of concern as the two parts of the mask dispersed into tiny particles.

"Dennis' ace Monster Trapeze Magician is finally destroyed!" Melissa announced.

"Unfortunately for you, the show is over! I activate the effect of the Continuous Trap, Target Flag!" The Trap reappeared in front of a Shun as it flowed a yellow outline. "Since the target has been destroyed, the flag of rebellion shall now be raised to show all of us your true colors! Now, reveal your Hand!"

The Trap cracked, and it eventually shattered into multiple particles as time seemed to slow down for the spectators as Dennis revealed the two Cards in his Hand.

Dennis let out a smirk.

Looks like the jig was up. It was fun while it lasted.

Oh well, looks like he has to fight seriously from here on out.

"Is this what you wanted to see?" Dennis asked.

The two Cards all but proved that Dennis was a member of Academia.

"Fusion…" Roget mused out of surprised, getting a little anxious at the revelation. "Have they finally come for me?"

"I knew it all along! Now, go ahead and use that Card! I set two Cards and end my turn!" Shun concluded as two set Cards appeared in front of him.

"Dennis…" Yuzu murmured, shocked at what she had just learned.

"Is from…" Ruri widened her eyes, not wanting it to be true.

"Academia!" Yuto yelled as his brows furrowed, showing a look of sheer anger on the features of his face.

"Academia...is here?" Yugo gaped out of worry, remembering the condition Heartland was left in, fearing the worst for the place he had called home. He didn't need this, first he lives in the slums for all of his life, then his best and probably only friend was taken away from him, and to top it all, he basically committed murder because he got confused by someone's appearance AND his only home was going to be attacked.

Heartland was lucky. In that City, most if not all of the people were unified to fight back against Academia.

But here, in the Synchro Dimension, god knows what would happen with the Tops and Commons divided and at each other's throats.

"Oh? This is quite the turnout." Gale said.

"You said that you were against this Academia you speak of…" Gray continued.

"But you have a traitor among your group." Azul followed.

"How are we supposed to trust you? How do we know someone isn't like him?" Bordeaux questioned.

Reiji merely adjusted his glasses as a response. "The Lancers are not the only people who has a rat in their group, you should look at your own group." Reiji spoke the last part so quiet it was not audible to anyone else in the room.

"Now it's time to show you my ultimate entertainment. My turn…" Dennis whispered, his voice and demeanor changing drastically. "Draw!" Dennis placed the drawn Card onto his Duel Disk. "I Summon Entermage Shattered Mask from my Hand!"

A new Monster, which was simply multiple fragments of a mask appeared.

 **Entermage Shattered Mask: Level 2, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"I activate Shattered Mask's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Grave! The Monster's Attack is reduced to 0 and its effects are negated! Also, the Monster will be banished at the end of the turn! Revive, Trapeze Magician!"

The Magician rose from the Grave, letting out a very evil and chilling laugh that sent chills down the spines of the audience.

 **Trapeze Magician: 2500-0 Atk**

"I use Shattered Mask's second effect, I conduct a Fusion Summon using this a Card and another Card I control!" Dennis exclaimed as his Monsters spiraled into a vortex. "Acrobat that freely manipulates even the pain! Merge with the infinitely form-changing strings that connect people, and become a new witch that spurs the sky! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Entermage Trapeze Force Witch!"

A Monster appeared onto Dennis' Field that cackled throughout the night sky, its voice echoing for all to hear, to signify the destruction of a mask, and the rise of what it was trying to hide.

 **Trapeze Force Witch: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 1800 Def**

"When Shattered Mask is used as Fusion Material, the Attack of the Summoned Monster increases by 1000!" Dennis revealed.

 **Force Witch: 2600-3600 Atk**

"Following that, I activate the Magic Card Ancient Gear Chaos Fusion!" Dennis swiped the Card across his Duel Disk, taking the remaining Card in his Hand, Fusion, and sending to the Graveyard. "By throwing Fusion out of my Hand, and by banishing from the Graveyard Monsters Special Summoned from the Extra Deck equal to the amount of Fusion Materials needed, I can negate the effects and summon conditions of the Fusion Material Monsters in my Deck and Extra Deck, and Special Summon them!"

Dennis began to recite the names of the Monsters as the d-wheels of the Duelists grinned across the road, making a curved turn as he did so.

"Ancient Gear Hound Dog! Double Bite Hound Dog! Triple Bite Hound Dog! And finally Ultimate Hound Dog!" He took the four Monsters out of his Extra Deck compartment and held them up. "I Special Summon all four Ancient Gear Monsters!"

With loud barks enveloping the Field, Dennis' hounds took to the Field.

 **Ancient Gear Hound Dog: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Double Bite Hound Dog: Level 5, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Triple Bite Hound Dog: Level 7, 1800 Atk, 1000 Def**

 **Ultimate Hound Dog: Level 9, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yuto's expression became even darker as he witnessed the hounds being Summoned.

" _Ancient Gear…"_ Yuya grit his teeth. " _That no good lying bastard…"_

"Kick his ass, Shun." Ryoga said quietly.

"I fuse all four Ancient Gears!" Dennis declared, lifting his Hand into the air, beginning a chant, "Mechanized hounds that inherited ancient souls! Merge your ten heads, and become chaos and tremendous power! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Ancient Gear Chaos Giant!"

 **Chaos Giant: Level 10, 4500 Atk, 3000 Def**

The Monster that did the most damage in the invasion of Heartland floated in the air, towering over everything in the stadium and causing its shadow glaze over the audience, who was looking at the Monster in awe, which was looking down at the people with that glowing red eye, as if the machine wanted nothing but to hurt them.

"I-It's enormous!" Melissa stammered. "W-W-What on earth is that?! He Summoned such a huge Monster!"

"This is…" Shun widened his eyes as memories of the war flashed throughout his mind, the same happened with the rest of the Xyz Duelists.

"Bastard!" Ryoga shouted out loud, causing the council to look at him with curious looks.

Ruri grabbed her head and cried out in pain, "No! Please, stop it!"

"Why…" Yuto trailed off as his blood began to boil and his heart rate accelerating.

"Looks like you've seen it before." Dennis spoke sarcastically with a smirk on his face. Shun already knew that Dennis was merely taunting him, as he already knew that Shun had seen the monstrosity before...too many times before.

"Explain yourself." Azul commanded Reiji.

"I've considered the possibility that our enemy has wormed its way into the Lancers. But what about you?" Reiji questioned. "I'm certain that the enemy has already slipped into the City."

"And I wondered what you were about to say." Gale said stoically.

"You look like you've already identified the person in question." Azul stated.

"You are in the know, aren't you?" Reiji retorted. The four council members flinched and adjusted their positions in their chairs.

"In any case, let's see this Duel through to the end for now." White Taki suggested. This suggestion was agreed upon, as cancelling the match would cause the citizens to be thrown into disorder, and that is something the council wanted to avoid at the moment.

"Dennis just Summoned a level 10 Monster, a titanic being towering at 4500 Attack!" Melissa commentated, not wanting to keep her eyes off of the Duel.

Dennis let out a sadistic smirk, "Now, let the hunting games begin!"

"Why does it always have to be like this?" Yuto wondered out loud. Suddenly, he felt the presence of something else forming in his mind, a familiar dark presence.

" **Because life in this world is hell. It's about time you accepted that fact."**

"Kurosaki's life is currently still at a healthy 4000! However, all he has is a 1000 Atk Blaze Falcon, while Dennis harbors Entermage Trapeze Force Witch and Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, both of which have 2600 and 4500 Atk respectively!" Melissa gazed upon the Field.

"Allow me to show you gratitude for ripping off my mask." Dennis said.

As the behemoth known as Chaos Giant flew over the stadium, Shun glared at it as the shadow of the Monster enveloped Shun.

"I will not let this loathsome Monster roam freely again!" Shun proclaimed.

"If you could do that, then Heartland would still be peaceful, right?" Dennis taunted the Xyz user.

"Shut up!" Shun shouted out of anger.

"Battle! I attack Blaze Falcon with Chaos Giant! Crash of Darkness!" Blaze Falcon was immediately caught in Chaos Giant's hand, which collided with the ground, causing it to shake and break. Shun let out a loud grunt of pain as his d-wheel spun out of control, however, he managed to stay in front of Dennis and regain control in time.

Melissa was about to say something when suddenly, one of the wings of the now deceased Blaze Falcon came tumbling at her, she froze in her spot, as it was moving too fast for her to dodge. Fortunately for her, the Wing dissipated into multiple tiny particles, saving her. Melissa had a look of shock on her face with eyes as wide as she could make them.

"Dennis...is starting to be more brutal…" Melissa whispered to herself. She spoke back into her microphone, "Perhaps this is another act like the one on the streets not to long ago!"

 **Shun: 4000-500 LP**

"Brother!" Ruri called out of concern, touching the television with her hand, despite knowing that it would do nothing.

Shun then noticed that Blaze Falcon's corpse was still on Chaos Giants hand. The abomination of a Monster continued to crush the Falcon, before throwing it away like it was trash, the Monster smashed the glass of the stadium skylight, despite the physical damage that was occurring, the crowd was cheering.

In his throne room, Jack, who was watching the entire Duel, narrowed his eyes, keeping a mostly emotionless expression on his face.

Shun clicked his tongue as he glared at where his Monster was thrown, the sheer mercilessness of the whole thing made him think back to the invasion. The day when all light disappeared from Heartland, and darkness shrouded the city and broke down piece by piece, structure by structure, person...by...person.

"I'm going to murder that bastard." Ryoga clenched his fist, utterly hating the sight of Chaos a Giant with a passion.

"It's toying with its target...why do they have to fight like that?" Despite there being no one in the room to answer that question, Yuzu still asked it anyway.

"Looks like it's game over! With Trapeze Force Witch, I can attack you directly! Now, end this!" Dennis commanded, prompting Force Witch to swing over to Shun in order to finish the job.

"Not so fast, Quick-Play, activate! Rank-Up-Magic Death Double Force! Using this a Card, I revive Blaze Falcon who was destroyed in battle!" Said Monster rose from the ashes literally in a burst of flames. "Next, I get to Xyz Summon whose a Rank is two times the Rank of the revived Monster! Supreme falcon. Carry on the wishes of your fallen friends, and fly off to the sky of victory! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 10! Raid Raptors - Ultimate Falcon!"

 **Ultimate Falcon: Rank 10, 3500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Your Monster is 100 points too short, and this is still my victory! Continue your attack, Trapeze Force Witch! Trapeze Force Witch's effect activates, when an Entermage battles a Monster you control, I can target that Monster an decrease its Attack by 600!" Dennis revealed.

"The effect of Ultimate Falcon states that it is unaffected by your Card effects!" Shun countered as he glanced at Dennis.

"Your Monster will be destroyed still!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Continuous Trap, Overlay Breast Armor! If a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster I control were to be destroyed by battle, I can detach an overlay unit from that Monster and negate destruction!" Shun explained as his Trap was opened. Trapeze clashed with Ultimate Falcon, Shun kept a serious and calm look on his face as Ultimate Falcon flew backwards to avoid destruction.

 **Shun: 500-400 LP**

"And Kurosaki slithers out alive with only 400 life remaining! What will he do?" Melissa wondered.

Dennis grunted out of annoyance at Shun's persistence.

"Why? Why won't you just let me hunt you down?!" Dennis shouted.

"Because...I am a member of the Resistance! And we of the Resistance never give up! We won't lie down and let our enemies kick us around like helpless dogs!" Shun responded quickly.

"Go, Shun." Ryoga said.

"Show him the power of the Resistance!" Yuto bellowed.

"Kgh! You seem to forget that Chaos Giant can attack all Monsters at least once! Go, my Monster!" Dennis directed his hand towards Shun's Monster. "It's been fun, but now it's time for you to lay down and die!"

"From my Hand, I activate the effect of a Raid Raptors-Guard Lanius! When a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can attach this Card to the targeted Xyz Monster, negate its destruction and make the battle damage 0!" Chaos Giant punched Ultimate Falcon with so much force, that multiple shockwaves ensued from the fist of the giant. Some of these shockwaves caused little fragments of glass to break off of the stadium, while the people watching felt a loud rumble in the ground, sort of like an earthquake, much to their surprise and fear.

"K-Kurosaki survives just barely with 400 life points yet!" Melissa stammered as she fought against the shockwaves, holding her hat with one hand to make sure it doesn't fly away.

"I see, that's the Card you drew from Raid Raptors-Target Flag." Dennis realized. He smirked to himself as he looked at Shun. "I end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I activate Ultimate Falcon's effect, by detaching an overlay unit, I negate the effect of all Cards you control until the end of the turn. Furthermore, all Monsters you control lose 1000 Attack!" Ultimate Falcon caught its last overlay unit in its mouth and crushed it, prompting two green waves to rush from the bird and onto Dennis' Monsters, causing them to cringe and slump down.

 **Force Witch: 3600-2600 Atk**

 **Chaos Giant: 4500-3500 Atk**

"Battle! Raid Raptors-Ultimate Falcon, attack and destroy Trapeze Force Witch!" Shun pointed at the Monster. Ultimate Falcon opened his mouth, chairing a bright yellow orb of energy, it let out a roar and the blast shot out of its mouth, enveloping Force Witch, destroying her. Dennis covered his face with his hand to protect himself from the dust. Parts of the road broke apart due to the impact of the attack, and the audience inside the stadium felt quite a bit of shaking, much to their dismay.

 **Dennis: 2400-1500 LP**

"I end my turn, with this, Ultimate Falcon's effect ends, and Chaos Giant gets its effect and Attack back, however, the next effect of Ultimate Falcon activates during the End Phase, If this Card is Xyz Summoned using a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster as Material this turn, then I can apply the appropriate effect!"

"What?!" Dennis gasped out of slight shock, worried on what the effects would be.

"If you don't control a Monster, you would take 1000 damage! However, since you do control a Monster, all Monsters you control lose 1000 Attack!" Shun explained, causing Dennis to shoot his head towards his Monster, who remained the same.

 **Chaos Giant: 3500-4500 Atk**

 **Chaos Giant: 4500-3500 Atk**

"My turn, draw!" Dennis ripped the top Card of his Deck and glanced at it. "Perfect! I equip Ancient Gear a Chaos Giant with the Equip Magic Card Ancient Gear Mask! An enlarged mask similar to the one on the Card art appeared on Chaos Giant's face. "Battle! Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, Attack Raid Raptors Ultimate Falcon!️"

Ancient Gear Chaos Giant raised its hand and swung at Ultimate Falcon.

This action performed by Dennis surprised Shun.

"What?! But your Monsters have equal Attack!" Shun reminded Dennis.

"I know, but the effect of Ancient Gear Mask states that once per turn, the first time the equipped Monster were to be destroyed by battle, it is not!" Dennis infkrmed Shun, causing the Resistance Duelist to growl as his Monster was punched down into the ground hard, causing the ground to shake and the road to break.

"With that, I end my turn." Dennis concluded as he closed his eyes while smirking. "Still hanging in there, huh?"

"I will not lose! With my iron will and steeled strength."

"What an admirable spirit." Dennis complimented. "You learned that at the Pro Duelist Training School, am I right?"

Shun's ears perked up at this, internally, he was shocked, but he managed to keep his composure outside to Dennis, but the latter could tell that surprised him a little bit.

"How do you know about that?"

"I knew you were going to say that. Anyways, believe it or not, I know a lot about you. Shall I share a bit of valuable news to the audience? This...is from my time in Heartland."

Yuto paused when he heard that. "His time in Heartland?"

 **Flashback-Before the War-Heartland-Xyz Dimension**

A deck of cards were laid out across a black table, as a large group of people were gathered around an orange haired boy with a mole on his face.

"It's showtime!"

Snap!

"Who in the audience will liven up this show with me?" Dennis paused and gasped slightly when he saw a girl in the audience that peeked his interests.

The girl had pink eyes, long dark purple hair which extends past her lower back.

It was her, Kurosaki Ruri. The girl that Dennis was tasked to find. And after he found her, he was required to greenlight the invasion.

Suddenly, Trapeze Magician out of nowhere grabbed Ruri by the arms and swung her over to Dennis, much to the girl's surprise.

Dennis took a bow to the girl, "Hello, young lady, what is your name?"

"Kurosaki Ruri." The girl replied politely.

 _This is her. The one I have been tasked to find. Damn, and I was actually having a little fun here too…_ Dennis thought to himself as he let out a sigh.

"Well, you must absolutely be my opponent if my Trapeze Magician sought you out of all of these lovely people!"

 **Now**

"The adults and children watching all had smiles on their faces. But when I found her, the fun was over. It was awful." Dennis admitted out loud. "I wanted to keep doing those street performances. But...orders are orders. Since I found her, I had no choice but to greenlight the hunting game."

A frown could be seen creeping up on Dennis' face as he recalled the memory.

He remembered calling the Professor, the invasion starting, laying low so no one would get suspicious of him. He also remembered when he met up with Yuri so the latter could capture Ruri.

Dennis' frown turned into a small smile, ready to reveal the shocking truth.

"Her name was...Ruri."

"What?!" Shun widened his eyes out of shock.

"She's your sister, right? She was somehow freed from Academia recently, and I'm sure she's watching this right now. Thinking about it, it must be terrible, the entire invasion started all because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

This realization hit all of the Resistance members hard, especially Ruri.

"Ruri was wanted by Academia? But why?" Yuto questioned. What made Ruri so desirable that people from another dimension would come to capture her?

"The entire war...started because of me…" Ruri croaked, tears flooding her eyes, blurring her sight as they rolled down her face. "Everyone who was Carded...Yuto's father, Allen's parents, brother and I's parents...they're all gone because of me…"

Words couldn't describe how guilty Ruri felt at that moment, that the entire war was started just because of her.

This also meant that as of now, she had just become a burden to those who want to protect her, since Academia want to capture her again.

"Doesn't that make you mad? Doesn't that make you resent your sister?! Because of her, the entire war started! Because of her, your parents, your loved ones, and other people were Carded mercilessly! Doesn't that twist you in the wrong way?! Doesn't that make you want to hate her?"

Ruri covered her face into her hands.

They had every reason to hate her now.

Ryoga, her brother, Yuto, and the others back in the Xyz Dimension if they were to ever learn of this, they all had a reason to hate her now, because she had ruined their lives, just by being in the sight of a spy.

In Yuto's room, the boy was looking down at the ground, his eyes shadowed out.

" _Yuto…"_ If his body was able to interact with things physically, he would have put his friend on the shoulder as a means to comfort him.

Suddenly, he felt a strong rush of anger flood throughout his mind and emitting off of Yuto. He also heard the boy growling and a dark aura forming around him.

" _Yuto! Control yourself! We can't let the darkness take over now of all times!"_ Yuya called out to his comrade and counterpart.

" **How dare he...put the blame on her?"** Yuto spoke menacingly as he looked up, shooting open his eyes, revealing his irises to be blue. " **It's not Ruri's fault…"**

Little did Yuto know, Shun had just said the same thing to Dennis.

"You had the choice of green lighting the invasion. When you saw Ruri, you didn't have to greenlight the invasion at all! The entire war was your fault!" Shun shouted at Dennis out of anger. "And for that...I will get my revenge!"

"For the comrades you all have ruthlessly slaughtered…" Ryoga formed a fist with his hands as he remembered his fallen friends.

" **And you, who took Heartland's smiles away!"** Yuto continued Shun's speech as he remembered the looks of horror on the civilians faces as they were begging chased and sealed.

"I will crush you all! My turn!" Shun gripped the top Card of his Deck and sweeped it off the top of his Deck, he glanced at the Card and widened his eyes at the sight of it, before steeling his gaze as he continued with his move. "From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Rank-Down-Magic Raptors Revenge!"

"What?! A Rank-Down-Magic Card?!" Dennis widened his eyes at the sight.

"Nice, Shun. Those Cards are rare to find even in the Xyz Dimension." Ryoga let out a small grin.

 _Rank-Down-Magic…_ Akaba Reiji and a certain boy sucking on a lollipop hiding somewhere in the stadium thought to themselves.

"By paying half of my life, I can Special Summon a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster from my Grave and use it as Material to Xyz Summon a Monster whose a Rank is 2 lower than it! Come back to me, Ultimate Falcon!" Said Monster let out an ear-ringing shriek upon return to the battlefield.

 **Shun: 400-200 LP**

"Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Rank Up Xyz Change! Soar! Rank 8! Raid Raptors - Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun chanted as he Xyz Summoned his lower Ranked Monster.

 **Satellite Cannon Falcon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"What's this?! Kurosaki Shun has performed a Rank-Down Xyz Summon! Just when we thing it couldn't get any better!" Melissa exclaimed.

Shun snarled as he thought back to the hellish war, how his comrades were Carded with no remorse upon defeat, and how the ones who couldn't fight in the first place were treated with even less remorse than that.

"For my comrades who were hunted in cold blood and sealed into Graveyards called Cards! I'll smash you to smithereens so no one can ever find a trace of your existence!"

"Brother…" Ruri whispered.

"I activate Satellite Cannon Falcon's Monster effect! Once per turn, I can use one overlay unit and decrease one opponent's Monster's Attack by 800!"

"Only 800!" Dennis laughed, but his taunting expression fell from his face when he heard the next part…

"This effect can be activated as many times as the number of a Raid Raptors in my Graveyard!"

Gasp!

"Six Raid Raptors rest in my Grave! Go! Satellite Cannon Falcon! Don't hold anything back, and incinerate with the rage of the hunted!"

Satellite Cannon Falcon opened its wings, which then prompted multiple guns to open from those wings, and they were all aimed at Chaos Giant.

Shun held up one finger.

"The first!"

An image of a Devil Eagle appeared in front of Satellite Cannon as it dispersed into particles, which flowed inside the core of the Monster, a bright green light emitted from the Monster as it let out multiple streams of green light at Chaos Giant, striking and weakening the Monster.

 **Chaos Giant: 3500-2700 Atk**

"The path to defeat and despair stretches before you!"

Two fingers.

"The second!"

A second Devil Eagle rose from the Grave and the process repeated.

 **Chaos Giant: 2700-1900 Atk**

"Taste the pain of my sister, Ruri, who's feelings and future you've crushed!"

Three fingers.

"The third!"

This time, Skull Eagle appeared from the Grave.

 **Chaos Giant: 1900-1100 Atk**

"It won't end like this!" Dennis shouted as he reached out his hand for an Action a Card, but his d-wheel was launched upwards due to a rock in the road, making Dennis miss the Card.

"Ahh! He failed to grab an Action Card!" Melissa chimed in.

Shun furrowed his eyes as he gripped the handlebar out of fury.

"For closing off the path to his ambitions and goals. Taste the hatred of my one and only best friend, Yuto!"

Four fingers.

"The fourth!"

A cry from the Grave coming from Blaze Falcon could be heard as the Monster soon disappeared like the ones before it.

SHWOOF!

The sound of the beams rushing through the air rang in Dennis' ears as they clashed against his Monster, earning a loud cry of pain that played throughout the horrid night sky.

 **Chaos Giant: 1100-300 Atk**

Dennis perked up as his eyes caught another Action Card, reaching out his hand, he yelled, "This time!"

Unfortunately for the Academia spy, his own Monster crashed his hand on the ground, splitting the surrounding area into small little fragments of what used to be the road.

SLAM!

The Action Card was launched into the air, Dennis lunged for it, but it was all for nought, as he still missed.

"Dennis failed to grab an Action Card again!" Melissa cried out of disbelief.

Shun noticed the falling debris crashing all around him as he used his survival instincts to swerve his d-wheel from left to right, managing to avoid falling off and staying safe in the process.

"Damn it! Even the Action Cards have forsaken me now that I've given up my entertainer role?!" Dennis continued to struggle against the road as he kept bouncing up and down, trying to balance and keep his d-wheel stuck on the ground.

"No matter how long they burn, the flames of my a Carded comrades' anger will never die! This one is for all of them, including all of the civilians who never had a chance to fight back!"

Five and then six fingers.

"THE FINAL SHOTS!"

Guard Lanius followed by Ultimate Falcon rose from the Grave, following the same process their predecessors went through. One last long stream of green pounded against the metal of the now weakened behemoth known as Ancient Gear Chaos Giant.

 **Chaos Giant: 300-0 Atk**

Shun turned his d-wheel so his side was facing Dennis. He thrusted his hand to the side, "Battle! Soar, Satellite Cannon Falcon! Attack Chaos Giant!"

The bird let out a shriek in response as it activated its boosters and shot off towards the sky, going further up the atmosphere.

The crowd of the audience all gasped in awe as they looked up to Satellite Cannon, surprised that the bird was not stopping its ascent through the layers of the atmosphere.

"Satellite Cannon Falcon steadily ascends! It climbs on and on! Through the clouds and right through the Stratosphere!"

And the bird kept going even higher, showing that no matter how low those of the Resistance are put down, they will keep fighting and rise to new and higher heights.

As it continued to fly through the Stratosphere and the Mesosphere, it eventually ended its ascent right at the beginning of the Thermosphere, clocking in at about 87 kilometers off the surface of the earth.

The sun shone its bright radiant rays on the falcon as it opened yet another pair of wings, this time reddish-orange is energy flowing through the openings, forming the Raid Raptors insignia in space.

Satellite Cannon Falcon cocked it's turrents and with great aim, took its sights on the Ancient Gear Chaos Giant stuck on the ground.

The bird let out a loud cry of fury as a light blue outline enveloped the Monster as a blue sphere was seen emitting from its core.

From the ground, one could actually see a bright orange star of light in the sky.

Stuck in a small crater with no wear to run due to being too weak, Chaos Giant could only sit and await its fate.

"Bear the feelings of the hunted, and DISAPPEAR!" Shun shouted. "ETERNAL AVENGE!"

From its core, Satellite Cannon Falcon released a large light green stream, aiming right for Chaos Giant.

From the surface of the earth, the green beam could be seen rushing down towards the earth at its target at great speeds. Murmurs went flooding throughout the audience as the people worried for their safety.

As the beam came closer and closer, Dennis could only watch as his Monster was hit by the attack. His Monster wouldn't be destroyed due to Ancient Gear Mask, but it didn't matter.

Because the show was over…

BOOM!

The explosion ripped Chaos Giant to shreds as its parts were incinerated. The ensuing shockwaves threw Dennis off his d-wheel as he cried out in pain.

So this was the end...of the man who wore a mask for his entire life.

Thinking back on his life, Dennis had realized he had many layers of mask etched upon his face, masks that only one who looked deep enough could see.

All this time of deception through his life…

Yet he didn't know which one of his masks was his real one.

 **Dennis: 1500-0 LP**

Dennis crashed across the ground, tumbling and rolling across the ground, his riding suit covered in scratches, dirt and grime as Dennis slowly and painfully lifted his head up.

"K-Kurosaki...you win…" Dennis ushered as he lost consciousness.

"It's...It's...It's settled!" Melissa concluded with a smile on her face. "The final match of the Friendship Cup's first round! The winner is Kurosaki Shun!"

The boy eating a lollipop took his leg off of the wall he was leaning onto and walked away.

Meanwhile, Jack Atlas stood up from his throne and walked away as well.

Melissa's eyes became black voids as she saw the damage of the road.

Let's just say...it wasn't safe for a Riding Duel.

"This is such a wreck…" Melissa trailed off, before fuming on a rage. "What are we gonna do now?! Geez!"

Shun shoved his helmet and threw it to the side as he walked over to Dennis.

"Brother...you wouldn't…" Ruri widened her eyes as she saw Shun strap his Duel Disk onto his hand. Even if Dennis greenlit the invasion, she still didn't like the aspect of her brother Carding him.

"No matter how many of you come from Academia, I'll annihilate all of you by myself!" Shun clicked his Duel Disk, the function that allowed him to Card people.

 _Easiest decision in my life._

What he was shocked by was the fact that nothing had happened. He clicked the button again and when it still didn't work, he began mashing the Card function.

"Damn it! Why can't I turn him into a Card?!" Shun questioned.

 _It was Akaba Reiji's doing...that bastard! He did it when he stole my Duel Disk!_

With nothing else to do, he rushed over to Dennis' fallen form and grabbed him by the collar forcefully, this caused the boy to regain a tiny bit of consciousness as Shun prepared a hard punch that would connect to Dennis' face, however, before he could launch it, his arm was grabbed by a man in a white tank top.

"What?! Damn it! Let go!" Shun was restrained by two guys as he was taken away from Dennis, who was also restrained by a guy in a green suit.

"Academia is After me, Ruri, Rin, and Serena. What is their reason…?"

In the council room, Reiji turned around to leave, however…

"Where are you going?" Gale interrogated.

Reiji turned back as if to acknowledge Gale. "I want to see Dennis. I need to confirm a few things with him."

Reiji began to walk away, and he was followed by a Reira, Ryoga, and O'Brien. However, they were blocked by four men in white suits.

"What is the meaning of this?" Reiji asked calmly.

"We do not want to make a fuss over this issue." Gray spoke.

"We'd prefer not to fight anyone or have anyone interfere." Gale followed.

"For as much as possible, we want to maintain order in the City as it is." Azul continued.

"That is what we desire...correct, Chairman?"

"Quite so." White Taki confirmed. "We wouldn't like for you to leave our world out of something troublesome like the inter dimensional world. Do you understand that?"

In his room, seeing Dennis being carried out on a stretcher eased Yuto's mind a bit. Good, the bastard had suffered for what he had done.

Yuto's eyes returned to normal as he took a deep breath.

"Damn it, I almost lost it thanks to all of my anger and hatred...but to think that I have this much harbored inside…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Dennis was currently being pushed on a stretcher by two people, however, they halted when they saw three men in white suits.

"Wait. Dennis will be put in the custody of the Executive Council." One of the White suited men spoke as he revealed a contract. "Hand him over at once."

"That will not happen!" A member of Security exclaimed as he and two other members came running down the hall, stopping right in front of Dennis' stretcher. "Dennis is in our custody! This is a direct order from a Chief aroget of the Security Bureau."

The two men rolling the stretcher ran away after that, feeling the tension growing between the two parties.

"The Executive Council has decided tot age away his right to command. Which means that the order you received was nullified."

Suddenly, a bolt of electricity was seen in the middle of the two groups, much to their surprise. Then, a gust of wind sprouted from the ground, lashing out at their faces, causing them to look away, when they looked back at the stretcher, Dennis was gone!

"Dennis disappeared!"

"What happened?!"

"I will not hand Dennis over to the council!" Roget bellowed through the earpiece. "Find him immediately and capture him! Take away MY right to command? Hmph, if you old geezers are going to adopt that attitude, then we will have to take drastic measures as well."

Roget picked up a white pawn and moved it one space forward. As a result, the entire chess board lit up green as alarms blared off throughout the building.

"Notify all of Security. Begin the operation…"

"King's Gambit!"

* * *

 **Back in the Commons Area**

When Dennis opened his eyes, the last thing he expected to hear was the voice of another. In fact, he was surprised that he even woke up in the first place. He had thought that Shun had a Carded him…

"You're finally awake."

If he had more energy, Dennis would have jumped out of fright at the sudden male young voice, but he was too tired to do so.

"Who are you?" Dennis asked.

The boy took a lollipop out of his mouth, giving him a smile.

"Shiunin Sora. A Duelist from Academia." Sora introduced himself.

"Right, I remember. You're from Academia, too." Dennis spoke, suddenly feeling a little better.

"I'm surprised that you're still the same." Sora admitted. "And you played a part in the Ruri situation…" Mentioning the name Ruri made Sora stiffen slightly, but Dennis didn't notice.

"Calling it a situation...I was just following my orders. Unfortunately, we have to recapture Ruri, but after that, all that is left is handing Yuzu and Serena over to Yu-" Dennis suddenly helped by a sudden rush of pain throughout his body.

"I'll take over." Sora offered.

"No, I will." A voice joined in on the conversation. Both Sora and Dennis stiffened, knowing who the owner of the voice was.

The other person's body and face were covered by shadows, but Sora and Dennis still knew who it was by the air changing around and the entire atmosphere.

It felt...intimidating in a unique way.

Sora could merely said a grin towards the unknown person. "You took a while to get here."

"Show me some more respect, Shiunin Sora. After all, I am a higher ranking officer than you." The person reminded Sora.

"Yes, yes." Sora smirked.

"To think that you out of all people would be here, Fu-ACK!" Dennis once again cried out of pain.

"Head back to Academia. We have no need for a soldier who can't even stand on his own feet." The silhouette of the person said.

"Besides…" Sora interjected before Dennis could rebutted. "The Professor already tasked me with retrieving Serena. He was tasked with retrieving Hiragi Yuzu. Originally we were going to have you capture Ruri, but we can just send Yuri, after all, he did capture her once already."

"Which reminds me, explain to me how Kurosaki Ruri managed to escape?" The silhouette asked, interested.

"Two people snuck in and broke out a Ruri and Rin, thankfully, we still have Rin, but Ruri is here in this dimension." Sora answered.

"Is that so? Hmph." The mysterious person turned to Dennis, who was holding his arm. "You need to head back." He held up his Duel Disk and clicked a button, emitting a light blue light.

"When you return, tell the Professor this…" Dennis perked his ears up, ready to listen to what Sora needed right before the light took him away from the Synchro Dimension.

"I will definitely carry out the mission he gave me."

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **(I decided to raise Trapeze Force Witch's Attack from 2400 to 2600.)**

 **Entermage Trick Guard: Level 4, 900 Atk, 400 Def, Dark, Spellcaster: When a Monster you control is going to be destroyed by battle or Card effect, you can send this Card to the Graveyard, negate the destruction.**

 **Entermage Shattered Mask, Dark, Spellcaster: Once per turn, you can Special Summon a Monster in your Grave with its Attack 0 and effects negated. You can conduct a Fusion Summon using this Card and ONE other Card you control. A Monster Fusion Summoned using this Card as Material gains 1000 Attack.**

 **Raid Raptors-Guard Lanius, Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1200 Def, Dark, Winged-Beast: When an Xyz Monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can attach this Card to that Monster as Material, that Monster cannot be destroyed by this battle and the damage you take is reduced to 0.**

 **Rank-Down-Magic Raptor's Revenge, Magic: Special Summon 1 Raid Raptors Xyz Monster from your Graveyard, Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 2 lower than the Special Summoned Monster using the revived Monster as Material.**

* * *

 **Well, it's been 24 days since I've last updated, and I've had enough of it! If I don't update in the next 3-6 days, then I am giving up on this fanfic!**

 **Nah I'm just kidding.**

 **Anyways, sorry for the really late update, this time I won't state my reasons cause either A. You've heard them before. B. You wouldn't care. C. I just want to upload this now.**

 **No chapter preview.**

 **But we've FINALLY FINISHED the first rounds.**

 **Just as a reminder, he are the people who made it through in no particular matchup order.**

 **Aki**

 **Ruri**

 **Yuto**

 **Yugo**

 **Yuzu**

 **Sergey**

 **Chojiro (Albeit Damon got Carded)**

 **Shun (Obviously)**

 **Well, I've already got the matchups down on paper, but if you guys would like to request some matches, then maybe I'll switch things around.**

 **Bridgey: Really, they shot Shingo in both feet so he couldn't win a single solo Duel. The only good Shingo solo Duels (in my opinion) was when he fought AND LOST a Duel against a Yu-boy. Yuya, twice. Yuto and Yugo, both once.**

 **Skadi: I know you didn't say anything about but I had Dennis use Trapeze Force Witch because it's like the real Trapeze Magician, but the Xyz Monster is the mask.**

 **Anyways, that is all for today guys, hopefully the quality of the chapter is better than last time.**


	78. Rise of Prisoners and Servants

"The City is one! We are all friends!" Melissa preached as she looked into the camera pointing towards her. "The third day of the Friendship Cup tournament! Today, we move into the second round!"

The audience cheered as the eight holograms of the eight contestants who passed the first round appeared for all to see.

The people seen were…

Yuto. Yugo. Ruri. Yuzu. Shun. Chojiro. Sergey, and finally Aki.

"Who out of these four will emerge and advance to the next round?!" Melissa spoke rhetorically. "The fated first match is...Tokumatsu Chojiro and Sergey Volkov!"

Chojiro flinched his quarters when hearing who he was facing. He remembered Sergey's recent Duel with Gongenzaka, and how the Superheavy Samurai user turned out afterwards.

To Chojiro's escort, if he was showing any sort of fear, he wasn't showing it.

"Tokumatsu-san, be careful." Ruri prayed for the man's safety, knowing just what a Sergey is capable of.

"And the crowd is going wild at the prospect of this matchup! Due to his opponent's absence, this guy never got a chance to get back into the spotlight, but here, he has been given back his chance! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is the man who roused up Dueling back in the day, Tokumatsu Chojiro!" Melissa exclaimed as Chojiro launched himself out of the cockpit and drove off towards the starting line.

Suddenly, boos were erupting from the audience directed towards one person. And that was the big lump riding on a d-wheel towards the startling line.

Sergey.

"And there he is, Sergey Volkov! His performance against Gongenzaka in the first round was a little lacking, and he seemed to barely pull out the win. Will he be stronger today? The fearsome criminal who once shook the City. These days, h8s power is long-forgotten." Melissa reported.

"ALRIGHT! GO, ENJOY CHOJIRO! BEAT THIS PIECE OF SH** INTO THE GROUND!" Yugo cheered from his quarters very loudly that if he spoke any louder the person in the next room probably could have heard him.

As Sergey parked next to Chojiro, he flashed back to a conversation he had with Roget.

* * *

 **At Some Point in the Past**

"Tokumatsu Chojiro. He used to be a formidable Duelist back in the day according to people. He could have only gotten stronger since then. Because of this possibility, I cannot take any chances. We have already lost Serena and have people looking for her. You need to get through this round to make sure you can apprehend Hiragi Yuzu and Kurosaki Ruri, those three girls are needed for my kingdom."

The voice of Roget was playing on a screen Sergey was staring at on his Duel Disk.

"I command you switch Decks, to the new one I gave you." Roget let out a small smirk. "That should be enough. After all, that other Deck was only a coverup, it was by mere luck that Gongenzaka Noboru lost to you."

* * *

 **Now**

Of course, due to Shun and Dennis' Duel, the course for the Duel was demolished. There was a very large green tarp covering the damaged area.

So, for the rest of the tournament, the Riding Duels will be taking place outside of the Duel Palace.

"Field Magic! Crossover Accel!" Melissa snapped her fingers as the stadium and beyond was enveloped in an Action Field.

 _Duel Mode! Auto-Pilot! Standby!_

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" Melissa exclaimed as the two Duelists practically jammed their foot onto the accelerator of the d-wheels, speeding off neck and neck.

" **DUEL!** " Surprisingly, Sergey recited the word at the same time as Tokumatsu.

"In this Duel, the one who passes through the Duel Palace gate gets the first move!" Melissa revealed to the audience and the Duelists.

In the end, when they were right about to pass through the Duel Palace, Sergey suddenly slowed down, making Chojiro pass first, giving him the first move.

He didn't know why Sergey had slowed down at the end, but he could tell when a d-wheel messes up the speed of a rider, and Sergey's d-wheel certainly wasn't like that. From the looks of it, Sergey seemed to have willingly slowed down, as if he wanted a Tokumatsu to take the first move. Tokumatsu's eyes looked over to one of Sergey's hands. It was holding up four fingers.

"Four turns. That's all it will take to get a beautiful outcome." Sergey said emotionlessly. "And that is also how long you have left in this tournament."

"We shall see about that! My turn." Tokumatsu drew a Card from his Hand and placed it on his Duel Disk. "I Summon Cardian-Matsu from my Hand!"

 **Matsu: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"Next up, I activate the effect of Cardian-Matsu ni Tsuru! I can Special a Summon the Card by releasing Matsu!" Tokumatsu removed the Monster currently on his Duel Disk and replaced with another.

 **Matsu ni Tsuru: Level 1, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Next, when this Card is Special Summoned successfully, I draw one Card!" Tokumatsu did so, but he kept his arm raised, not looking at the Card as he added another thing, "If the Card is not a Cardian, I send it to the Grave! The Card I drew was Fraud Check, a Trap Card, so I send it to my Graveyard. I end my turn."

Tokumatsu took this moment to gaze at Sergey's face. The guy didn't even have any sort of emotion on his face at all. It was as if he was an android or a cyborg.

 _One thing is for sure, I must not let my guard down. Even if the Cards he use have 0 Attack._ Tokumatsu took note of what had happened in Sergey's Duel with Gongenzaka.

"Not a bad start for the return of Enjoy Chojiro! But let's see how Sergey will respond." Melissa said.

"My turn, draw. When there is a Field Magic Card on the Field, I am allowed to Special Summon Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper!" A black spirit looking Monster with light blue lines outlining its body parts appeared to the Field.

 **Stone Sweeper: Level 5, 1600 Atk, 1600 Def**

The appearance and name of the Monster all surprised the audience, Melissa, the other contestants, and of course Chojiro.

"Is he using a different Deck? That is a completely different Monster than what he used in his last match." Tokumatsu murmured, a thought which most of the other people had at the moment.

"Next I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker." Sergey stated as he slammed the Card onto his Duel Disk. Another spirit with a purple flame holding it in the air with orangish lines covering it was Summoned to Sergey's side of the Field.

 **Line Walker: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1100 Def**

"I-It seems that Sergey has decided to switch up his Decks…" Melissa spectated.

"Next, from my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Underworld Harmonics-Synchro Fusion!" Sergey revealed the Card in his Hand.

Shun narrowed his eyes at the sight, "That bastard Roget must be part of Academia!"

Now that he thought about it, the theory had made perfect sense. How else would Sergey and Duel Chaser 227 be able to use Fusion out of nowhere. Now, the new question Shun has: Does Roget actually reign from the Fusion Dimension? Or did he just form some sort of alliance with them?

This he did not know, and this was an answer that he wanted badly.

"With this Card, I am allowed to Synchro Summon and Fusion Summon a Monster from the Extra Deck by using Monsters I control as both Fusion and Synchro Materials!"

"What's this?!" Tokumatsu widened his eyes out of shock.

"Sergey has just declared that he is going to simultaneously Fusion and Synchro Summon while using the same Monsters?! Is this the real thing, or a bluff?" Melissa wondered as two transparent forms of Segrey's Monsters appeared.

"I tune my level 5 Stone Sweeper with my level 3 Line Walker!" Both of Sergey's Monsters flew into the air as Line Walker turned into three wings as Stone Sweeper turn into five stars which flew inside the rings. Suddenly, a wave of green light rushed through the rings as Sergey recited a chant.

"Revive from the depths of the earth. Gigantic beast with wings of punishment! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon!" Sergey Synchro Summoned his Monster to the Field.

 **Geo Gryphon: Level 8, 2500 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Next, I fuse Line Walker and Stone Sweeper! Prisoner that crawls across the earth. Become one with the prisoner that walks the path of execution and become a gigantic beast that delivers out punishment! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken!" Sergey widened his eyes as he Fusion Summoned his Monster.

 **Geo Kraken: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 1200 Def**

Yuya appeared out of Yuto as he looked on in awe at the Duel. " _He just simultaneously…"_

"Fusion Summoned and Synchro Summoned." Yuto finished with a grim look on his face. "I have a feeling something is going to happen...and it's not a good feeling…"

"Go, Enjoy Chojiro!" Yugo cheered from his room. "Show him that he's no match for you! Show him why you were and still are the hero of the Commons!"

"Tokumatsu-san…" Ruri whispered from room as she took a look at the Fusion and Synchro Monsters on Sergey's Field.

"From the Graveyard, I activate the effect of Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker! By banishing this Card from the Graveyard, I can target a Monster on your Field that was Special Summoned, I can Special Summon it to your Field again!" Sergey explained the effect of the Monster.

"What? Treating my Monster as if it had just been Special Summoned?" Tokumatsu questioned as he looked back at Segrey out of confusion. The mind games this Duelist plays are insane. He seems weak at first, but then out of nowhere he comes out with a crazy effect!

"The effect of Geo Kraken now activates! Once during my turn, if a Monster is Special a Summoned to your side of the Field, I can destroy as many Monsters that were Special a Summoned to your side of the Field this turn and inflict 800 damage for each destroyed Monster!" Sergey revealed, surprising Tokumarsu as Matsu ni Tsuru was destroyed by a purple beam coming from a Geo Kraken.

"RRGH!" Tokumatsu grunted as he leaned forward to stay in control of his d-wheel.

 **Tokumatsu: 4000-3200 LP**

"And Sergey has dished out the first damage! And Enjoy Chojiro has no Monsters on the Field!" Melissa announced.

Members of the audience were starting to boo at the disappointment they were getting from Tokumatsu in this match.

"Too bad, I thought Enjoy Chojiro had actually come back." Someone from the audience had spoken.

"Yeah, this one must be a fraud who uses the same Deck…" The person next to him murmured.

"Damn! And I had all my hopes up for nothing!" Someone cursed under their breath as they tightened their hand into a fist.

"Geo Kraken, attack him directly!" On Sergey's command, Geo a Kraken threw out a purple wave right at a Tokumatsu, enveloping him and causing him to yell out loud because of the pain he was feeling. It felt as if he was being burned alive, except worse.

 **Tokumatsu: 3200-400 LP**

"Damn! This isn't a Duel...this is torture!" Yugo bellowed from his room out of anger. "Come on, Chojiro! Don't lose to this sick bastard!"

To Yugo, a Tokumatsu had always been a hero in his eyes. Heck, Rin had thought that he was pretty cool too, even if they had never seen any of his Duels up close before. But there were some video tapes that Yugo and Rin were very lucky to be able to watch that featured Chojiro's Duels.

In fact, Tokumatsu was, at least for Yugo, one of the sole motivators for Yugo to reach his goal of becoming Duel King. He knew how he was arrested 10 years ago, so he had wished that he could have released him if he had managed to reach his dream.

And although he's glad that Tokumatsu is out of prison in the Friendship Cup, he absolutely hated at the fact that he was practically being torn off limb from limb by Sergey. He had felt a hatred growing for Sergey right after brutally defeating Gongenzaka. Even though he didn't know the Steadfast Duelist, he still couldn't help but think that he didn't deserve the brutal way he got defeated in.

"This Duel was much less beautiful than the last one. I had expected very much from a Duelist of your caliber." Sergey retorted with a blank expression on his face. "It seems like this is the end. Go, Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon! Attack him directly and end this Duel!"

 _Damn it...there's nothing I can do…_ Tokumatsu's despair was immediately washed away when he saw an Action Card approaching right in front of him. He reached down and snatched it, activating it immediately.

"Action Magic, Evasion! The attack is negated!" Tokumatsu gripped the handlebars of his d-wheel and drove to the right, avoiding the attack from Sergey's Monster.

"I end my turn." Sergey concluded. "Looks like it will go to four turns after all." Sergey let out a sadistic smile. "Good, all the better to make it more beautiful."

Sweat rolled down Tokumatsu's face as he looked at his current Hand. There wasn't anything Special that he could do with his Hand. The only thing he had that was of notable use was Card Preparation, but that was useless since he doesn't have a Monster to Summon.

Why did he even bother to try and escape out of the prison with those guys? Oh yeah, he forgot, he kind of had no choice in the matter.

His two subordinates risked their potential freedom just so he could escape. Now he was going to get sent into the underground, where they would probably be right now.

 _What a waste...and here I was thinking I could make a return as Enjoy Chojiro..._ Tokumatsu shut his eyes.

"It seems like Enjoy Chojiro has frozen up! Could he be giving up?" Melissa asked rhetorically.

The crowd started to boo at Tokumatsu. The sound of boos filled his ears, a reminder of his past failure to get back into the limelight...and it was through cheating. And that only ruined his image even more...

Tokumatsu shot his eyes open, finding new determination in his eyes. He would clear his name, and he would revive the name of Enjoy Chojiro, even if it was just for a moment. He needed to hear the crowd cheer for him just one more time. For him to hear the chant "CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO!" just one more time. Only then, will he be able to die happy, as he will be satisfied that he would have made at least some people happy.

"I cannot revive the name of Chojiro if I can't suck up the fear of messing up a draw." Tokumatsu stated quietly as he placed a Card onto the top of his Deck.

 _Even if who I am up against is a monster, I cannot turn this chance down! I may never get it again! After all, humans only live once, so all I can do is to…_

"ENJOY!" Tokumatsu shouted at the top of his lungs as he ripped the top Card of his Deck. He glanced at the Card and let out a smirk, swiping it across his Duel Disk. "I activate the Magic Card Recardination! With this, I get to revive a Cardian Monster in my Graveyard ignoring its Summoning conditions. Revive, Cardian-Matsu ni Tsuru!"

"Enjoy Chojiro has brought back his will to fight!" Melissa exclaimed with a whoop.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card Card Preparation! I make the level of a Cardian Monster I control 2 and I get to draw a Card also! I make Matsu ni Tsuru's level rise to 2!" Tokumatsu informed Sergey.

 **Matsu ni Tsuru: Level 1-2**

"Now, if I get the combo off, then Enjoy Chojiro will be completely revived! I have no fear of what Card I will get! Gaze in awe at my conviction as we ENJOY!" Tokumatsu swiped the top Card off his Deck and glanced at it.

"Did he get what he needed?" Melissa wondered.

"Magic Card, Chokoikoi, activate!"

"Alright! It's Enjoy Chojiro's killer combo!" Yugo's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"It's the same Card from back then." Ruri noted. "But that is such a big risk…"

"With this, I draw three Cards from my Deck, and when those Cards are Cardians, I Special Summon all of them! However, any non-Cardians Cards are sent to the Grave, and take 1000 damage for each one!"

"He only has 400 life left." A person from the audience remembered.

"So if he gets one bad Card, it's all over!" Another person grabbed their hair.

"This is finally starting to get interesting!" A male in the audience grinned.

Tokumatsu snapped his fingers. "The first Card!" He shifted his free hand over to his Deck.

"Come! Come! Come! Come! COME!" Tokumatsu drew the first Card, glancing at it with hopeful eyes. His pleas for a good Card were accepted. "Cardian-Susuki ni Tsuki!"

The audience 'oohed' after hearing the news, now suddenly getting interested.

"The second Card! Come! Come! Come! Come! Come!" Another Card was drawn. "Cardian-Kiri ni Houou!"

The audience began to cheer, albeit slightly quiet as they didn't know if the play would succeed or not.

"And the third and final Card! Come! Come! Come! Come! Come!" The last Card was drawn as some members of the audience shifted forwards in their seat as if they wanted to get a better look of the Card, although they wouldn't be able to see it. "Cardian-Yanagi Ono no Michikaze!"

"All three are Cardians?!" Melissa gasped out of shock.

"Awesome!" The audience cheered, their love for Enjoy Chojuro rekindling.

"What good fortunte! Now, Enjoy Chojiro completely revives! Via, Chokoikoi's effect, the Attack and Defense of all Special Summoned Monsters are reduced to 0, and their levels become 2!" Tokumatsu exclaimed as his Monsters combined with the only Monster currently on his Field

 **Susuki ni Tsuki: Level 8-2, 2000-0 Atk, 2000 Def**

 **Kiri ni Houou: Level 12-2, 2000-0 Atk, 2000 Def**

 **Yanagi Ono no Michikaze: Level 11-2, 2000-0 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate Geo Kraken's effect! Since you Special Summoned a Monster to your Field, all Monsters on your side are destroyed and you take 800 damage for each one. You will take 3200 points of damage. It's over." Sergey closed his eyes, waiting for the cry of pain Tokumatsu would release when he will lose. However, it never came.

"From my Hand, I activate the effect of Protector of the Cardians! By sending this a Card to the Grave, I can negate the destruction of one or more Cardian Monsters!" Tokumatsu countered as multiple purple waves were sent at his Monsters in an attempt to destroy them, but to no avail. Tokumatsu's Monsters remained on the Field.

"I tune the level 2 Cardian-Matsu ni Tsuru, Susuki ni Tsuki, Kiri ni Houou, with the level 2 Yanagi Ono no Michikaze! Rain of tears! Become light and rain down! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8, Cardian - Ameshikou!" Tokumatsu chanted as his Monster rose to the Field.

 **Ameshikou: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 3000 Def**

The crowd erupted into cheers at the Synchro Summon, due to the fact that Tokumatsu had started with 0 Monsters and ended with four before tuning them together.

"Amazing, he Summoned all of those Monsters in one turn...and it was in such a unique way too." Yuto commented.

"I'm not done yet! In order to truly put a dent into your life points! I must take an even bigger risk! I activate the Magic Card Super Match! I get to return a Synchro Monster I control to the Extra Deck, then, I Special Summon it's Materials from my Graveyard, ignoring their Summoning conditions and with their levels at 2!"

The four Monsters recently sent to the Grave reappeared out of a purple portal.

"What was the point of Synchro Summoning that Monster if he was just going to do that?" Melissa enquired.

The audience was also confused as well. They were interested to see what Tokumatsu had next in store.

"Now, I draw a Card, if the drawn Card is a Cardian, I get to Special Summon, ignoring its Summoning conditions and with its level at 2! However, if the Card isn't a Cardian Monster, then all Monsters I control are destroyed, and my life is halved along with it." The audience gasped out of fear because of the stakes.

"Another all or nothing draw...so this is how Enjoy Chojiro plays…" Ruri let out a smile, as she only had seen a hint of the real Enjoy Chojiro in their Duel.

"ENJOY!" Tokumatsu cried out as he drew yet another Card. "Cardian-Sakura (Holy crap Sakura you're useful for on-wait wrong series) ni Maku!" The Monster appeared next to Tokumatsu's Monster as it underwent some changes to its stats.

 **Sakura ni Maku: Level 3-2, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I tune the level 2 Cardian-Matsu ni Tsuru, Susuki ni Tsuki, Kiri ni Houou, and Sakura ni Maku with the level 2 Yanagi Ono no Michikaze! That ritual of the gods is holy light. Now, become the heavens, the earth, the water, the soil, and the metals, and shine! Synchro Summon! Cardian-Five Lights!"

 **Five Lights: Level 10, 5000 Atk, 0 Def**

The audience erupted into cheers since Tokumatsu pulled off a combo to a 5000 Attack Monster.

"A level 10 Synchro Monster with 5-5000 Attack!" Melissa stammered.

"Amazing." Ruri gaped out of surprise. "So this is a Tokumatsu-san's Trump Card."

"Battle! Go, Five Lights, attack Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken! When Five Lights battles a Monster, the effects of the Monster battling Five Lights are negated!" Tokumatsu revealed. Five Lights released five beams of from its lantern type weapons, destroying Geo Kraken. Sergey was enveloped in a cloud of dust emitting off of the destroyed space of his Monster.

 **Sergey: 4000-1800 LP**

"Alright! Enjoy!" Yugo shouted.

"Sergey's life has been cut down by more than half! Could this be a comeback for Enjoy Chojiro?" Melissa questioned.

Tokumatsu smiled to himself, but he froze when he heard a sound coming from the audience. The sound of cheering.

"CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO!"

" _CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO! CHOJIRO!"_

The chant kept going on and on as Tokumatsu replayed the chants of the kids all those years ago.

 _Yes. With this, I can move on with no regrets._ Tokumatsu thought to himself. However, his ears managed to pick up the quiet sound of chuckling, followed by the constant uttering of the word 'Beautiful.' Tokumatsu looked back at Sergey to see him smiling, and chanting the word that he had heard.

Then, he began to chant something else as he clenched his fists gripping it tightly.

"I've endured, and endured, and endured. Endured, endured! My endurance was not in vain! I've endured, and endured, endured and endured! I've endured! ENDURED!" Sergey yelled out loud.

At Roget's office, the screen showing Sergey's vitals and other things had an alarm going off with the word ERROR on screen,

"His limiter broke…" Roget closed his eyes, before opening them again with a sigh. "It looks like he needs some fixing up again."

"The man I Dueled in the first round, Gongenzaka, he was a little fun! This Duel…" Sergey shot his face forward with a psychotic look on his face, "Is even more beautiful than that one! Truly a beautiful battle. This should end beautifully...IN YOUR DEFEAT!"

Sergey slammed the pedals on his d-wheel and bursted forward ahead of Tokumatsu, raising his hand to his Synchro Monster.

"I activate the effect of Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon! If an Earthbound Monster I control is destroyed, I can target a Monster you control and destroy it!" Sergey revealed, causing Tokumatsu to gasp out of shock as Sergey's yellow outlined Monster opened its mouth, releasing a bright yellow wave of fire at Five Lights, easily destroying the Monster.

"Just like that…" Yuto murmured.

"His 5000 Attack Monster was toppled…" Ruri mumbled, fearing the worst for Tokumatsu.

"No way!" Tokumatsu gaped as he covered himself to protect himself from the shockwaves. "I-I end my turn…"

"This is the end!" Sergey proclaimed as he drew a Card from his Deck, followed by him thrusting his hand forward. "Battle! Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon, attack him directly and finish this!" Said Monster flew upwards and shot a fireball from its mouth aiming right towards Tokumatsu. The fireball hit the ground and devoured Tokumatsu in the ensuing explosion. Tokumatsu let out one loud cry of pain as parts of his riding gear was ripped to shreds, all the while falling off his d-wheel.

The audience gasped out of horror as they witnessed Tokumatsu losing.

"CHOJIRO!" Yugo shouted from his room painfully, not wanting to see one of his heroes getting brutally beaten.

"Tokumatsu-san!" Ruri called out of concern.

"Sergey...that bastard!" Yuto muttered under his breath.

 **Tokumatsu: 400-0 LP**

Tokumatsu looked up at the sky as he could feel his vision fading. He tried his best to move, but every time he did, pain rushed through his body and he dropped to the ground, giving up him even more pain. Tokumatsu looked at his right leg to see a shard of glass seeping into his leg, which was mostly the reason for his pain. He shifted his gaze over to other parts of his body, where he saw fresh burns forming.

He could also feel that some of his ribs and other bones had broken in his defeat. Something vital might have been broken he felt.

 _Is this...the end of Enjoy Chojiro...is this how my life ends…?_ With that final thought, Tokumatsu blacked out, his body falling limb.

"A-And the winner...is Sergey Volkov…" Melissa whispered into the microphone.

The audience began to jeer angrily, as they clearly wanted Chojiro to win and other members were horrified on what had happened to the man.

A hospital truck immediately rushed in onto the scene, with multiple people coming out with a stretcher, only for them to carry Tokumatsu into the truck.

Minutes later, a man walked up to Melissa and whispered something into her ear, her eyes widened out of worry as she spoke.

"It...seems that Enjoy Chojiro has suffered critical injuries...it is unknown if he will survive or not…"

Murmurs rang throughout the audience of the news, unlike the other times, there was actually no cheer.

"Sergey…" Yugo ushered the name with venom. His eyes flashing a light green.

"T-Tokumatsu-san…" Ruri gripped her heart tightly as she began to breath heavily, horrified at the fact that she could have potentially just lost another person in her life.

"I'LL KILL HIM! I SWEAR, ON CHOJIRO'S BLOOD, I'LL DESTROY YOU, SERGEY!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Alright, due to a stupid mistake, I changed Line Walker's Grave effect so it can target any Specila Summlned Monster, not just ones from the Extra Deck.**

 **Protector of the Cardians Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def, Dark, Warrior: When a Cardian Monster(s) would be destroyed, you can send this Card to the Graveyard, negate the destruction.**

* * *

 **So, it seems that this is quite a short chapter. The shortest I've made in a while I think. Well, at least it's only been 8 days since I last updated, so that counts for something.**

 **BladeKnightmare: Yuto and Yugo won't be Dueling in the second round, they will Duel in the future, and they won't be absorbing the loser.**

 **Skadi: The mysterious person if Yuri. In fact, if you read last chapter carefully, you would notice that in the last scene Dennis was going to say the name of the person but his injuries cut him off.**

 **Bridgey: If I remember correctly, Astral used a Rank-Down-Magic in the final Duel against Yuma.**

 **Alright that's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	79. A Card's Purpose

"S-Sergey Volkov as returned to the stadium!" Melissa reported as the audience stared at the victor out of fear, hate, or anger.

"MUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sergey cackled menacingly. This feeling was so satisfying! It was a feeling he couldn't relish properly in so long! The feeling of being the best! The feeling of being superior! The feeling of joy after seeing your opponent's suffer! Sergey grinned opened his mouth, showing his clenched teeth to the world. "Beautiful!"

"Duelist Crusher...did he do this to all the other Duelists he defeated?" A person from the audience wondered. If this is what he did, then he was horrified that he would be let into this tournament. If he were to beat the King and take the title, who knew what could happen!

Sergey parked his d-wheel and leaned back into his seat, his eyes wide with insanity, chuckling like a maniac, satisfied of the condition he left Tokumatsu in. Then, members of Security came rushing out onto the grounds with gun-like objects. They pulled the trigger and out came multiple nets which were used to knock Sergey off his d-wheel. However, the man paid no attention and just kept on grinning.

"They've captured Sergey! And they're removing him from the stadium." Melissa spoke.

"To think his mind would break from that level of a Duel...it looks like he needs to be re-educated." Roget muttered as he witnessed what has happening through a screen in his office.

"I'm going to kill him…" Yugo chanted under his breath, before chanting the words even more, raising his voice each time. "I'm going to kill him...I'm going to kill him...I'm going to kill him... **I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!** "

"Tokumatsu-san! Is he going to live?!" Ruri questioned out loud as she ran towards the door, constantly banging on it, hoping that someone from the other side could hear her cries.

"Now then, let's get to our next match! Izayoi Aki vs Yuto!" Ruri gasped out of shock when she heard Melissa's announcement.

"Yuto versus that girl from the prison?!" Shun narrowed his eyes.

"Now it's Yuto against Aki-san?!" Ruri trembled in her place. Why did this have to happen to the people she cared about most?!

In his quarters, Yuto vividly remembered Aki from the prison escape operation.

"So it's her that I'm facing." Yuto prepared to harden his emotions as the door to his room opened, and in the doorway was Sam.

"I will escort you to the stadium." He bowed.

"Sam. Is that Tokumatsu guy alright?" Yuto questioned calmly, trying not to lose his cool.

"I do not know." Sam looked away from Yuto out of guilt.

"There's no point in asking him." A female voice spoke, prompting Yuto and Sam to look to their right, where they saw Aki and her escort walking towards them.

"Izayoi!"

"No one cares about the losers. That's how it's always been. No matter how much we hate it, that's how things are and those things can't be changed." Aki told Yuto, her face void of any other emotion except a cold demeanor, a much bigger contrast to her other serious, yet warm personality. "For the Tops, we're just a show-no, we're just pawns manipulated and used by the higher ups just for the sake of entertainment. Eventually, when a pawn breaks, they're thrown away and left in the dust."

"Wait, so what is going to happen to Tokumatsu?!" Yuto asked.

"He'll probably get treated, and then immediately he will get thrown into the underground facility to rot as soon as he can take care of himself." Aki stated her best guess. "In a way, you could say that Enjoy Chojiro was just another sacrifice, another pawn to be used. That's what I've learned. That once things in society change, they never return to normal. Those who were born to be manipulated will always be manipulated. Just like me."

"Just like you?" Yuto repeated out of interest and confusion.

"I care not about uniting the Tops and Commons anymore. It is clear that they just can't live in harmony. Yes, the only way there can be harmony in this city...is by eradicating one of the groups!" Aki widened her eyes, which were filled with an intent to change the society at any means.

"This isn't the time to be talking about that! Tokumatsu is suffering out there, and they're probably just going to throw them into the underground when he hasn't even had time to fully recuperate?! Hell, he was close to dying! And they just shrugged it off as if it was nothing!" Yuto argued with Aki's ideals.

"Let me ask you this, if it wasn't Tokumatsu on that ground suffering, if it was an Academia student, how would you react?"

Yuto's eyes widened at the mention of Academia.

After a long silence, Aki walked past them and towards the stadium.

Yuya appeared next to Yuto, looking back at Aki as she continued to walk. " _What happened to her? And how the hell does she even know about Academia?"_

"I don't know...I don't think Ruri would tell her about it...but who knows…" Yuto murmured, completely stumped about the question Aki asked him.

* * *

 **Outside-The Stadium**

Standing in a helicopter viewing the entire stadium was Melissa Claire, who's voice rang throughout the ears of many people.

"It's the second match of the third day of the Friendship Cup! Our Duelists have made it to the starting grid!" Melissa exclaimed as the audience cheered. "Let's do this! Action Field, on! Crossover Accel!"

 _Duel Mode! On! Auto-Pilot! Standby!_

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

"Acceleration!"

Yuto and Aki's d-wheels sped off neck and neck, as they yelled out one word in unison.

" **DUEL!"**

Aki ran her d-wheel into Yuto's, causing the boy to flinch as he adjusted, however, this caused Aki to take the lead.

 _Sorry that it has to be this way, Yuto. But it's the way things have to be so I can save them._ Aki thought to herself.

"I won't let you have the first turn!" Aki retorted as she slammed the accelerator, speeding up even more, leaving Yuto in the dust. Aki drove under the underpass of the Duel Palace and sped out first, with Yuto following slightly behind.

"The first one out of the Duel Palace is Izayoi Aki!" Melissa announced.

"I will show you why you're destined for failure! I will show you why that the only for this society to change, one group will have to destroy the other! My turn!" Aki drew a Card from her Hand that she placed onto her Duel Disk.

"She's changed." Ruri noted with a frown. This wasn't the kind person who had saved her. This was just someone cold to others. A person who gave up too easily.

"I Summon Night Rose Knight from my Hand!" Aki Summoned her Monster as it flew by her side.

 **Night Rose Knight: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Plant-Type Monster from my Hand! Come, Violet Witch!" Aki threw out another Monster to join her companion.

 **Violet Witch: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Violet Witch with the level 3 Tuner Monster Night Rose Knight! Black rose guided by a pitch-black flower, bloom before us and show us your mighty!" Night Rose Knight turned into 3 green rings while Violet Witch turned into 4 bright stars that flew inside of the rings. A wave of light passed right through the rings Aki Synchro Summoned. "Synchro Summon! Appear, level 7! Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!"

 **Bloomlight Dragon: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

" _Be careful, Yuto. That Monster is deadly."_ Yuya advised the Phantom Knights user.

"I already know. Which is why I'm not taking this lightly." Yuto responded as he focused on the match.

"I activate Violet Witch's effect! When this Card is sent from my Field to the Grave, I can add a Plant-Type Monster with 1500 or less Defense to my Hand! I add Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis to my Hand! Then, I set two Cards and end my turn." Aki concluded. "Now make your move. Although this match will still end in my victory."

"Not a bad first turn for Izayoi Aki! She has already brought out her signature Monster, Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Melissa smiled.

"I don't know what happened to you since your match with Shinji, but I'll knock some sense back into you! My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Phantom Knights Armory! Using this Card, by sending two Phantom Knights Cards in my Hand to the Graveyard, I am allowed to add a Phantom Knights Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my Hand!" Yuto explained as he took a Card that was ejected from his Deck.

He added Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights' Launch to his Hand, and sent the Trap Cards Phantom Knights Empty Greaves and Phantom Knights Tomb Shield to his Graveyard.

"Next, I, using the Scale 1 Phantom Knights Cavalier and the Scale 8 Phantom Knights Javelin, set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto swiped the two Cards on both ends of his Duel Disk. His two Monsters appeared on each of his sides and flew up into the air, surrounded by a light blue column with a Pendulum swinging above.

"There it is, Pendulum! What combos will Yuto pull off for us today?!" Melissa wondered.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are from 3 to 7! Furthermore, the Pendulum effect of Shattered Javelin allows me to Special Summon Phantom Knights Magic or Trap Monsters from my Hand or Grave! Swing! Pendulum of my soul! Carve an arc of hope across the arther! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!"

Two beams flew out of the portal. The two Monsters revealed were: The Trap Monster Phantom Knights Empty Greaves and Phantom Knights Tomb Shield.

 **Empty Greaves: Level 3, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Tomb Shield: Level 3, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"Both are level 3 Monsters with 0 Attack! Perhaps an Xyz Summon?" Melissa predicted.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Phantom Knights Cavalier! When I Pendulum a Summon 2 or more Monsters, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Deck whose level is less than or equal to the combined levels of all Pendulum Summoned Monsters!" Yuto revealed.

"What?" Gasped Aki out of surprise.

"Using this effect, I Special Summon from my Deck Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!" Yuto exclaimed as he swiped the Monster onto his Duel Disk.

 **Ragged Gloves: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

"I overlay my 3 level 3 Monsters!" Yuto declared as his Monsters flew into the Overlay Network. "Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3! Phantom Knights Wicked Arrow!"

 **Wicked Arrow: Rank 3, 1800 Atk, 1200 Def**

"When Ragged Gloves is used as Xyz Material, the Xyz Summoned Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Yuto informed Aki as his Monster gained a purple aura.

 **Wicked Arrow: 1800-2800 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Wicked Arrow! Attack Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon!" Yuto declared as the arrowhead Monster rushed at the dragon, stabbing its chest, subsequently destroying it.

Aki grit her teeth, leaning forward as shockwaves from her destroyed Monster lashed out at her body.

 **Aki: 4000-3600 LP**

"Next, I activate the effect of Wicked Arrow! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I am allowed to add a Phantom Knights Card from my Deck to my Hand!" An overlay unit orbiting Wicked Arrow disappeared as Yuto added Phantom Sword to his Hand. "I set three Cards and end my turn. At this moment, Ragged Gloves' effect ends, and Wicked Arrow's Attack returns to normal"

 **Wicked Arrow: 2800-1800 Atk**

"My turn, draw!" Aki drew the top Card of her Deck, she widened her eyes as she saw the Card.

 _I'm sorry, Yuto...Ruri._ Aki thought to herself out of guilt as she remembered the conversation she had with Roget.

* * *

 **Flashback-Roget's Office**

"I...accept." Aki submitted and closed her eyes.

"Excellent. Now, I am going to tell you something very important, if you so much as defect immediately after learning, we'll kill your parents." Aki noticeably flinched at that statement, something that made Roget smile. "Now, I assume that you have never heard of Academia before?"

Aki's ears perked up as she recalled something. It was when she, Ruri, and a few others were arrested. She remembered Ruri, and a girl who looked like her, Serena? Well, she remembered both of them mentioning Academia.

"I have. I don't know much…" Aki whispered, although Roget's ears could still hear the words coming out of her mouth.

"So you have heard of it, interesting. I assume members of the Lancers told you?" When all he received was Aki's silence, he took it as a yes. "Well…"

Roget went onto explain Academia's plan, the planned attack executed on the Xyz Dimension, which was technically still going on.

He also mentioned that members of the Academia used only Fusion, a Summoning method those of the Synchro Dimension wouldn't be familiar with.

After filling in Aki about Academia, he took out a box near him and gave it to Aki.

"Think of it as a gift for our cooperation." Roget had said.

Aki opened the box, and what she saw inside were Cards…

* * *

 **Now**

 _I have to do it...or else my parents die._ Aki drowned out her fears and held the Card with two of her fingers. But before activating it, she clicked a button on her Duel a Disk.

"Continuous Trap, Wicked Reborn! By paying 800 life points, I am allowed to revive a Synchro Monster resting in my Graveyard and then equipping it with this Card!" A dark purple flowed around Aki as she lost life points. As Bloomlight Dragon was the only Synchro Monster in Aki's Grave, it was obvious who was getting revived.

 **Aki: 3600-2800 LP**

"Izayoi Aki revives her ace Monster!" Melissa exclaimed.

"I activate the Magic Card, Fusion!"

"What?!" Yuto gasped out of shock and anger.

"She's using Fusion!" Ruri put a hand over her mouth.

"That bitch." Ryoga muttered under his breath, which made a nearby Security Officer glare at him, because he thought that the insult was directed towards him.

"Another worm of Academia." Shun tightened his fist out of anger. How many spies were there going to be?! First Shiunin Sora, then Dennis, and now her!

"I fuse the newly revived Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon with the Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis in my Hand! Bloomed rose of fearsome might, merge with another bloomed flower and show us your fearsome strength! Fusion Summon! Appear, level 8, Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon!" A fearsome dragon resembling the regular Black Rose Dragon except with dark red features instead of pink shrouding its body.

 **Clustered Bloom Dragon: Level 8, 2900 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Say, Izayoi Aki couldn't Fusion Summon before this!" Someone from the Commons section of the audience pointed out.

"Yeah! You're right!" The person next to him agreed.

"She must be in cahoots with the Tops! No wonder she got a Fusion Monster!" Someone from the Commons shouted.

Other members of the audience began to jeer in agreement as it made sense. Aki was taken away by men from the Tops after her Duel with Shinji.

"This Card is unaffected by your Card effects!" Aki informed Yuto, who clicked his tongue. Aki waved her hand to Wicked Arrow, commanding Clustered Bloom Dragon to attack.

Clustered Bloom Dragon opened its mouth, and out of it was a light purple spiraling beam that was barreling right for Wicked Arrow.

"Continuous Trap, activate! Phantom Sword! I equip this Card to Wicked Arrow! It gains 800 Attack! However, if it were to be destroyed by battle, I can destroy this Card instead!" Yuto explained as Wicked Arrow took the beam head on. When the beam dispersed, Wicked Arrow was still alive. Yuto covered himself to as he took damage.

 **Yuto: 4000-3700 LP**

"If Clustered Bloom Dragon was Fusion Summoned using a level 5 higher Plant-Type Monster, it can attack 3 times per Battle Phase!" Aki revealed, causing Yuto to ready his defenses. "Continue the assault, Clustered Bloom Dragon!" Bloom Dragon let out another beam towards Yuto's Monster, this time destroying it. Yuto cried out of pain as he swerved from left to right on his d-wheel.

 **Yuto: 3700-2600 LP**

"Izayoi Aki immediately takes the life point lead with immense damage! And Yuto is wide open for a direct attack that can end the game!" Melissa spectated from her helicopter, flying above the Duelists.

"End this, Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon! Black Rose Clustered Gale!" Aki bellowed as Clustered Bloom Dragon arched its head, releasing yet another purple spiraling beam of doom towards Yuto, who quickly clicked a button on his Duel Disk, revealing a Continuous Trap with Entermate Cheer Mole.

"Entermate Pinch Helper, activate! When you declare a direct attack, I negate the attack, and then I Special Summon an Entermate Monster from my Deck with 800 or less Attack with its effects negated! I Special Summon Entermate Turn Toad!" A green frog in a blue suit and top hat hopped onto the Field next to Yuto, immediately taking a defensive position.

 **Turn Toad: Level 2, 0 Atk, 800 Def**

"You may survive through this turn, but your still not safe from damage! When Clustered Bloom Dragon attacks a Monster in Defense Position, piercing damage is inflicted upon you! Attack Turn Toad!" Aki declared, causing Yuto to tighten his as he thrusted his other hand forward.

"I activate the additional effect of Entermate Pinch Helper! When a Monster you control battles with my Monster, I can send this Card to the Grave and halve the battle damage either player would take! ARGH!" Yuto grunted out of pain as the particles of his now destroyed Monster rained down on him.

 **Yuto: 2600-1550 LP**

"I end my turn." Aki concluded with a sigh. She wasn't able to finish him off. And even then, she couldn't fulfill the maximum of damage that she could have inflicted upon him.

"Izayoi Aki has drained Yuto of more than half of his life points in just one turn! Incredible!" Melissa gawked at the burgundy haired Duelist's skill.

"Do you see it now, Yuto?! No matter how hard you try to change things, they'll never change! With how things are now, the Tops and Commons will never live with one another! That will never happen! The Tops and Commons were meant to two different things at conflict and it will stay that way no matter what you do!"

"Something is wrong with that woman. She is completely different from the last time I saw her. First she uses Fusion and now she's talking about things like this?" This was just too much for Yuzu to comprehend. Last time Yuzu saw her in that truck, she was definitely nothing like this. Was she acting? Or did something happen?

"Excellent, Izayoi Aki. You are fulfilling your purpose wonderfully. A little more, and you'll be able to see your parents alive and well." Roget smirked maliciously as he moved a pawn in a diagonal path, taking out a pawn on the opposing side. "The more discouraged he gets, the less thorns I have up my ass. Now, just defeat him, and your parents will be yours to hold in your arms."

 _God damn it, I am not in a good position. But, I think I can turn this around, just maybe!_ Yuto narrowed his eyes as he thought of an idea.

Suddenly, he heard Yuya's voice yelling, " _Sora!"_

He didn't know why he was yelling the name. Shiunin Sora was a spy from Academia and he knew it. And why would he be thinking about him in this bad situation of all times. He looked to his right and finally saw why Yuya was yelling.

Shiunin Sora was standing on a building, looking at him with a small smirk on his face. Then, he saw Sora mouthing some words, and they were directed towards him.

He could barely decipher them, but he assumed that the words he mouthed were, "Meet up with me after the match."

"Shiunin Sora! If he's here, then that means Academia is going to make their move on the Synchro Dimension soon!" Yuto realized as he growled. "I will not let another dimension fall to those bastards! My turn!"

Sora watched as the two Duelists took a small turn, with them now riding away from him. The smirk on his face faltered and soon his lips formed a straight thin line.

"Good to know he's still doing well. Hopefully he knew what I said." Sora said as he turned his back from the track and jumped off the building he was on.

Yuto took a glance up into the sky, where he saw Melissa's helicopter hovering nearby.

 _Watch me, Ruri, Shun. I swear that I'm going to win this match. Then, I'll win the Friendship Cup. After, we'll return to the Xyz Dimension, beat Academia, head over to the Fusion Dimension and end the Dimensional War! Then, we can return home and try to find a way to reverse the Carding!_ Yuto thought with flames of determination burning brightly in his eyes. The burning fire to never give up.

"Using the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Come to me, my Monsters!" Yuto called out as he raised his fist into the sky, his Monsters responding to his call. "From the Extra Deck, Entermate Turn Toad in Defense Position! And then, from the Grave, Phantom Knights Tomb Shield and Phantom Knights Empty Greaves! And finally, from my Hand, Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace!"

 **Lost Vambrace: Level 2, 600 Atk, 0 Def**

"Next, I activate the Trap Card Xyz Reborn! Using this Card, I can revive an Xyz Monster from my Grave and attach this Card as Xyz Material!" Yuto explained as from a portal rose Wicked Arrow. The Trap Yuto activated then turned into an overlay unit which began to orbit around Wicked Arrow.

"Yuto has a Rank-Up-Magic in his Hand, along with two level 3 Monsters and two level 2 Monsters." Shun noted, already having a feeling of what Yuto had in store.

"A full Field of weak Monsters. What do you expect to do with that?" Aki questioned Yuto.

"This Field isn't strong enough yet." Yuto corrected the girl as he activated a Card from his Hand. "Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights Launch! Using this Card and Wicked Arrow as Material, I get to Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Wicked Arrow! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yuto's ace roared viciously as it glided in the air above Yuto.

"Next, using the level 3 Phantom Knights Tomb Shield and Phantom Knights Empty Greaves, I overlay!" Yuto declared once again as his Monsters flew into the portal. "Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 3, Phantom Knights Break Sword!"

 **Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

The knight clad in armor riding on a horse galloped alongside its master.

"Next, I activate the effect of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! By detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a level 5 or higher Monster until the end of the turn, and then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount! Treason Discharge!" Yuto shouted as Dark Rebellion opened its wings, purple electricity pouring out like wildfire at its target, Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon.

"Have you forgotten? Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon cannot be affected by your Card effects!" Aki reminded Yuto, who ignored her statement and kept going.

The electricity from Dark Rebellion attacked Clustered Rose, but the dragon didn't even flinch at the electric currents surging throughout her body.

"Once again! I activate Dark Rebellion's effect by detaching another overlay unit! Treason Discharge!" Dark Rebellion crushed its second overlay unit as even more electricity lashed out at Clustered Bloom Dragon.

"What is the point of doing this? All that Yuto is doing is wasting his Monster's overlay units." Melissa stated out of confusion.

The audience began to boo, as they had mistaken this action for Yuto holding back just like in his Duel with Duel Chaser 227.

"Just what are you planning?" Aki sharpened her gaze at the Xyz Duelist. This didn't make any sense. Why would he recklessly burn his overlay units despite knowing that it won't do anything. Unless…

"I'm just setting up for my next move! Since Phantom Knights Wicked Arrow has just been detached as an overlay unit to the Grave, I can activate its effect, I get to add a Phantom Knights Card from my Grave to my Hand! I choose Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights' Launch!" Yuto's desired Card slid out of the Graveyard slot as Yuto picked up and added it to his Hand.

"Wait! Rank-Up-Magic Phantom Knights' Launch was one of Dark Rebellion's overlay units! Unless...you purposely used Dark Rebellion's effect the first time to put that a Card into the Grave, and then used the effect again to detach Wicked Arrow!" Aki surmised as she widened her eyes.

"Exactly! And now that my Rank-Up-Magic Card is back, I will activate it once again! I use this Card and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon as Materials!" Yuto stated as Dark a Rebellion was enveloped in a wave of darkness coming from the Magic Card, followed by Yuto reciting a chant. "From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

 **Dark Requiem: Rank 5, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

The dragon practically breathed down Yuto's neck as it flapped it's wings hard in the air, easily keeping up with the Heartland citizen. Dark Requiem let out one loud roar of fury and excitement at finally being unleashed after so long.

Aki took notice of the fact that Yuto had placed the new Monster in Defense Position.

"Huh? But that Monster has higher Attack stats than Clustered Bloom Dragon! Why would he put it in Defense?" Melissa wondered out loud, wondering if Yuto was alright.

"You might be wondering why Dark Requiem is in Defense Position! Well, that's where Entermate Turn Toad comes into play! Battle! Now, I activate Turn Toad's Monster effect targeting Dark Requiem! Dark Requiem is switched from Defense to Attack Position! Then, it gains Attack equal to half its current Defense until the end of the turn!" Yuto explained as Dark Requiem took an offensive stance. "Dark Requiem has a Defense of 2500, so it now gains 1250 Attack!"

 **Dark Requiem: 3000-4250 Atk**

"4-4250 Attack!" Aki exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon! Attack her Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon! Requiem of Disaster Disobey!" Yuto yelled as loud as his lungs could muster as Dark Requiem shot upwards into the air, opening its wings even more, preparing an attack as church window like patterns appeared on the dragon's wings.

The dragon dove down and flew right towards Clustered Bloom Dragon, ready to skewer it and destroy it. Aki, however, had different plans for her Monster…

"From my Hand, I activate the Monster effect of Guard Hedge! When a Monster I control were to be destroyed in battle, I can send this Card to the Graveyard instead! Then, I can halve the Attack of that Monster for the turn!" Aki inserted her Card into the Graveyard as the Dark Requiem stabbed Clustered Bloom Dragon, causing the dragon to cry out from pain as Dark Requiem removed its fangs.

The shockwaves ensued by the collision of the attack lashed out at Aki as the girl screamed from the pain, losing control of the d-wheel and almost falling at one moment.

 **Aki: 2800-1450 LP**

"Aki-san…" Ruri whispered, wondering why Aki would align herself with Academia. Or whoever that is supplying the Fusion Cards.

"Go on Yuto, show that Fusion Scum just what true power is all about." Shun muttered from his room.

 **Clustered Bloom Dragon: 2900-1450 Atk**

"Your Monster falls now! Break Sword, attack and finish off this damn Fusion Monster!" Yuto commanded his Monster as the horseback knight galloping towards the dragon holding out its pointy sword as it did so.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Card Black Rose Spirit by targeting and equipping it to Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon! By banishing a Plant-Type Monster from my Graveyard, my Monster gains 800 Attack Points!" Aki opened her last set Card as another way to defend herself.

 **Clustered Bloom Rose: 1450-2250 Atk**

Break Sword could unfortunately not stop its Attack, and it was met with an untimely doom via Black Rose giving him a hard smack with her skull, destroying him instantly.

Yuto grit his teeth as a large dust cloud filled his view which occurred as a result of his Monster's destruction.

 **Yuto: 1550-1300 LP**

 _Damn it!_ Yuto inwardly cursed as he came to a realization, _Since Break Sword's Materials were Trap Monsters, I can use its effects to Special a Summon the Materials!_

"Using the level 2 Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace and Entermate Turn Toad, I overlay! Piercing through ten thousand warriors, the cursed spear of rebellion entombed in darkness, descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin!" Yuto chanted as he Xyz Summoned his Rank 2 Monster in Attack Position.

 **Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def**

"I end my turn." Yuto said.

"Now that the turn is over, my Monster regains it's halved Attack Points!" Aki reminded Yuto as Clustered Bloom Dragon gained a red aura.

 **Clustered Bloom Dragon: 2250-3700 Atk**

"My turn!" Aki announced, placing a hand on the top of her Deck as she did so, "Draw! Clustered Bloom Dragon, attack Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!" Aki's Monster threw it's tail at Yuto's Monster with clear intent to win.

"No way! From the Graveyard, I activate the Grave effect of Phantom Knights Empty Greaves! If you declare an attack and the difference between our Monsters is at least 1000, I destroy all Monsters I control, Special Summon this Card as a Trap Monster in Defense Position, and the Battle Phase immediately ends! In addition, I draw a Card from my Deck, if it is a Magic or Trap Card, I send it to the Graveyard! If it is a Monster, I Special Summon it, and as long as this Card and the Special Summoned Monster remains on the Field, I don't take any battle damage!"

"What?" Aki's eyes twitched out of frustration.

Yuto's Monster were destroyed immediately, and in their place rose Phantom Knights Empty Greaves.

Yuto then drew a Card from my Deck, he grimaced once he saw that it was Gap Power, a Magic Card, which he unfortunately had to send to the Grave.

"I end my turn." Aki closed her eyes, thinking that she had the win. "Just give up. Let me have the win so you will not have to suffer the humiliation of defeat."

It was funny, even if Yuto did surrender, he would still feel the humiliation of defeat. As if he surrendered, it still technically mean that he was defeated, because Aki is the one who would push him to make that choice.

"Hell no!" Yuto exclaimed. "As long as there is still one life point left, I will never quit! And I swear, I will find a way to unite the Tops and Commons! It will not go to the point where one group will have to decimate the other! I'll make sure of that! My turn!"

Yuto glanced at the Card he drew. He let out a small smile. Not bad.

"From my Hand, I activate the Magic Card Phantom Draw! By banishing 3 Phantom Knights Card from my Hand, Field, or Grave, I am allowed to draw 3 Cards!" Yuto revealed his Card's effect as he slid it into the Magic and Trap Card Zone.

Yuto banished from his Graveyard Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin, Break Sword, and Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace. He then picked up the top 3 Cards of his Deck and looked at them with hopeful eyes. His eyes fell when he saw them.

The Cards were: Phantom Knights Fragile Armor, another copy of Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace, which was completely useless to him, and finally the Card he received from Sam, Tuning Magician.

He had added the last Card because he wanted to prove that the Card was not worthless in at least 1 Duel before handing back to Jack Atlas. But here was not a good time to draw it.

Suddenly, Yuto felt a strange feeling in his body. He heard his heart make one loud beat as he found himself on his d-wheel driving endlessly in an infinite blue void.

He saw nothing for a while, but eventually, he started to see something. He saw the two Monsters in his Scales, who were looking straight at him. As he continued, he noticed a blue light, going forward as if it was guiding his path. The path branched off slightly and Yuto saw Fragile Armor and then Empty Greaves, soon followed by Tuning Magician, who was looking at him with determination flaming in her eyes.

"You…" Yuto was forced to cover his eyes as a bright white light flooded the blue void. Yuto squinted his eyes to try to see what was in the light, and he saw a silhouette holding two blades. And it was clad in white for the most part. The silhouette glanced back at him, and when Yuto closed and opened his eyes, he found himself back in the real world.

 _I see. So this is what you wanted…_ Yuto glanced down to his Extra Deck to see it glowing with a bright white aura. Like the outline of a Card…

"Alright! Using the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monster!" Out of the portal flew out 1 Monster. And it was Phantom Knights Fragile Armor.

 **Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Next up, from my Hand, I Summon Tuning Magician!" Yuto swiped the Card onto his Duel Disk as the female magician did a little flip onto the Field with a smile, holding onto her wand tightly.

 **Tuning Magician: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"That is…" Sam, who was watching the Duel, immediately recognized the Card as the one he gave to Yuto.

Jack Atlas, who was also watching the Duel, was actually surprised slightly.

"Why does Yuto have Tuning Magician? When Tuning Magician is Normal or Special Summoned, the Summoned takes 400 points of damage while the opponent gains the same amount." Jack mused the effect from under his breath.

 **Yuto: 1300-900 LP**

 **Aki: 1450-1850 LP**

"What?! Why would Yuto Summon a Monster that not only has 1 level and 0 Attack, but it damages him and gives his opponent more life?" Melissa questioned, as the Card, from her perspective, was very bad. And members of the audience shared that perspective.

"Is he playing with us?"

"Why would he use such a weak and useless Card?"

"Has he lost his mind?"

These were the many comments that were heard from the audience and many more. The Commons were booing at jeering at Yuto's performance as they wanted him to win against Aki who was in cahoots with the Tops to their knowledge.

"At least he is assuring Izayoi Aki's win." A member of the Tops said with a chuckle as he gulped down his drink.

"Why Summon a Card that only harms you rather than hurts you?" Aki asked Yuto.

"Quiet! No Card is useless! Every Card has a purpose! And I'll show you what the purpose of Tuning Magician is right now! I tune the level 4 Phantom Knights Fragile Armor and level 3 Phantom Knights Empty Greaves with the level 1 Tuning Magician!" Yuto declared.

"What?!" Aki gasped out of shock, not knowing that Yuto could use Synchro Summoning.

Even Roget couldn't hide his surprise as he moved forward in his seat with a look that spelled that he was caught off guard,

"Yuto can Synchro Summon?!" Both Ruri and Yuzu exclaimed at the same time.

"Yuto can use the 4 Summoning methods now!" O'Brien realized.

"He Synchro Summoned from a Pendulum Summon…" Shun murmured in awe.

"Pendulum Synchro." Reiji mumbled, satisfied that Yuto was able to master the Summoning methods like he could. The boy was catching up to him. He would have to evolve fast, or else Yuto might surpass him!

"Hero's blade that sets forth unyielding light! Here and now, along with a flash, awaken! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Enlightenment Paladin!" Yuto chanted as he Synchro Summoned his new Monster.

 **Enlightenment Paladin: Level 8, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"And Yuto has successfully pulled off a Synchro Summon!" Melissa cheered along with the audience, particularly the Commons section who wanted Aki to lose badly.

Roget was getting very excited at this development. Looks like he had another puppet that he could exploit to reach his goal.

"I'll admit I'm surprised that you Synchro Summoned! But your Monster is no match for my 3700 Attack Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon!" Aki taunted Yuto, who merely smiled in response.

"We'll see about that." Yuto's Monster clashed his swords together, twisting them counter-clockwise as if he was turning back time. "I activate Enlightenment Paladin's effect! When a Magician is used as a Material for its Synchro Summon, I can add a Magic Card from my Graveyard to my Hand! I add Gap Power to my Hand, which I will activate! I add half the difference between our life points to Enlightenment Paladin's Attack!

"The difference is between our life points is 950! So that means…" Aki did the math in her head, "Your Monster gains 475 Attack Points! But that is still not enough to defeat my Monster."

"Or so you'd think!" Yuto countered as he made his next move, "I activate the Grave effect of Phantom Knights Tomb Shield! By banishing it from the Graveyard, I can target a face-up Trap Card you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn! I choose your Black Rose Spirit!" Aki's Card was shrouded in the color gray, signifying that the effect was negated.

Since the Card was negated, Clustered Bloom Dragon lost the Attack boost.

 **Clustered Bloom Dragon: 3700-2900 Atk**

"However, even if you do destroy my Monster! I still have it's effect! At the end of the turn of when this Monster is destroyed, I get to Special a Summon Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon from my Grave! And then, using its effect, next turn I will get rid of your Monster and win the Duel!" Aki proclaimed, once again confident that she had won the Duel.

"There won't be a next turn!" Yuto bellowed suddenly, prompting Aki to flinch. "When Enlightenment Paladin destroys a Monster in battle, it deals damage to you equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack of when it was on the Field!"

Aki yelped as she realized that she was finished, but then she came to a realization. "Wait, your Monster's Attack only surpassed mine takes to Tuning Magician's effect!"

"Correct! And if it wasn't for Tuning Magician, I couldn't have even Synchro Summoned! So as I said, every Card has a purpose! As long as you listen to the Cards, they will respond!"

"Nice job, Yuto!" Ruri smiled from her quarters, but the smile turned to a frown when she thought about Aki.

From his throne room, the usually stoic Jack Atlas, actually gained a smile on his face. He was happy that Yuto at least understood that Card's had a purpose.

"Tuning Magician...had a purpose like that?" Sam whispered to himself. He was wrong. The Card wasn't useless. And Jack wasn't making fun of him when he gave it to him.

He gave it to him because he was right. It did suit him.

Like him, the Card was weak, yet it helped open the door to much stronger possibilities. In hindsight, despite its weak attack and damaging effect, the Card wasn't useless. It meant something. Just like how every person in the society impacted the City. And if multiple people were to band together, amazing things could happen.

"Go, Enlightenment Paladin! Attack Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon and end this Duel!" Yuto declared with a thrust of his hand.

The Synchro Monster jumped into the air and separated its blades. The Monster came rushing down, slicing Clustered Bloom Dragon in half, destroying it.

"And then, Enlightenment Paladin's effect! You take Clustered Bloom Dragon's Attack as damage! So take 2900 points of damage!" Yuto yelled as Enlightenment Paladin brought his swords together and released a light blue energy with bright red eyes which rushed towards Aki, who looked back at the substance with wide eyes.

The energy enveloped Aki completely. Aki screamed out of pain as she took the final points of damage that would finish her.

 **Aki: 1450-0 LP**

 _I'm sorry that it had to be this way, Yuto. I'm sorry if you even bothered to watch this pitiful Duel, Ruri. I'm sorry I betrayed you. And Mother...Father, I'm sorry to you guys too…_ Aki thought to herself as she closed her eyes, her d-wheel letting out steam and slowing down, letting Yuto to shoot right past her.

"He escaped a hard Duel with a vicious counterattack and emerged victorious! Please give it up for the winner, Yuto!" Melissa exclaimed as the audience cheered for the boy's victory.

"Dang it, I was hoping for the Izayoi girl to win." A man said.

"But dear, remember that she was the daughter of the former senator! The one who wanted to help the Commons!" The woman standing next to the man scolded him. At the mention of that, the nearby Tops also began to speak of that, the very mention of it sparking the negative thoughts they had on Aki, which had been buried down ever since Aki was arrested 2 years ago.

"Oh, that is right...I completely forgot. Well then, splendid work, Yuto." The same man congratulated Yuto, already knowing the boy no where near in hearing range.

Ruri was glad that Yuto had won the Duel. But she was curious…

What was going on with Aki?

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Phantom Knights Armory, Magic: Send two Phantom Knights Cards in your Hand to the Graveyard. Then, add one Phantom Knights Magic or Trap Card from your Deck to your Hand. You can only activate one 'Phantom Knights Armory' per turn.**

 **Phantom Knights Empty Greaves, Trap: Target a Monster your opponent controls, equip it with this Card, the equipped Monster loses 800 Attack. When the equipped Monster is destroyed, send this Card to the Graveyard. When your opponent's Monster attacks one of your Monsters and the difference in the Attack is at least 1000, destroy all Monsters you control, Special Summon this Card from the Grave in Defense Position (Dark, Warrior, Level 3, 0 Atk, 0 Def), end the Battle Phase. Then, draw a Card, if the Card is a Magic or Trap, send it to the Grave, if the drawn Card is a Monster, Special Summon it. As long as this Card and the Special Summoned Monster remains on the Field, you take no battle damage. When this Card as a Monster is sent to the Graveyard, banish it instead.**

 **Phantom Knights Wicked Arrow, Dark, Warrior, 3 Level 3 Monsters: Once per turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, add a Phantom Knights Card from your Deck to your Hand. When this Card is detached from an Xyz Monster as Material, add a Phantom Knights Cards from your Grave to your Hand.**

 **Black Rose Clustered Bloom Dragon, Dark, Dragon, Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon + 1 Plant-Type Monster: This Card is unaffected by your opponent's Card effects. If the Plant-Type Monster used to Summon this Monster was level 5 or higher, this Card can attack 3 times per Battle Phase. During the End Phase of the turn this Card is destroyed, Special Summon Black Rose Bloomlight Dragon from your Grave.**

 **Black Rose Spirit, Continuous, Trap: Activate this Card by equipping it to a Black Rose Monster you control, banish a Plant-Type Monster from your Graveyard, the equipped Monster gains 800 Attack.**

* * *

 **Finally finished with this chapter! I actually got stumped multiple times writing the Duel, so I hope the result was good.**

 **If I wanted to, I definitely could have made it so Aki could win this Duel. But, since she was facing Yuto, she had to lose.**

 **So if you remember Chapter 72, then you will remember the proposition Roget set for Aki, and she accepted to save her parents. So before you flame me, a Aki was in complete control of her actions. She wasn't being controlled, just manipulated. Which is still bad, but better than being controlled.**

 **So, the only 4 people left who need a match are…**

 **Yugo.**

 **Shun.**

 **Ruri.**

 **And Yuzu.**

 **Who will be facing who next, find out next chapter!**

 **Now, I have just one questions that I will need you guys to answer, and that is...**

 **How do you guys think I have been using Action Cards in this story? Have I been making good use of them without spamming them? Am I using them too much? Heck, am I using them very little? I would like your guys' input on the matter.**

 **ZarcEternal: Thank you for pointing the error out. I changed the effect of Linewalker so it could target any Special Summoned Monster, therefore fixing the error. Also, it was Sergey's turn when he used Kraken's effect.**

 **Skadi: I kind of didn't like how Yugo was booted out of Synchro, which made him miss his Duel with Sergey. This time around, Yugo will get an opportunity to go toe to toe with Sergey. Whether it will be in the Friendship Cup or not is for you to wonder. I already know the answer because...I'm making the story, duh.**

 **Bridgey: Hate to break it you, but Chojiro won't be Dueling again in this story. Also, the person who was spoke the last line was Yugo, I gave the line it's own separate line because it seems better as a way to end the chapter rather and connect with the previous line. Besides, that's how I normally end my chapters nowadays.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	80. The Next Match?

Yuto parked his d-wheel at the garage area, he was soon followed by Aki, who after stopping and slipping off her helmet, cursed under her breath for not only failing to help her parents but allowing herself to get manipulated by Roget in the first place.

Now, Ruri and the others probably resent her. They probably despise everything about her now.

Aki perked her head up when he heard Yuto call her name. She merely tilted her eyes over to the boy, not wanting to even face him after betraying him and his friends.

Just from looking at Yuto's face, she could tell that he was pissed. The way he grit his teeth. The way he glared at her. The way he tightened his fist as if he wanted to punch. The signs were all too clear.

"Why do you have a Fusion Monster?!" Yuto enquired immediately, raising his voice at the last part of the sentence. "I thought you were someone who we could trust! So tell, why?! Why would side with…"

Yuto couldn't even finish the words. Why would Aki side with the spy from Academia who gave her the Fusion Cards?

"Roget…" Aki began, however, she was interrupted by the sound of clapping together, in a calm, slow rhythm. Yuto and Aki looked to the sound of the clapping to see the man Aki had just mentioned, Roget.

"You…" Yuto growled slightly, disgusted at the very sight of Roget.

"Why is the Chief of the Security Bureau here?" Melissa questioned as she spoke into the microphone, projecting her voice around the stadium for all to hear.

Roget walked closer and closer to the two until he stopped right in front of Yuto, staring directly into the boy's cold-hardened eyes with calm, manipulative, and calculated eyes of his own.

"Splendid work. I was impressed by your amazing Duel." Roget admitted before closing his eyes. "Especially when you Synchro Summoned from Pendulum in the end. That elegant, bold develop,ent was more than I'd expected. I couldn't help but gasp in admiration. You are indeed one I can rely on, Yuto. There are certain things only you can do."

Roget held out a hand to Yuto, wordlessly proposing an alliance of sorts.

"Yuto…" Ruri whispered to herself, hoping that her friend would do the right thing.

Yuto responded to Roget's proposal by slapping his hand out of the way forcefully.

"Get the hell away from me! I'd rather die than associate myself with a snake like you!" Yuto yelled at the Chief of the Security Bureau.

A finger on the hand Roget had at his side twitched slightly at the Action committed by Yuto.

"Well, I'd love to speak with you ask much as possible, but first, get rid of the loser." On Roget's command, two guys in green suits came out of nowhere and grabbed Aki by the arms, practically dragging her to the underground. She tried to break free, but the grip they had on her hands were too strong.

With as much energy as she could muster into her voice, she attempted to tell Yuto something.

"Yuto! Roget is the one who-"

Keyword, _attempted_ , as when she looked at Roget's face he saw the expression that said "Rat me out and your parents pay the price". And with that, Aki closed her mouth as she let herself be taken away.

Now that Aki was gone, Roget continued.

"Now this boy is changing as a Duelist and becoming stronger. Synchro Summoning from Pendulum is a sign that Yuto is evolving as a Duelist. Furthermore, he has not only displayed mastery over Pendulum and Xyz Summons, but he has been seen using Fusion Summoning! As far as we're concerned, Yuto has control over the four Summoning methods!" Roget announced to the audience.

The audience began to applaud, particularly the Tops as they thought that Yuto was in some way in cahoots with the Tops.

"Look around you. Many in our audience share the same sentiment. There is only one thing we wish for. For you to win this Friendship Cup, and Duel Jack Atlas once again. We look forward to it, Yuto." Roget stated as he forced Yuto's hand into his own in a way that made it seem like Yuto was shaking his hand.

Suddenly, the flashes of multiple lights enveloped Yuto and Roget.

Yuto immediately forced his hand away from Roget's, not wanting to have his name stained due to the man.

"I told you I would rather die than associate myself with you!" Yuto bellowed once again as he ran over to his d-wheel, only for the hand of a member of Security to grab his wrist. "Let me go! I have to leave!"

Shiunin Sora was in this dimension, and Yuto had to find him fast. Who knows what he could be planning.

Roget had a frown on his face due to Yuto's seemingly rebellious nature, however, that frown curved up into a smile. "Let him go."

Yuto and the member of Security looked at the blonde-hair with confusion, before the officer let go of Yuto's hands, threw his own to his sides, and let out a 'Yes sir!'

Yuto decided to pay Roget's action just now with little heed as possible as he got onto his d-wheel, starting the engine and bursting off.

"W-Wait!" Melissa called out, but to no avail as Yuto didn't listen and kept on going, eventually leaving the stadium. "It's fine if the loser leaves, but is it okay that the winner went off on his own?"

 _I won't abandon my comrades' lives! I will make sure that they make it through this alright! I will win, find a way to free my comrades from the underground, and make it out the dimension alive!_ Yuto thought to himself out of determination as he stomped on the accelerator, causing the d-wheel to rush forward as hard currents of air lashed out at Yuto's face.

* * *

 **Later**

Shiunin Sora was conflicted.

He wanted to fulfill the goal that Academia has, to unite the dimensions and create a brand new utopia.

His recent assignment was to get Serena and return her to Academia. It was the other two girls who looked like Serena that he was worried about.

The other two girls, were Hiragi Yuzu and Kurosaki Ruri. Two very familiar names.

Kurosaki Ruri was Kurosaki Shun's sister. And she is the one who Yuto questioned him about that night back in the Standard Dimension.

The thing is, at some point, Yuri was being sent to capture her. He needed to let Yuto know. After all, he had some connection with Yuya thanks to that one night, so he was the best person to talk to.

Yuzu on the other hand...was an interesting one.

The Professor's right hand man was being sent to capture Yuzu. And if the rumors were true about the man's strength, then Yuzu wouldn't stand a chance in defending herself.

"What the hell do you want showing up in this dimension?" Sora's eyes widened out of surprise, the cold voice ringing in his hears like a church bell. Sora turned around to face the purple and black spiky haired boy who was about his age,

Sora put up a fake smirk as a way to suppress his initial shock.

"It's been a while, I never expected that you would be in the Synchro Dimension," Sora's lips curved downwards into a frown. "The last time we saw each other was during the battle royal."

Yuto took a step backwards as a means to keep his distance away from Sora. He shifted his left foot backwards slightly, ready to react if Sora made any suspicious movements.

Although he wasn't make any hostile movements now, Sora was still a member of Academia. He could not be trusted whatsoever.

"I assume you're here for Academia's so called noble cause." Yuto guessed, already knowing that he was right, before gasping out of realization. "You bastard! Don't tell me that Academia is going to make its move on this dimension, just like in Heartland! No, just like the attack on Heartland, your target is Ruri and her lookalikes, which means Serena and Yuzu."

"Yes, we already have the only other girl, Rin." Sora said, Yuto grimaced at the mention of the girl's name, tightening his fist as he thought of Yugo and his undying determination to save Rin.

"So that just proves it then. Rin is a lookalike of Ruri. It all makes sense now, why she was captured in the first place, which caused Yugo to take his anger out on me. _Don't tell me you came to Standard to capture Yuzu?!_ " For the last sentence, a notable change in tone of Yuto's voice occurred, when Sora took a look at his face, his eyes were crimson red…

Like Yuya's.

 _Yuya…_ Sora thought to himself. _How can I communicate with him, this is Yuto, not Yuya, so what's going on?_

"I did not go to Standard to capture Yuzu, _Yuya._ " Sora narrowed his eyes at the possessed Xyz user, who widened his eyes slightly out of surprise for a second, before regaining his composure.

"Then why?" Yuya decided to pay the fact that Sora knew it was actually him no heed and got straight to the point.

"I came to this dimension to save Yuzu." Sora revealed to Yuya, who gave him a confused look.

"To save her?"

Yuya suddenly thought back to Standard. The battle royal had just ended, and Yuya and Sora's Duel never reached a conclusion thanks to Sora retreating after hearing from Serena that she wasn't Yuzu.

"Back then, I thought that one of the Obelisk Force who came with me took Yuzu by mistake. Not surprising, not only do they have the same face but they switched clothes as well." Sora stated, a neutral and blank expression on his face. "We received the order from the Professor to bring Serena back, so one of my comrades could have made a mistake. With that in mind, I returned to Academia as soon as possible."

Sora had remembered searching most of Academia frantically, trying to find one alone Hiragi Yuzu, who to his knowledge, had been captured due to a misunderstanding.

"I couldn't find Yuzu. But then…" Sora trailed off as he recalled a memory.

In it, he was walking down the halls of Academia when he heard the cold commanding voice of Akaba Leo, who was belittling someone for letting Yuzu escape. Sora had spied in on the conversation and found that Yuzu was needed.

" _Why? Why is the Professor gathering four girls with the same face?"_ Yuto wondered outwardly for Yuya to hear, who shrugged his shoulders as a response.

"I don't know why Yuzu and Serena along with Ruri are needed captured, but even if we don't know why, we have to carry out the Professor's orders. That is a rule."

An uncomfortable period of silence followed Sora's statement while Yuya looked at the boy with a serious expression, urging him to say more.

"After, I returned to the Standard Dimension to look for Serena. I thought that Yuzu could have still been there. However, I then learned that Akaba Reiji formed a group called the Lancers and led them across dimensions. And I learned that Yuto and Serena were part of it."

"And then you came to the Synchro Dimension." Yuya finished for Sora, as if he was reading his mind. Sora's response of nodding his head only proved his point.

"And I heard Dennis' confession as well. He was connected to Ruri's kidnapping, so he must have joined the Lancers to keep an eye on Serena. That's why _I_ wanted to send him back to Academia, to keep him away from Serena."

"Back to Academia!" Yuya and Yuto bellowed out of anger in unison. "Why the hell did you do that?! Now Academia knows that Ruri, Yuzu and Serena are here!"

"They already knew!" Sora interjected, causing Yuya's jaw to open slightly. "Obelisk Force will be here at any moment as backup. And there are three people who are tasked with the mission of capturing Yuzu, Serena, and Ruri respectively."

"Would you happen to know who these three people are?" Yuya asked Sora.

"Unfortunately. The one targeting Ruri is the same person who first captured her," Yuto flinched when he heard that as he growled. "He has the same face as you, Yuto and that banana haired kid called Yugo. His name is Yuri. As for the other guy…"

Silence.

Long silence.

"What?! Say something!" Yuya grabbed Sora's shoulders, losing his patience.

"I don't know much about the guy capturing Yuzu. But there is a rumor saying that his power rivals even the Professor."

"Rivals the Professor!?" Yuya exclaimed as he widened his eyes out of shock.

" _The leader of Academia…"_ Yuto whispered to himself.

"I don't know his real name. But he goes by his codename: Darkness. And whatever you do, Yuya, if you see a man wearing a dark mask with green eyes, stay away." Sora warned the Entermate user.

"Darkness, huh?" Yuya repeated the name, the very sound of the name rolling off of his tongue. Yuto appeared next to Yuya with his arms crossed.

" _We cannot avoid him. Eventually, we will have to come across this Darkness. If we don't, there is no way we can defeat Academia and save the dimensions."_

"As for Serena, I'm the one who's bringing her back." Yuya clicked his tongue as he furrowed his eyebrows at Sora angrily. "Serena is from Academia like me, I don't plan on disobeying the Professor's orders to bring her back. But Yuzu…"

Sora's eyes noticeably shifted off to the side, not even gazing upon Yuya anymore.

No way in hell was Sora going to let Darkness capture Yuzu. He couldn't let that happen to her. Not to Yuzu…

"You asked at one point...if I taught Yuzu to Fusion Summon out of friendship before, right?" Yuya responded by grunting, "I denied it then, but actually...I grew up in Academia, so I don't have any friends. Everyone was so desperate to become an excellent soldier. Things like goofing around and laughing with everyone...I couldn't experience that. So Yuya and Yuzu are my first…"

" _Shiunin Sora…"_ Yuto muttered the name of the boy under his breath as he thought back to something Serena had said.

" _I've heard rumors that more people who enroll are orphans rather than people with parents or some kind of parental figure…"_

" _Of course, they are taught in the ways that emotions and such other things like love will just hold you back."_

Of course, Sora has known nothing but Academia, Dueling, and fighting for survival for all of his life. He never got to make friends, he never got to make any bonds. He only got to be a manipulated soldier…

And that was wrong.

"That is why I want to help Yuzu no matter what! I don't want Yuzu to be sent to that prison known as Academia. So I have a suggestion, Yuto, Yuya." Sora began, Yuya leaned forward, eager to hear Sora's proposition. "I'll hide Yuzu, please bring Serena there."

Yuya's left eye turned grey as his left arm punched the wall next to the two.

"Back to Academia?!" Yuto and Yuya exclaimed out of anger.

Sora took a step back from the outrage.

"Yes, hand her over to me. In exchange, I'll hand Yuzu over do you can bring her back to the Standard Dimension...I don't know about Kurosaki's sister though…"

"You're telling me to abandon a comrade?!" Yuto took full control, the second red eye turning gray as Sora felt a cold air of anger flowing in the atmosphere, all of it radiating off of Yuto.

Sora took a good look into Yuto's eyes. They were empty. Void of any emotion other than anger...and something else.

"S-She's from Academia from the start!" Sora rebutted with a slight stutter in his speech. "I'm just bringing her back!"

Yuto once again punched the wall, but with even more force to the point where some dust fell down onto the ground from the wall.

"To that damn prison Academia, where they can just corrupt her with even more lies?!" Yuto shouted out of rage at the prospect.

Sora gasped out of shock at Yuto's reaction.

"It's the same with Yuzu and Ruri! I will not let them go into Academia's clutches! I won't let the Professor do as he likes!"

From nearby, a good device was on the ground, it was activated, picking up Yuto and Sora's conversation and playing it through the earpiece of a Security member.

"I see. So this other boy is from Academia." Roget said to himself as he put a hand on his face, sighing out of frustration. "If Dennis has already returned to Academia, it is only a matter of time before they send Yuri...and Darkness to this place. There's no time to hesitate!" Roget slammed a rook three spaces forward, and one to the right. "Secure both Yuto and the boy with him at once!"

"Don't you get it, Yuto?! If you keep dawdling like this, the Obelisk Force will be arrive! And when that happens, this city will become a battlefield!"

"Even if I save either Yuzu or Ruri, the Obelisk Force will eventually come after them! If that happens, then things will be even worse than they already are!"

"I'll bring Serena back and appeal to the Professor so that won't-!"

"You already know better than me that the Professor is not someone who you can persuade!" Yuto interrupted with a fire burning in his eyes. Black flames of anger that can't be put out with any water.

Sora paused to process that and drifted his eyes away from Yuto's face.

He was stumped. He didn't know anything to say in response to Yuto's reasoning.

"I won't abandon my comrades! I won't let a single one of them fall! Besides. There is no walking away now. Academia already fucked up everyone's lives in Heartland! DO YOU REALLY THINK I CAN LET THAT SLIDE?! ANSWER ME, SHIUNIN SORA! I'M WAITING FOR A GOOD DAMN REASON! OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE TRUTH AND KNOW THAT HANDING OVER SERENA WON'T DO SHIT TO HELP!"

Sora once again found himself looking away from Yuto, not being able to say anything to support his argument.

Suddenly, Yuto felt himself letting out a sudden yelp as his feet left the ground, immediately followed by his face smashing against the cold hard floor.

Sora jumped backwards, startled at what had happened and looked behind where Yuto was.

Yuto struggled to break out of the thing that was restraining him, when he looked down, he saw black lines with green outlines surrounding his body, keeping him from moving anything.

Yuto's eyes turned red as Yuya momentarily took control, yelling out one word to Sora…

"RUN!"

Sora did as he was told as he jumped off the nearest wall and onto the roof of a house, running away as Yuya said to do.

* * *

 **At the Stadium**

"With that done, we can move on to the third match!" Melissa announced. In his room, Shun narrowed his eyes, ready for his opponent.

 _Whoever it is, I will eradicate them without hesitation, so I can make move on. There is another spy from Academia, I know it. Whoever it is, I will expose them._ Shun thought to himself.

"Oh?! A match between family! The third match is, Kurosaki Shun VS Kurosaki Ruri!"

Shun froze at the announcement.

 _Ruri…_

How dare they?!

Pit himself against his younger sister! It was unforgivable!

He couldn't face his sister. He just couldn't. Seeing her face being sent to the underground, he couldn't see that happen to his sister.

No.

"I WON'T DO IT!"

"The next match is…" Ryoga trailed off out of shock from the council room.

"Me against my brother." Ruri put her hands together and prayed that everything would be alright between the two siblings.

The door to Ruri's room opened, and standing in the doorway was her escort. She slowly walked to the door, but she was in the door, she put a hand on the doorknob and froze. She could feel that same hand trembling.

She was scared.

Scared to face her brother in battle.

She didn't want to do this.

Why did they have to face each other?! Why couldn't she face Yuzu?! Why out of all people did it have to be her own brother?!

Her ears picked up the sound of a person screaming at the top of their lungs in anger. It was a male voice, and she knew the owner of that voice all too well.

"Brother!" Without a moment of hesitation, Ruri dashed off to the room two doors to her right, she saw an escort taking a step back out of fear, the door wide open, followed by a hand gripping the door hardly and slamming it shut.

Before Ruri could make it to the room, her hand was grabbed by her escort, who, unlike most of the others, actually was much bigger than Ruri was, and stronger.

Ruri was practically dragged away, much to her dismay.

"Wait! Please, I need to talk to my brother!" Ruri pleaded with the escort to let her go.

No response.

And Ruri kept getting dragged to the garage, where her d-wheel was.

* * *

 **On the Stadium Grounds**

Ruri slammed the breaks on her d-wheel, coming to an abrupt halt as she waited for her brother to come riding onto the Field.

"Next up, Kurosaki Shun!" Melissa cheered, gesturing towards the entrance where Ruri came from, only to find no one coming out. "Umm...Kurosaki Shun!"

Still no one came.

"Come on! What's taking him so long to get ready?!" Melissa exclaimed out of wonder.

Ruri looked back at where she came from out of worry, already knowing why Shun hasn't come yet.

He doesn't want to Duel.

He doesn't want to Duel and potentially see the face of his dear sister be sent to the underground.

 _I don't want that either, brother. But, in times like this...I need a match like this. Between us. I want to prove to you that I can take care of myself. So you won't need to worry about me and worry about yourself. I don't want you to risk your life for my sake._ Ruri thought to herself. That was why she needed this Duel.

Even though she didn't like the circumstances.

And even though she didn't like the prospect of what happened to the loser.

She had to Duel. She needed it. To prove herself, that she was strong enough.

Ruri's wars picked up the sound of an approaching d-wheel. She looked back to see Shun coming in toward the start line, with an angry look on his face.

Before Shun reached the finish line, Ruri felt something slide across her legs and ankles. She looked down to see metal bars the color of her d-wheel, and they were restraining her!

 _What's the meaning of this?_ Ruri looked back at Shun, he was close enough for Ruri to see the same restraints holding his legs and feet in place.

Ruri knew what happened now.

Shun didn't want to leave and face her, so he was forced into his d-wheel and restrained by the metal bars. The metal bars restrained her also because since she was related to Shun, she could be having thoughts about escape.

The bars were a contingency plan. The contestants were forced to Duel, whether they like or not.

Even after they were forced into this tournament. They had another thing that prevented them from backing out.

The proof was literally right in front of Ruri's nose.

Shun parked his d-wheel, taking a long look at Ruri.

"I'm sorry, Ruri." He closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "I tried to back out of the match, but they forced me onto this damn machine!"

"It's ok, brother. I'm glad you're alright."

"I'm more glad about you." Shun threw back with a small smile, his dark mood lightening up slightly at the prospect of at least seeing his sister in the flesh, just for a little longer.

Because no matter what, fate played a hand of bad luck for the Xyz Duelists.

Every time they reunited, they got separated again.

It drove Shun crazy that he couldn't even move to at least give his sister a long and warm hug, but at least he knew that she was all fine and well.

"Brother. Please, don't hold back!" Ruri suddenly spoke, causing Shun to open his eyes, his jaw opening slightly to say something. "I need to prove to you that I can be strong like you, that I can protect myself! So that you don't always have to worry about me. I've had to endure torture in Academia, I think I can handle a forced Duel with my brother."

A look of anger seeped onto Shun's face. What did she say?!

" _I've had to endure torture in Academia…"_

" _I've had to endure torture in Academia…"_

" _I've had to endure torture in Academia…"_

No, they didn't.

Not to his young, innocent sister.

They did NOT lay a finger on her during her forced time their.

THEY DID NOT!

Unfortunately for Shun, constantly lying to himself and thinking the complete opposite in an attempt of quelling his anger didn't help.

They did lay a finger on her.

And now there was hell to pay.

Shun took long deep breaths in attempt to compose himself in front of his sister, he took a glance at Ruri's face, and saw fire burning inside. Fire that said, "I want to prove myself". And that fire spread all over Ruri's face.

"Alright. I understand." Shun relented with a growl.

Had it been someone else who wasn't one of his friends from Xyz, he wouldn't have exchanged any words with them.

But Ruri was his sister.

He couldn't NOT talk to her even if he wanted to.

Siblings had to look out for each other.

This especially goes for the older sibling.

After all, that's what siblings are for, aren't they?

Before he knew it, Shun's ears heard the ticking of a clock, followed by the declaration of acceleration as his d-wheel took off along with Ruri.

His body had moved on its own for Shun while he was distracted.

He took one last look at Ruri, she was focusing her eyes on the road, clearly determined to prove her worth to Shun.

It was so obvious now, that Shun berated himself for not seeing any earlier like right after the Fusion Dimension attacked Heartland.

To fight in a war zone like others when she believed in peace and prosperity, to be kidnapped and put through days of torture, without anyone for comfort.

To escape and continuously see her loved ones and get separated from them again and again.

Ruri had endured all of this. And Shun had never noticed the truth.

The truth...

It was at this moment that Shun found out the truth…

" **DUEL!** "

His sister was growing up...

* * *

 **Ok, no Duel for this chapter guys, sorry.**

 **I thought that we should take a 1 chapter Segway between the previous Duel and the one next chapter.** **After all, there has been 14 Duels in the past 14 chapters.** **Time for a break. Because this next Duel is going to be quite the doozy to write.**

 **So, judging from the fact that Ruri and Shun are Dueling, it's should be obvious what the last matchup of this round is.**

 **Yugo against Yuzu.**

 **The winners of both rounds will face either Yuto or Sergey.** **For the winners, you guys will have to wait 2 chapters.**

 **Skadi: Thanks for pointing out that little mistake I forgot to add with Ruri and dark Requiem.**

 **Necrodarkman: Yu-Gi-Oh always sets up a very intriguing female characters, but then they all become either useless, or damsel in distresses or cheerleaders. VRAINS has been doing ok with Aoi so far, hopefuly they don't mess it up.**

 **Bridgey: After I read this review, I stopped writing for an entire day wondering if I should change the matchups to Yuzu VS Ruri and Yugo VS Shun. But having Yuzu face two of her counterparts in a row isn't really fair to her in my opinion.**

 **Ethan Kironus: Bloomlight Dragon's effect is written in the card catalog of Chapter 56.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed this short little segway/refresher chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	81. Battle of the Siblings!

**3 Years Ago-Kurosaki Ruri's Residence-Unknown City-Xyz Dimension**

 **Shun: 300-0 LP**

"Alright, big brother, I won again!" A young Ruri at the age of 11 exclaimed out of joy as she wobbled over to a board she had up in her room. On the board was two was a tally chart marking the amount of wins between two people.

In her childhood, Ruri had quite a bit of trouble making friends, so her parents made her move to a different place away from her brother in attempt to get her friends.

It's been about 4-5 years (from the time of this flashback) since Ruri first moved away. For the first 4 years, Ruri would visit Heartland occasionally, but the past year she has not made one visit.

Shun, whenever Ruri wouldn't visit, would sometimes visit her, and he's been doing this for all of the 5 years. So really, Shun and Ruri didn't feel that far away from each other despite being so physically. They still got to see each other, so they had to take what they could get. Plus, the entire idea of Ruri getting moved was for her benefit.

Now, one time when Shun visit his sister, he taught her how to Duel. After that, when Shun would visit Ruri, they would sometimes have a Duel against each other.

Not long ago, they had started to put up a tally chart for the amount of wins they had against each other.

This is what was written on the chart.

Ruri: 49 (It's a tally chart, and I cannot draw proper tally's on here)

Ni-san: 30

Ruri took a chalk stick and drew another dash mark under her name, bringing her total count up to 50.

"Hey, ni-san, it looks like I'm much better than you! This is my 20th win in a row!" Ruri gloated with a wide grin holding up two fingers to her brother.

Her brother, 13-year old Kurosaki Shun, closed his eyes and gave her a warm genuine smile. "Yeah, I guess you have surpassed me long ago, Ruri."

" _That's what you had said back then, brother. But I know that it wasn't the truth. I had seen you Duel others before, and I've seen how you acted in your Duels with me. Most of the time...you would hold back against me, especially when we started to Duel using Solid Vision. And you would have won all of our Duels had you not been holding back. You would always treat me like a little girl. At the time, I guess that was okay, I was only 11 years old after all."_

* * *

 **Later That Day**

"Are you feeling okay?" Shun asked his sister, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her at the moment, but it didn't hurt to check.

"Brooootheeeeer! This is like the 10th time you've asked me this today! You are really overprotective!" Ruri puffed her cheeks out of annoyance, swinging her legs as she gazed out into the beautiful sunlight.

"Well, of course I am going to be overprotective." Shun said as he walked over to her side, sitting down next to her.

"But ni-saaaaan, that doesn't mean you have to worry about me for every little thing!" Ruri pouted.

Shun chuckled to himself when he saw Ruri's little face, her little cheeks puffed out like a baby.

His baby sister.

Shun smiled as he began to speak.

"No matter how hard you will want me to stop being protective of you, I won't. You are my only sibling, and us siblings got to look out for each other, and as the older one of the two, that goes for me especially." Shun informed his younger sister as he looked out at the sun.

"I will always watch over and protect you, no matter how far away from each other we are. Even if we have to end up against one another, even if you end up fearing me, even if I end up dying in the end, I will protect you. That's because it's what older siblings are for."

"Brother…" The young Ruri whispered in awe as she looked at her brother's smiling face.

"Ruri, just know that no matter how much you or I change, no matter how low we may stumble, my love for you will never die." Shun stated with a firm voice to strengthen his point. "You know, there's this new friend I met not too long ago, his name is Yuto, you wanna to meet him some day? I think you two could get along well."

"Hmm...I'll think about it! Ooh, what's he like, what's he like?!" Ruri asked her older brother.

"That's for you to find out when you meet him."

Suddenly, Shun's ears perked up as he heard a male voice call his name. He looked to the driveway of their house to see his father at the car.

It was time to go.

"Until next time, Ruri." Shun said goodbye as he stood up from his spot, only for Ruri's small hands to latch onto his right arm.

"Nooooooo! Brooootheeeer, stay here a little long, pleeeeeaaaaaaaase!" Ruri clapped her hands together with a persuasive look on her face, eyes closed.

"Sorry, Ruri, I have to go now." Shun told his sister as he put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back before walking away. "Stay safe, Ruri, and don't get into any trouble!"

"Niiiiii-saaaaan!" Ruri cried, trying to put her fake tears into her eyes in an attempt to make Shun think that she was crying, but to no avail, she wasn't able to succeed.

" _You always said you would protect me, but now, I need to show you that I can protect myself, so that I won't always need your protection! And I'll prove that during this Duel!"_

* * *

 **Now**

"My turn!"

Ruri dove back into reality as she heard the voice of her brother, realizing that while in her trance, she had not been paying attention, which gave Shun the opportunity to pass her and get the first move.

 _This is going to ruin my strategy a bit, especially since brother knows my Deck form the back of his hand._ Ruri thought to herself, choosing to approach her brother cautiously in this Duel.

 _Ruri, you are my sister, and it's for that reason that I'm going to hate every second of this Duel! And it's also the reason why I will end it quickly!_ Shun took a Card from his Hand and swiped it across his Duel Disk.

"I Summon Raid Raptors-King's Lanius from my Hand!"

 **King's Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 650 Def**

"Next, I activate his effect, once per turn, I am allowed to Special Summon a level 4 or lower Raid Raptors Monster from my Hand, and that will be Raid Raptors-Vanishing Lanius!" Shun exclaimed as he Summoned his Monster, who appeared on his left.

 **Vanishing Lanius: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def**

"If Vanishing Lanius was Summoned this turn, I can Special Summon another copy from my Hand!" Shun took out another Monster Card, who flew above him when Summoned.

"Kurosaki Shun already has 3 level 4 Monsters! Will we see an Xyz Summon?!" Melissa questioned, although from the set up it seemed fairly obvious.

Shun took another Card from his Hand and inserted it into the Magic and Trap Card Zone, "Magic Card, Raid Raptors-Sanctuary! If I control 3 or more Raid Raptors Monsters, I can draw 2 Cards!"

Shun did what his effect had stated, glancing at his drawn Cards, he made his next move, grabbing the last Card he got from his starting 5 Cards.

 _She doesn't know about this Card yet!_ Shun thought in his head as he played the Card.

"Continuous Magic Card, Raptor's Intercept Form, activate! Next, using the level 4 Raid Raptors-King's Lanius and the two Vanishing Lanius, I overlay!" The three Monsters turned into Materials, flying into the portal that opened in front of Shun's d-wheel, exploding when they entered.

"Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Shun chanted as his ace Monster glared down at Ruri with burning eyes of fire.

 **Rise Falcon: Rank 4, 100 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Shun closed his eyes as he inserted a Card into his Duel Disk facedown. "Now, it's your turn, Ruri!"

"Yes, brother, it is!" Ruri retorted as she drew a Card from her Deck, signaling the beginning of her turn. "I Summon Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow!"

 **Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"If I control a Lyrilusc Monster other than this Card, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand along with another level 1 Monster! Come, Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow, and following her, another copy of Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri called out to her Monsters as both flew in onto the Field next to each other.

 **Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def**

"Cobalt Sparrow's effect allows me to add another copy of the Monster when Special Summoned!" Ruri revealed as she added said a Card from her Deck to her Hand. "Now, with these three level 1 Monsters, I overlay! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 1, Lyrilusc-Aggressive Nightingale!"

 **Aggressive Nightingale: Rank 1, 500 Atk, 0 Def**

A Monster dressed practically the same as Assembly Nightingale appeared, the difference being that yellow was replaced by orange while the blue was replaced by red.

Shun narrowed his at the sight of the Monster, knowing exactly what it did.

"For every overlay unit this Card has attached to it, it gains 400 Attack! There are three overlay units attached to this Card, so Aggressive Nightingale gains 1200 Attack!" Ruri explained as her Monster gained a red fiery aura.

 **Aggressive Nightingale: 500-1700 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Aggressive Nightingale, attack Raid Raptors-Rise Falcon!"' Ruri commanded as her Monster took off heading straight for Rise Falcon, however, the falcon avoid the oncoming attack Shun revealed a facedown Card.

"I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Escape Force! If an Xyz Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can target that Monster, negate the attack, and Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the targeted Monster by using it as Material! Ferocious falcon. Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Raid Raptors-Blaze Falcon!" Shun Xyz Summoned his ranked up Monster.

 **Blaze Falcon: Rank 5, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I'm not done yet!" Ruri exclaimed as she lifted a hand to her Xyz Monster, "Aggressive Nightingale, activate your effect!"

An overlay unit orbiting said Monster was crushed into its mouth.

"Once during either player's turn, I can target a Monster on my Field, until the end of the turn, that Monster cannot be destroyed by battle and it can attack a second time!" After that statement, Shun reminded Ruri about the 400 Attack decrease her Monster would receive.

 **Aggressive Nightingale: 1700-1300 Atk**

"Attack once again!" Ruri yelled at the top of her lungs, her Monster reeling back around to attack Blaze Falcon from behind.

"I activate the effect of Raptor's Intercept Form! If an Xyz Summoned Raid Raptors Monster I control is attacked, I can switch the Attack and Defense of that Monster during damage calculation only!" Shun explained as his Magic Card glowed white, with his Monster glowing the same color.

 **Blaze Falcon: 1000-2000 Atk, 2000-1000 Def**

"And the attack still continues!" Shun added as Blaze Falcon's body burned and rose to high temperatures.

"Remember, since I used Aggressive Nightingale's effect, she can't be destroyed by battle until the end of the turn!" Ruri reminded her brother as Nightingale scratched Blaze Falcon's back, or at least attempted to. When she was burned as she let out a scream of pain, retracting her hand immediately.

However, Ruri didn't take damage, the next thing Shun saw, was a new overlay unit orbiting Ruri's Monster, raising the Attack back up to 1700. He closed his eyes with a neutral expression on his face.

"I see, you used the effect of Lyrilusc-Coat Pecker. When you would take damage, you could send a Card to the Grave excluding that one, negate the damage, and attach the Monster as an overlay unit to an Xyz Monster you control. Furthermore, as long as that Card is attached to an Xyz Monster, you take no effect damage. And you also discarded the copy of Cobalt Sparrow you got." Shun summarized Ruri's move, knowing her sisters Deck from the back of his hand.

"Kurosaki Ruri has managed to keep her Monster safe on the Field!" Melissa exclaimed out of joy, secretly hoping that Ruri would come out on top and win the Duel instead of Shun. After all, Yuzu and Ruri were the only two females left in the tournament.

Ruri glanced at her Cards, nodding her head as she held up a Card with two fingers.

"I activate the Magic Card Lyrilusc-Bird Strike! If I control a Lyrilusc Monster, I can negate the effects of all Monsters you control!" Ruri revealed to Shun, who clicked his tongue out of annoyance, as Ruri's recent move had just toyed with his plan to get a lot of damage in next turn.

Shun's bird grayed out, meaning that it lost its effects.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ruri concluded as she looked at her brother, who had a hand on the top of his Deck. "Brother…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile-Roget's Office-Security Building**

"We have brought contestant Yuto with us." A voice reported.

"Please enter." Roget replied to the voice, one slide of the door later, and Yuto was inside the office. "Let us talk alone, the two of us, the others, please leave."

"Right." The men obeyed, turned around and left the room. For some reason, they had left Yuto unrestrained.

"I'm not going to ally myself with scum like you." Yuto got straight to the point. "You who manipulates others, you who controls others like weapons."

"Hoh? And what proof do you have?" Roget asked in a false curious manner.

"Izayoi Aki, I know you manipulated her. No, she didn't tell me, at least not directly, I just know you did it. During that Duel, I swear I could feel a large amount of regret pouring out of her, she didn't want to act as she did. So tell me, what did you do to her?" Yuto countered with a question.

"That is none of your business. We merely set up a negotiation, she worked for me...and she got something in return." Roget stated simply, not wanting to mention the details of the deal.

"If you are trying to recruit me like you did to Aki, then forget. There is absolutely nothing you can bribe me with!" Yuto bellowed as he threw his arm to the side.

"Are you sure about that?" Roget sharpened his gaze at the spiky haired Xyz Duelist standing in front of him. Yuto firmly nodded his head. "Well, I did have information about Academia that you could use…"

Yuto froze in his tracks. All this time, and it was true. "I knew it, you really _are_ from Academia. How else could Aki have gotten her hands on Fusion, Sergey too."

"Fear not, I am not of Academia anymore. I defected 3 years ago and came over to this dimension to build my kingdom." Roget informed Yuto quickly. "Which is another reason I want us to work together. I have reason to believe that Academia is going to send soldiers over here. In fact, some people are already here, like that blue haired boy you were talking to. So tell me, how would your friends react if I told them you were planning something with a soldier of Academia, the same people you are trying to beat?"

Yuto growled in response to this, truly stumped on what he could say next.

"We can work together. To beat Academia. Peace will be restored, you can return home, and I can remain here to work on my kingdom." Roget proposed with a smirk as he held out his hand. When he was greeted with silence from Yuto along with no movements at all, he put the hand down, with a smirk still glued onto his face. "I'll give you time to think about it. Come, I think this next match will interest you."

The screen behind Roget showed two faces with names below them. And Yuto immediately recognized the names and faces.

"Shun! Ruri!" Yuto recited the names of his comrades.

"You three are comrades, are you not? Watch closely, the victor of the Duel may just become your next opponent."

Yuto didn't respond as he stared at the screen. But inwardly, he was fuming with rage at the fact that they were forcing Shun and Ruri to Duel, and then most likely one of the two against him.

They really knew how to push his buttons, didn't they? He could just send his comrades to the underground, especially two of the closest people he has in his life.

He just couldn't.

He closed his eyes and relayed a thought to himself.

 _Shun, are you really okay with Dueling Ruri like this? Are you really going to go through with it?_

* * *

 **Back at the Duel**

"My turn, draw! I've been put through desperate situations, surviving one hellish day after another. And now the world wants to put me in another one by putting me against my sister." Shun held out his left hand, before crumpling it into a tight fist, letting a hot aura of rage flow around him.

Ruri could feel this aura radiate in the air around her, and she knew it was from her brother.

"Ni-san…"

"I activate the Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force, targeting Raid Raptors-Blaze Falcon! With this, I am allowed to Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 2 higher than the chosen Monster! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 7, Raid Raptors-Arsenal Falcon!" Shun lifted his fist up as a wall of flames erupted behind it, with his bird emerging flying high into the air with an ear-piercing screech.

 **Arsenal Falcon: Rank 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"If this Card has a Raid Raptors Monster attached to it as Material, it can attack the amount of overlay units it has attached! Arsenal Falcon has 5 overlay units, so, it can attack 5 times!" Shun revealed as a Ruri let out a gasp of shock. Shun thrusted his hand forward, "Battle! Raid Raptors-Arsenal Falcon…"

Shun froze at the second part of the statement.

 _Come on, Shun! Just say the word! The one word that can end this!_ Shun scolded himself inwardly.

But he couldn't. And he knew why.

It's because his opponent was Ruri, his sister, the one whom he was forced to Duel.

He could not allow himself to see his sister being taken to the underground, especially with it being because of him.

Shun has sworn back to Ruri that he would always protect her, and this is one of the many ways on how he would do it.

He would take on the hell known as the underground himself.

He drew his hand over to his Deck, it froze for a moment, to show Shun's slight hesitation.

"What is Kurosaki Shun doing?!" Melissa shirked, grabbing one side of her head. "He looks like he's about to surrender the Duel!"

This got many boos and jeers from the audience at Shun's hesitance to continue the Duel. Especially since this battle of siblings was one they were awaiting for.

"I don't care what you people think of me. I never did. In fact, nowadays, there are very few people that _I_ care about. And should I take the mantle of coward to protect one of those people, then so be it." Shun stated calmly, before the voice of his sister stopped him.

"No, brother! Don't do this! Don't surrender!" Ruri pleaded with her brother as she sped up her d-wheel so they were practically neck and neck. She turned her head to face her brother, staring at him with pleading eyes.

"Ruri…" Shun mused.

"I know how you've always held back in all of our previous Duels! But that was back then, I'm not the same little girl I used to be, brother! I can fend for myself, without your help, so you won't have to worry about me as much! Please, don't surrender, brother, so I can prove my worth to you!"

"Ruri…" Shun repeated the name of his sister as he found himself thinking back to their childhood.

 _You are my only sibling, and as of right now, one of the only people I trust. All my life, I put upon myself the strict job of keeping you safe. After we got separated, I felt alone outside of my small group of friends. I...didn't have very many people to fill the gap in my life...because Ruri, you were that person._

 _I swore to protect you, because if I lost you, a hole would open up in my heart. And the wound in my heart would never close. Because, after all, everyone knows that the wounds inflicted upon the heart are the worst wounds. Those wounds...can never be healed._

 _And Ruri, when you were taken away from me by Academia, the hole in my heart opened. A wound was formed, and no one could fill it, not Kaito, not Allen, not Sayaka, not Ryoga, or Rio, and not even Yuto, my best friend. I felt isolated again, I felt like the only light left in my world was gone, and that I was left to wander the darkness again for the rest of my life._

 _Which is why I've always been so protective of you, Ruri. I don't want to lose you, and I don't want to see you sad._

 _Hah, I remember the first time we Dueled, when I first taught you the game…_

* * *

 **Flashback-8 Years Ago-Kurosaki Residence**

It was 1 or 2 months before Ruri had moved.

Shun decided to teach his sister how to play Duel Monsters, to see if she would get interested in it. Maybe she could make friends that way, through Dueling.

After teaching her the basics, they had a Duel, with Shun not holding back, obviously.

At the time, Shun didn't have his Raid Raptors Deck, and Ruri didn't have her Deck that she used today.

The Deck Ruri used was just a bunch of Cards stacked up into a Deck with little synergy at all.

Ruri was beaten on the second turn of the Duel, Shun's turn.

His first, and his only.

"NOOOO!" Ruri whined as she flailed her arms around angrily. Due to her age of 6, it was merely a temper tantrum and it was actually pretty funny, Shun had thought. "That is not fair, brother, you cheated!"

"Huh? How in the world did I cheat?" Her brother asked in response.

"You cannot just Summon a Monster from the Deck like that!" Ruri pointed a finger of accusation at Shun.

"Sure I can. The effect says so." Shun held up his Xyz Monster M-X Saber Invoker.

"Well, why didn't you tell me!?" Ruri demanded for an answer as she slammed the table with her two small hands, the impact barely making a sound.

"I told you to read the effects of my Monster…" Shun shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't like you, brother! Hmph!" Ruri turned around, crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out.

Shun let out a small smile at the sight of his sister. She was just so cute.

He wished she could stay like this forever.

But that's the wish of almost every older sibling, isn't it, so it's cliche coming from Shun.

But it was still true regardless.

However, when Shun took another close look at Ruri, he could tell by the way her body had slumped down that she was actually bummed about losing.

There it was. The look Ruri's body, face, or anything made that made a Shun feel guilty.

That made him feel like he smacked a bird with a stone…

And then clipped its wings off slowly and painfully.

It just wasn't fair, how younger siblings always had that advantage over the bigger ones. The bigger sibling can be used to the younger siblings' advantage, just by giving a sad look.

But that was the rules of having a sibling.

Or...that's what Shun thought, at least.

* * *

 **Now**

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to think over his decision.

 _Alright, Ruri. It seems as if I can't keep escaping from the reality that I've wanted to avoid for so long. You're growing up. And as such, I need to treat you the way you should be treated, and that means, out of respect for you, as siblings, as family…_

"I won't hold back!" Shun declared as he commanded an attack, with Arsenal Falcon flying out into the air all the while opening its compartments, releasing multiple sets of rockets while they tumbled toward the enemy Monster.

"I activate Lyrilusc-Aggressive Nightingale's effect! Once again, by detaching an overlay unit, this Card can't be destroyed by battle for the rest of the turn! Next!" Ruri continued as she clicked a button her Duel Disk, revealing a Trap Card, "I'm going to activate this Card, Lyrilusc-Defense! When a Lyrilusc Monster I control is attacked, I can switch its battle position!"

After her explanation, Aggressive Nightingale took a defensive stance as the rockets closed in. They hit the ground, exploding right on Aggressive Nightingale, who let out a gasp as she was enveloped in smoke.

Aggressive Nightingale swiped the smoke cloud away with her hands, before putting them back in front of her. Arsenal Falcon flew back next to Shun.

"Ruri managed to protect her Monster, but it loses another 400 Attack due to the loss of another overlay unit." Melissa announced to the audience.

 **Aggressive Nightingale: 1700-1300 Atk**

"My money's on Kurosaki Shun." Someone from the audience said to himself.

"Yeah." The person next to him agreed.

"It's still too early to draw a conclusion from this." Someone said wisely.

"I activate Arsenal Falcon's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Winged-Beast Type Monster from my Deck! Appear, Raid Raptors-Necro Vulture!" Shun slammed the Monster onto the Jdel Disk as his desired Monster soared on in right next to him.

 **Necro Vulture: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate Necro Vulture's effect, by releasing this Card, I get to add a Rank-Up-Magic Card from my Graveyard back into my Hand! I return Escape Force!" Shun spoke aloud as he took the Card out of the Graveyard compartment, showing it to back at Ruri before putting it in his Hand. "I set this Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! Brother, I will prove to you just how strong I can be during this Duel! I activate the Magic Card Lyrilusc-Flight! Using this Card, I can double the Attack of all Winged-Beast Monsters I control until the end of the turn!" Ruri revealed as the Attack of her Monster grew.

 **Aggressive Nightingale: 1300-2600 Atk**

"Ruri managed to surpass the Attack of Kurosaki Shun's Monster, but he still had that facedown Card as backup!" Melissa reported to the audience, many of whom watched with interested eyes.

"Battle! Aggressive Nightingale, brother's Raid Raptors-Arsenal Falcon!" Ruri spoke, knowing what Shun was going to do. The opening of his set Card all but proved her point.

He had activated Escape Force, ranking up Arsenal Falcon into a much stronger bird.

"Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Rank Up Xyz Change! Soar! Rank 8! Raid Raptors-Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun chanted as he lifted his fist into the air, his bird soaring from the above with a powerful cry of fury.

 **Satellite Cannon Falcon: Rank 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"It's the Monster Kurosaki Shun used to defeat Dennis!" Melissa realized at first sight of the Monster.

Ruri shivered on her d-wheel at the statement as she remembered the Duel between Shun and Dennis. A truly fearsome Duel. Dennis wasn't who she thought he was.

It was a lie.

A big, fat, lie.

But that wasn't the only thing about the Duel that made Ruri upset. It was Shun's rashness, anger, and everything about how he acted. While his attitude is justified since he was facing an Academia soldier, Ruri still couldn't help but feel…

Afraid.

Not just from Dennis and the Ancient Gear Chaos Giant.

But from her brother as well.

He was not the kind older brother she used to know. That person that she loved with her heart is a mere shadow of who Shun is now.

 _Academia...took my brother away from me._

It was funny, because it was actually the other way around realistically. Ruri was the one who was kidnapped and taken to the Fusion Dimension, not Shun.

But Academia shred the old Shun to pieces, and pieced them back together…

The pieces didn't fit. And the result was the Shun she was currently Dueling at the moment. This...violent...battle hardened man that was once the complete kind brother. The one who cared for Ruri with the utmost love and warmth.

He still loved her.

But the warmth was gone.

"I end my turn." Ruri spoke finally as her Monster lost the boost she had received.

 **Aggressive Nightingale: 2600-1300 Atk**

"My turn!" Shun roared, drawing the top Card of his Deck. "I activate the effect of Raid Raptors-Satellite Cannon Falcon! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can decrease the Attack of a Monster you control by 800 for each Raid Raptors Monster in my Graveyard!"

Since there were more than 2 in his Grave, Aggressive Nightingale's Attack dropped down to 0 Attack.

 **Aggressive Nightingale: 1300-0 Atk**

"Battle! Attack, Satellite Cannon Falcon!" Shun shouted, thrusting his hand forward as his ascended higher and higher, before stopping, it glared down at Ruri's Monster from above and pointed it guns, ready to strike.

Multiple bullets flew out of the Monster's guns. Aggressive Nightingale took the brunt of all the bullets, getting destroyed in the process while a shock wave ensued from the collision of the bullets, causing a Ruri to cry out in pain, tightening the grip on her d-wheel so she wouldn't fall, swerving from left to right to stay in balance.

 **Ruri: 4000-1000 LP**

"Ruri!" Shun bellowed out of worry as he hit the brakes on his d-wheel, slowing down to his sister's speed, wanting to make sure she was ok.

"It's okay brother, I'm fine. Please, let's continue!" Ruri face her brother a nod of assurance that there was nothing to worry about and no harm was done.

 _Shun...Ruri…_ Yuto thought to himself from Roget's office. One of them is going to end up in the underground. And Yuto didn't want that happening. Why, out of all matchups, did it have to be Shun against Ruri?! It just wasn't fair.

"I end my turn." Shun concluded, glancing at Ruri with worried eyes, his usual stoic mask crumbling apart.

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Lyrilusc-Aggressive Nightingale! During the End Phase of the turn in which this Card was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon any Lyrilusc Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck except this Card! I Special Summon Lyrilusc-Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri exclaimed as she brought out her ace Monster.

 **Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"Also, I can attach up to 5 Lyrilusc Monsters in my Graveyard to the Summoned Card as Material! I attach Lyrilusc-Coat Pecker, the three copies of Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow, and finally Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow!" Ruri listed the names as 5 overlay units appeared and began to orbit around Assembly Nightingale. "Assembly Nightingale gains 100 Attack for each overlay unit attached to it!"

 **Assembly Nightingale: 0-500 Atk**

"An amazing play from Ruri!" Melissa cheered with a raise of her hand.

"That Kurosaki Ruri's quite the contender." A female Tops said.

"Yeah, but Kurosaki Shun isn't a pushover either." The male Tops member next to her spoke.

"I don't like him very much, he's very...uncivilized and wild, like the Commons…" The woman responded with a frown on her face.

"That is true." The man nodded his head out of agreement.

"My turn, draw!" Ruri glanced at her Card, nodding as she turned her head to her brother. "Prepare yourself, my brother! After all, you should know that since Assembly Nightingale has 5 overlay units, she can attack 5 times! Assembly Nightingale, attack him directly!"

Assembly Nightingale jumped over Shun's Monster, kicking him 5 times in the back, causing him wince and grimace out of pain for all of the kicks.

 **Shun: 4000-1500 LP**

"Both players have dished out a huge amount of damage to each other!" Melissa spectated. "So far, the game has been pretty even! Which Duelist will outwit the other and take the lead?!"

"I'm not finished, I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic Sprouted Winged Force! Using Assembly Nightingale as Material, I can Xyz Summon a Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than Assembly Nightingale's! Bird with wondrous and beautiful wings! Evolve into a new bird and go on the path to victory! Rank Up Xyz Change! Fly before us, Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale!"

 **Evolved Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"Evolved Nightingale gains 200 Attack for each overlay unit!" Ruri revealed to Shun, who grit his teeth, knowing how much Attack Ruri's Monster would gain.

"6 overlay units." He muttered loud enough for Ruri to hear.

"Yes, and that means 1200 Attack!"

 **Evolved Nightingale: 0-1200 Atk**

"Like Assembly Nightingale, Evolved Nightingale can attack you directly! Go, my Monster!" Ruri held her hand out forward, with her Monster releasing a gust of wind at Shun's back, causing him to flinch from the sudden impact on his back.

 **Shun: 1500-300 LP**

"I'm sorry...brother. But, this is the end. Evolved Nightingale's effect activates, when this Card inflicts damage to you by a direct attack, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card to destroy a Monster you control! Then, I deal damage to you equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack!" Ruri exclaimed as an overlay unit orbiting her Monster dispersed.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 1200-1000 Atk**

"I don't think so!" Shun retorted as he pointed to his Continuous Magic Card. "I activate the additional effect of Raptors's Intercept Form now! Once, during either player's turn, when a Card or effect targets an Xyz Summoned Raid Raptors Monster I control, I can negate that effect!"

Evolved Nightingale had leaped into the air, but she had immediately dropped back down next to Ruri after Shun's statement.

"That's the end of my turn." Ruri concluded as she once again took a look at her brother and saw the look on his face.

It was the face of wanting to stop and give up.

Ruri could tell, that this was too much for him. It was too much for her too. At this point, she doesn't even know how she can still keep going with this.

She guessed it was because of the restraints keeping her locked onto her d-wheel. But then again, Shun also had those restraining him.

No, the real reason why she continued was to proof herself that she could be strong. So Yuto could see. So Ryoga could see, wherever he was.

And so her brother could see also...

That she wasn't a little girl anymore.

"Kgh!" Shun grunted as he placed his quivering hand on top of his Deck, a lone tear rolling down his face as it fell down onto his hand, something Ruri noticed.

 _Brother...is crying…_

In all of her life, Ruri had never seen her brother once she'd a tear. The closest to a tear that Shun had was when something had gotten into his eye.

But here, he was crying. This situation was hitting him this much, that he shed a tear. Even if it was only one, he still shed a tear.

Ruri felt guilty. After all, _she_ is the one who told Shun to keep Dueling even though he didn't want to. And it was for a selfish reason to. To prove her own worth.

She hadn't taken into account that even people like her brother can get emotional...it's what makes humans...human.

Now she knew why she thought Shun wouldn't care.

Ruri had thought Shun had only felt anger in his heart. The hole in his heart had removed all of the positive emotions he once had. And all that was left in the shell of the old Shun…

Was a monster.

An uncooperative, dangerous, monster.

That's how Ruri had viewed the way Shun was currently deep down in her heart.

That's why she had been so selfish, not taking Shun's feelings into account. It's because it was as if she had forgotten that her own brother was human!

What a horrible sister she was! Did she...did she even have a right to continue on with this Duel, despite knowing that it's taking its toll on Shun?

"Ruri. Don't make a face like that...for someone like me." Ruri lifted her head at the sound of her brother's voice, she saw his head down, the visor of his helmet covering his eyes. "You wanted to prove yourself. To prove your worth. If I get sent to the hell known as the underground, then it will be where I belong. I already like a monster as it is anyway. Most people fear my rage and fury."

He lifted his head.

"I will carry out your wishes, Ruri! No matter what the toll is! My turn!" Shun ripped off the top Card of his Deck as he held it in the air, glancing at it. "By sending this Card to the Graveyard, I am allowed to add a Rank-Up-Magic Card in my Grave to my Hand! I send Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force to the Grave, and add Skip Force to my Hand!"

Shun sent the Card he drew to the Grave, trading it for the Card he sent to the Grave long time earlier in the Duel. He inserted into his Magic and Trap Card Zone, activating it, using Satellite a Cannon Falcon as Material.

"Supreme falcon. Carry on the wishes of your fallen friends, and fly off to the sky of victory! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 10! Raid Raptors-Ultimate Falcon!" Shun shouted as loud as he could, his Monster rising from the ashes of the burning fire behind him.

 **Ultimate Falcon: Rank 10, 3500 Atk, 2000 Def**

 _I don't have a Monster that can overpower Ultimate Falcon!_ Ruri thought to herself as she glanced at her Graveyard slot. _All I have left is…_

"I activate Ultimate Falcon's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I can negate the effects of as many faceup Cards you control, and have all of your Monsters lose 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Shun explained as his dragon let out a purple field of energy out of its wings, heading right for Evolved Nightingale, weakening it and negating the effects.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 1000-0 Atk**

Shun held up his hand, narrowing his eyes as he made a frustrated sound.

He was going to hate every second of this.

"Ultimate Falcon, end this Duel!" Shun proclaimed with a roar, with his bird screeching above, its mouth wide open, charging up an attack.

"From the Graveyard, Rank-Up-Magic Sprouted Winged Force!" Ruri countered, "When the Monster Xyz Summoned using this Card is attacked while this Card is in the Grave, I can end the Battle Phase by detaching an overlay unit from the Monster and by banishing this Card from the Graveyard!"

The amount of overlay units Evolved Nightingale had reduced from 5 to 4.

"Damn it." Shun cursed under his breath, however relieved that Ruri managed to stop his attack. "I end my turn. Now, come, Ruri. End this Duel."

He had said that in a pleading manner to Ruri.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 0-800 Atk**

"Very well." Ruri nodded solemnly as she drew her Card. "Battle! Evolved Nightingale, attack my brother directly and finish this!"

Her Monster let out a 'hmph' in response as she jumped into the air, flying over Shun's Monster, kicking him on top of the head, causing to cry out in pain as he lost the rest of his life points.

 **Shun: 300-0 LP**

Steam flew out of the back of Shun's d-wheel as the vehicle slowed down to a sputtering pace.

 _You did it Ruri...you beat me fair and square...you've gotten very close to my level now...I gave it all I had with what I had…I'm sorry for being a terrible brother…You've grown so much since the war started…_ Shun thought to himself as he let out a small smile.

 _I'm proud of you…_

Meanwhile, Yuto, who was watching the Duel finish, saw Shun getting defeated.

And only one thought was running through his head.

 _Shun...Ruri…_

"Why?"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Lyrilusc-Aggressive Nightingale, Wind, Winged-Beast: 3 or more level 1 Monsters; This Card gains 400 Attack for each overlay unit attached to it. Once during either player's turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, select a Monster on your Field, that Monster cannot be destroyed by battle for the rest of the turn and it can attack twice during this Battle Phase. During the End Phase of the turn this Card was sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck, except 'Lyrilusc-Aggressive Nightingale'. When the Monster is Summoned, you can attach up to 5 Lyrilusc Monsters in your Graveyard to the Monster.**

 **Rank-Up-Magic Sprouted Winged Force, Quick-Play, Magic: Target a Winged-Beast Xyz Monster you control, Special Summon an Xyz Monster whose Rank is 1 higher than the selected Monster. When an Xyz Monster you control is targeted for attack while this Card is in the Grave, banish this Card and detach an overlay, end the Battle Phase.**

* * *

 **Finally done with the Duel!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the Duel. I've noticed that I've barely put any flashbacks in the story so far, so here were two in this chapter right now, hopefully you guys liked them.**

 **So, with the Shun and Ruri Duel done and out of the way, it should be obvious what the next Duel is, unless you haven't been keeping up so far.**

 **Yugo VS Yuzu, coming up next chapter...hopefully.**

 **Ethan Kironus: Academia also needs to Card people to fuel the reactor. It also disposed of any potential threats, so yes, an attack is needed, because they need to Card A LOT of people, there is no way it is going to go unnoticed. Plus, Akaba Leo is in no means the smartest person alive when it comes to making decisions.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: Yeah, I don't ever remember anyone addressing his Shun's overprotectiveness of Ruri. It was only hinted through his actions, and I think MAYBE someone from Academia taunted Shun about his sister...Dennis I think.**

 **Skadi: Darkness is the codename for the 'mysterious' character, not the name for the actual character from Gx.**

 **Bridgey: In my defense for having Ruri win, Shun is literally one of the perfect obstacles for Ruri to overcome, and plus, Shun didn't bring out Final Fortress and he only had Ultimate Falcon our for one turn. Ruri's Deck can dish out more direct damage than Shun's, and it also has crazy defense capabilities. I think that if the anime showed more of Ruri instead of controlling her for both of her only Duels and only showing three Monsters and an ace, she could have shown more than just direct attack damage and maybe a strong beat stick Monster.**

 **Thetiger39: While I like Go's new transitions between personas and all, I cannot help but feel that they wasted this new one (that is if they kill him off after the Duel with Yusaku, which I really hope they don't, cause this new concept for Go is actually really cool).**

 **That is all for this chapter, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	82. A Victim of the Cruel World

The word he had uttered could have had many meanings in that one moment.

Why?

Why did it have to be Shun and Ruri against each other?

Why did it have to turn out this way?

Why does this always have to happen to them?

At this point, after experiencing getting beaten to the ground like this, Yuto almost finding himself not caring anymore. But he still had to care.

These were his two closest friends after all.

And despite fate deciding that the two siblings fought, Yuto had a feeling…that the matches were rigged by Roget. Yuto's guess was that Roget had purposely made Ruri and Shun Duel each other, so he could use whoever would lose as a bargaining chip against Yuto.

The man was so tactical and manipulative it made Yuto sick just thinking about him.

And he hated it with all of his life.

"Don't think you can use this as a bargaining chip against me. I will not falter, I have full faith that Shun will be fine down there, and the same goes for the others."

"Hoh? That is quite the amount of faith you are putting in your comrades. So, tell me, how can a resident of the Xyz Dimension such as yourself bring it to yourself to trust the others. How do you know they won't betray you in the end, just like how Dennis and Sora turned their backs on the people who considered them friends?" Roget asked curiously, interested to see what Yuto had to say in response.

Yuto narrowed his eyes before closing them tightly, "I don't know if I can trust them fully or not. At least, not in the way I trust people like Ruri. But...we all have one common goal, the whole lot of us...defeat Academia! And the more comrades we have, the better chance we have of fulfilling that goal! I have full trust in all of my other comrades, and they have trust in me as well! Perhaps those are what bonds are for…"

Yuto thought of the bonds he forged with Shun, Ryoga and Ruri long ago. And when it came to people outside of the Xyz Dimension, he forged heavy bonds with the likes of Yuya and Yuzu, along with Yugo as well.

Not only that, but despite his distaste for the man, Yuto knows that Akaba Reiji holds him in high regard, probably because he's like Yuya.

And he is one good terms with the Lancers crew as well.

With people like that, he is sure that they can defeat Academia, and he has no problems with trusting them anymore.

"You find your true friends and comrades in the hardest of times. Those who have your back, those who reach their hand out to you in times of peril...those are what true friends and comrades are!" Yuto told Roget with a closed fist, his eyes shooting open, burning with a strong will of fire.

Roget furrowed his eyebrows as he gripped the side of his pants tightly. He took a deep breath, and released the grip he had on his pants, curving his lip into a thin smile.

"I came to this City with a mission. My interactions between the people of the City changed me. I truly wish for the creation of a peaceful and ideal world. I will sever the nexuses of this violent and unfair and unjust world we live in. But, in order to make that a reality, I need you. Please believe me, Yuto!" Roget walked forward and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, giving him an expectant and convincing look.

However, to his surprise, he felt a cold, tight hand grip his wrist, immediately followed by his hand being shoved off Yuto's shoulder completely. Roget looked at Yuto to see an angry boy with grit teeth and clenched fists, the blood inside of Yuto boiling and his heart rate accelerating, but not out of nervousness…

Out of anger.

"Are you kidding me? You really think that after everything you've done so far, you really think I'll work with you! You bribed someone and used their own family as a bargaining chip! You forced my friends to fight each other! And THEN you have all of this power at your disposal, and you have the AUDACITY to do nothing good with it!" Yuto shouted, his heart practically beating out of his chest.

"That is because of the foolish Executive Council. They have just as much power as me, and what do they do?" Roget asked Yuto rhetorically. "Besides...if you tag along with me, we can make sure another conflict like the attack on Heartland won't ever happen again…"

"Don't speak as if you know of how we suffered!" Yuto bellowed out of anger.

"But you know I am right. Without my help, you all are weak and helpless. It's no wonder why the Xyz Duelists stood no-"

"SHUT UP!" Yuto snapped, his hair flaring slightly as his eyes turned a bright blue, lifting up a tightly formed fist towards Roger, "FOOLISH HUMAN, I SWEAR ON MY LIFE, YOUR BODY IS GOING BE ON THE GROUND BLEEDING, HELPLESSLY, DYING, SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY! NO, EVEN BETTER, WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU, THE ONLY THING LEFT WILL BE YOUR BLOOD!"

Roget's lips parted as he looked at the boy in awe. The sudden rush of anger and adrenaline...the animal like instincts...this boy had potential...to be used perfectly…

 _I wonder how far it goes…_ Roget wondered as he decided to push the boy even further.

"Alright then, if you don't want to cooperate, I'll just order the execution of all of your comrades! I already have members of Security at the Executive Council!" Yuto widened his blue eyes as his body began to tremble. "But just for you, I'll make the deaths of those two Xyz Duelists slow…"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Yuto jolted towards Roget, throwing a punch to his face, hoping to crush his nose and have the bleeding face of Roget out cold on the ground.

Roget gasped out of shock at the speed and just barely managed to sidestep out of the way. He felt Yuto's fist whiz right past his hair before feeling a little bit of a shockwave ensuing from his fist.

The next thing he heard was an explosion. He looked behind him to see the computer monitor that was presenting the Duel now destroyed, completely, irreparable and obsolete.

" **If you find that shocking, then you'll like this even more!** " Yuto opened his right hand purple electricity (no pun intended) formed and crackled around in his hand. " **Can you feel it, the awesome power of one of the servants of the Supreme King Dragon?!** "

"Supreme King Dragon…" Roget repeated as he took a step backwards to keep distance away from him and the boy.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't normal, that's for sure. And Roget had a feeling that some unknown force was controlling Yuto, one that wasn't human…

 _I can use this to my advantage...if I can somehow make him enter this state while being able to control him to do my bidding, it will be the ultimate weapon, even stronger than Sergey!_ Roget let out a smirk as he called for the two guards outside.

The door to the room slid open, and in case running the two guards, holding clubs as they struck at Yuto, who merely took the hit head on.

 _Snap!_

The sound of something breaking. But it wasn't Yuto…

Yuto chuckled, and when he did, the voice that rang through the ears of the other occupants in the room was not Yuto's voice.

It was demonic, raspy with hatred, anger...and a hint of sadism.

" **Humans. Always with their pitiful little devices, thinking that they can always control the situation. Typical.** " Yuto scoffed with the utmost disgust.

He directed his attention to the guards with the now broken clubs, holding up the hand with crackling electricity.

" **One chance. That's all. Run. Far. And ponder on the small act of kindness I have bestowed upon you by letting you live. Now, go! And live the rest of your pitiful lives in fear!** " The guards shaked in their spots and took a few steps backwards.

The light in the room, and in the entire building for that matter, started to flicker rapidly, along with every other electronic device in the building.

Inside of Yuto, Yuya was holding his chest out of pain, writhing in agony as his eyes turned blood red.

" _ **We are...united...brother…**_ " Yuya spoke to Yuto in a monotone voice, appearing next to him as the power in the building shut off completely.

"What the…" Roget mused as he looked at Yuto with an expression of fear on his face.

" **Yes. Yes we are. And soon...the time will come for us to-ARGH!** " Yuto suddenly cried out of pain, clutching his head with his left hand and his chest with his right, breathing heavily as sweat trickled down his face. " **It...seems I don't have full...control…** "

Soon, Yuya also began to feel a sharp pain rush through him, he began to mimic Yuto's actions as they're eyes flickered back to normal.

" _ **No...not now…**_ "

And the voice drowned out. Yuto and Yuya we're back in control of their bodies. However, they both were heavily fatigued, as evident by Yuto's figure dropping to the hard ground with no sign of Yuya's voice calling out to him.

Roget glanced down at the downed boy, a grin curling up his face. He turned towards the door and clicked his tongue out of annoyance.

"You fools! Get back in here and get him, now!" Roget commanded, and immediately, the two guards came dashing back into the room. "Tell the mechanic to get everything back on line, we cannot afford to have Hiragi Yuzu lose her match!"

They did as they were told and were soon carrying Yuto's unconscious form out of the room.

 _Yuto...what an interesting creature indeed…_

* * *

 **On the Grounds**

"Brother!"

"Ruri!"

The siblings had jumped off their d-wheels when the restraints were released and they immediately bolted towards each other, meeting in the middle for a tight embrace.

"Oh! What a moment we have here between brother and sister!" Melissa exclaimed as she looked on with a smile.

Shun put his hands on Ruri's shoulders and pulled her back, he looked at her straight in the eyes.

"You've gotten much stronger since I last saw you. I should trust you more from now on. Be safe, Ruri, and one day, I know that you will fully surpass me, as both a Duelist and as a person. No, you've already gotten me as a person...I'm proud of you." Shun said genuine with a soft smile.

"Brother…" A tear rolled down Ruri's face as she took in the acknowledgment she had always wanted. The acknowledgement of her brother.

That she wasn't just a kid now.

She wasn't _just_ Kurosaki Shun's sister.

Now, she was Kurosaki Ruri, her own person! Not just someone's shadow!

"I won't let you, Yuto, or Ryoga down!" Ruri exclaimed with determination as two guards came from behind Shun, taking him by the arms.

Surprisingly, Shun didn't budge, he only smiled at Ruri.

"Good luck, Ruri! Stay safe!"

Ruri closed her eyes as her smile turned into a frown.

 _I've finally proved myself...but is it worth the cost?_ Ruri wondered as she left the stadium.

As Ruri left, she could hear the voice of Melissa, declaring the final Duel of the second round.

"And the last two Duelists facing each other are…" Melissa trailed off as the images of the two appeared.

"Hiragi Yuzu VS Yugo!"

The audience immediately began to cheer and chant Yuzu's name, clearly wanting her to win over Yugo.

However, there were some stragglers who were cheering for Yugo instead of Yuzu.

"Hiragi Yuzu seems to be very popular amongst both Tops and Commons." Roget muttered as he moved a white piece forward on his chess board. "Either her or Ruri will be the star of hope for the City."

* * *

 **Later**

Yugo stepped off the pedal of his d-wheel as he parked at the starting line, ignoring the constant chants and cheers of his and Yuzu's names, particularity Yuzu's name, erupting from members of the audience.

Yugo slipped off his helmet and turned to look at the setting sun in the distance in the beautiful horizon.

It was a beautiful sight to see. It was so much better seeing here in the Tops rather than the Commons.

But that was because the Commons couldn't actually see the sunset very well, due to the things blocking view of the sun and also how low they are in the City.

Yugo held up his hand towards the sun, as if he was trying to grasp the light, tightening and loosening his hand multiple times as he did so.

 _With my own blood, and my own hand, I make this promise. I will become Duel King, Rin. For our dream. Our promise. So things will be better when I get you home!_ Yugo thought to himself as he formed a fist fully, justifying his promise and binding himself to it. _Oh holy Ra, please forgive me for my sins. For what I did to Yuzu and Yuya._

"Sorry, Yuzu, but I'll need to get through you if I want to fulfill that promise." Yugo whispered to himself.

"And here she comes! The other popular female in this tournament, Hiragi Yuzu!" Melissa pointed towards the girl as she came riding in, parking the d-wheel next to Yugo, the expression on her face noticeably more glum than usual.

"Y-Yuzu?" Yugo took note of Yuzu's mood and decided to act cautious, trying to ignore his greatest tendency of mistaking Yuzu for Rin the best he could. "Oi! Are you okay?"

"Yugo…" Yuzu suddenly spoke the name of the boy, Yugo froze as if his name was taboo coming from Yuzu's mouth. Yuzu looked at him with serious eyes, which also held some sadness as well. "How? How can you do this? Face of and win knowing that you're harming another! No, here's another question, why the hell do you want to win this so badly!? I already know it's for a reason other than spreading news about the dimensional war!"

She had just witnessed the separation of Ruri and Shun, the two siblings. The bond in which caused Shun to finally break and change according to his actions.

And now, the more she thought about it, the more she hated the tournament...and the dimension...and its people.

Sure, there were a few exceptions. Although she felt really uneasy and was still mad at him for hurting Yuya, Yugo wasn't a bad person.

But she couldn't help but find strong distaste for Yugo. And what he did to Yuya wasn't the only reason.

It was how he is so adamant to win this tournament, no matter who he had to face in the end.

Yugo had a good heart deep down, Yuzu knew that. But she couldn't but feel that there was something...more, to Yugo, the Duelist of the Synchro Dimension who looked like Yuya and Yuto, holder of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon…

The murderer of her best friend.

 _No, stop Yuzu! You can't think like that!_ Yuzu mentally slapped herself, outwardly shaking her head multiple times as she looked up at Yugo's face, seeing the look on his face in regards to her question.

"I...I'm doing...because I'm selfish." Yugo stated, much to Yuzu's confusion.

"Huh?"

"Winning this tournament is for my benefit, along with Rin's. Everyone has at least one big selfish desire in life, and this is mine." Yugo informed Yuzu.

"Wait, so if you become King, you'll just sit around and do nothing?!" Yuzu questioned, afraid of the answer that Yugo would give.

"I mean...I would...as King...uhh…" Yugo paused, not knowing what he truly would do as King other than live in luxury with Rin.

"So with all of that power, you wouldn't do anything to help people? To help the Tops and Commons reunite and live in harmony?!" Yuzu questioned the Synchro Duelist out of disbelief.

Yugo looked down at the ground the moment Yuzu said that, the expression on his face unseen by Yuzu.

"Oh, and just because the Tops won't help the Commons in desperate need totally means that the Commons should help the Tops with a snap of a finger!" Yugo spat with venom evident in his voice. He revealed his face, his eyes furrowed, clearly showing a livid expression on his face. "The Tops and Commons living together. Hah, bullshit! An ideal society, yes. But still bullshit!"

"Y-Yugo…" Yuzu spoke the name of the Synchro counterpart of Yuya out of surprise at the sudden rashness.

"This dream of mine is only so Rin and I can live in peace, that's all! There is nothing else to it! If we help others, they'll just stab us in the back in the end." Yugo closed his eyes as he slipped on his helmet, planting himself onto his d-wheel. "Come on, what are you waiting for?!"

This wasn't with a hint of softness. Normally, Yugo's brash voice would contain a little bit of cheerfulness or kindness, but right now, none of them could even be felt.

The air being let out by Yugo was chilling to say the least.

It seemed Yugo has some harbored hatred as well.

Hatred he would never want to remember.

 _I'll make you see in this Duel, Yugo._ Yuzu thought to herself as she readied herself for the Duel, gripping the handlebars of her d-wheel tightly.

"Now, without any further delay, let the match begin!" Melissa brought her hand down, "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Crossover Accel!"

 _Duel Mode: On! Auto-Pilot! Standby!_

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

"Acceleration!"

Both Duelists slammed their foot on the accelerator, starting off with a great jolt of speed. However, due to the fact that he has more experience with a d-wheel, Yugo quickly managed to get a lead on Yuzu, eventually making it out of the palace first, taking the first move.

"Yugo gets the first move!" Melissa announced as Yugo began his turn.

"My turn!" Yugo declared as he placed a Card onto his Duel Disk, "I Summon from my Hand Speedroid OMK Gum!"

 **OMK Gum: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

 _OMK Gum is a Tuner Monster..._ Yuzu recalled her past experiences with Yugo in practice Duels.

"Next up, when I control a Wind Attribute Monster, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand! Come to the Field, Speedroid Taketonborg!" Yugo exclaimed as he slammed the Monster Card onto his Duel Disk, the Monster appearing next to OMK Gum.

 **Taketonborg: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Next, I tune the level 3 Taketonborg with the level 1 Tuner Monster OMK Gum! Thousand-face possessing shadow of the labyrinth. With that sharp blade, render chaotic darkness! Synchro Summon! Level 4, High-Speedroid Sharp Sword Revolt Rip Zuru!" Yugo chanted as he slapped the Card onto his Duel Disk, his Monster appearing directly above him.

 **Rip Zuru: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def**

"When OMK Gum is sent to the Grave as Synchro Material, I get to draw a Card from my Deck and send it to the Graveyard, if it is a Speedroid Monster, Rip Zuru will gain the Attack of the sent Monster!" Yugo explained as he placed a hand on the top of his Deck.

"Yugo is kicking the Duel off with a gamble! Will he get the right Card?" Melissa wondered out loud.

"Draw!" Yugo roared as he ripped the top Card of his Deck off, glancing at it before letting out a small smile. "Alright! The drawn Card was Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke, who has 1200 Attack! So, Rip Zuru gains 1200 Attack!"

Said Monster gained a green aura as Yugo inserted his drawn Card of the Graveyard slot.

 **Rip Zuru: 1300-2500 Atk**

"And the best part, the Attack increase doesn't go away at the end of the turn!" Yugo reminded Yuzu of the lack of drawback to OMK Gum's Attack increase effect. "I set a Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Fusion! Using this Card, I fuse Melodious Songstress Solo and Melodious Maestra Mozart! Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Melodious Choir Bloom Diva!"

 **Bloom Diva: Level 6, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

Had Yugo Summoned a different Monster, Yuzu would have a Fusion Summoned Bloom Prima instead of Diva, as the Monster could have still gotten the job done, as Yuzu had one more Monster in her Hand that she could have use as Fusion Material, plus, Prima could attack while Diva can't and the latter is only good against Special a Summoned Monsters.

However, with Rip Zuru's double Attack effect during battle, that would be suicide.

But with Bloom Diva, that can be manipulated into her favor.

"Time to battle!" Yuzu threw her hand to her side as she declared an attack with Bloom Diva on Rip Zuru, "As you know, whenever Bloom Diva battles a Special Summoned Monster, I get to activate her effect, your Monster is destroyed instead of mine, and you take the damage I would take! Reflect Shout!" Yuzu's Monster opened her mouth and sang at a high pitch, causing green shockwaves to fly out of her mouth and towards Rip Zuru.

"And don't think I forgot Rip Zuru's battle effect! If it battles a Special Summoned Monster, it's current Attack is doubled! You have no choice in deciding whether you can double the Attack or not!" Yuzu reminded Yugo, who grit his teeth as a result.

"If this connects, Yugo will take 4000 damage, ending the Duel!" Melissa bellowed out of surprise. "Talk about a phenomenal play! Go on, Yuzu!"

"I don't think so! Targeting Bloom Diva, I activate the Trap Card Dice Colosseum of Fate!" Yugo declared as his Trap was revealed, prompting a die to appear in front of him, "A single die will be rolled! If the result is an odd number, I get to destroy your Monster, if it's even, your Monster gains 1000 Attack!"

 _So no matter what the result is, he is going to get some benefit out of this._ Yuzu clicked her tongue out of annoyance.

"Now roll, dice of destiny!" Yugo shouted as on his command, the die was casted into the air. The die hit the ground, clattering and shaking about before coming to an abrupt stop. "The number is 4, which means your Monster gains 1000 Attack, this Attack increase remains only for damage calculation!"

 **Bloom Diva: 1000-2000 Atk**

Rip Zuru was enveloped and destroyed in the shockwaves, which ruptured onto Yugo's back as he leaned forward from the damage, letting out a loud yell of pain.

 **Yugo: 4000-1000 LP**

 _She knew about the disadvantage about Rip Zuru's double effect. With Bloom Diva, had I not had my Trap at the ready, she would have ended me. She used her past experience against me to her advantage. She's grown a lot._ Yugo thought to himself as he looked back at Yuzu, _If I'm not careful, my dream could be wrecked right before my eyes, I cannot let that happen!_

 **Bloom Diva: 2000-1000 Atk**

"You've gotten much better, Yuzu! You already cut down ¾ of my life points. It's unfortunate that you are one of the obstacles in the way of fulfilling the promise I made to Rin!" Yugo told the girl as he narrowed his eyes.

"Yugo, I don't understand! I thought you had intentions to help others! Helping only Rin won't be enough!" Yuzu berated the Synchro Duelist, who grimaced at the statement, his blood starting to boil.

"SHUT UP!" Yugo snapped loudly, earning a gasp of shock at the sudden reaction, "What do you know?! How would you know how it would feel like to help the people who kicked you down into the ground millions of times?! When they never raised a hand out to you, while expecting you to reach a hand out to them?! It's not fair!"

Yugo dropped his head, facing the road ahead of him as he grit his teeth so hard that it hurt.

"I'm not doing for just my sake! I'm doing for _Rin's!_ I'm doing it...I'm doing it because she deserves the best...I grew up not knowing my parents. According to the owner of the first facility I stayed at they abandoned me when I was a baby and she just found me. Even at the facility, where I was surrounded by those who feel the same pain as me, not knowing the love of a family member, I was still alone! I had no one! No light to guide me on my path! Not long after, the facility I stayed at, the only place I called home-no, the only place I _could_ call home was shut down by the Tops!"

Out of all of his anger, Yugo hadn't noticed how long he was speaking, the entire audience was dead silent, but he didn't know that. The Commons section of the audience was beginning to get riled up due to Yugo, but the boy did not know this.

"I was left with nothing. No home, no one to take care of me and the others. Us kids has refuge with the owner of the facility, but the next thing we know she gets killed by a damn gang lurking about! Then all of the kids I was with either died of starvation or they abandoned me completely. I was about 5 years old at the time...I hardly knew what was happening in my life. I couldn't control, I couldn't do anything. I was helpless. I was forced to walk my path, in darkness. Complete darkness. No light at all."

The visor of Yugo's helmet began to get blurry as Yugo began to find himself crying as he remembered his childhood.

Yuzu also found tears sprouting in her eyes, rolling down on her face, keeping her head up so they didn't drip onto her visor.

"Then, at some point, when I turned 6 years old, where I managed to just barely to live by eating scraps and trash, somehow staying sane with it all! A woman approached me. Her name is Martha. And she is the owner of the current facility that I live in. She took me in when I had nothing, she gave me a home again, but I was still alone, and my only possession was Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, which I have had all my life. Even with the other kids. Even then, I had no light in my world. But then _she_ came along…"

* * *

 **6 Years Ago-Facility-Synchro Dimension-Commons Area**

Here he was...again.

Again.

That word seemed to have became the one word Yugo despises the most.

Again, he was in a facility. Again, he was in a crowd of people like him. And yet, again, he was all alone.

It had only been one week since Martha had taken him into the facility. The others had welcomed him with open arms, but due to Yugo's depressed and negative, and unresponsive attitude. In fact, sometimes people could see an emotionless look in Yugo's eyes, the look of one who has beaten to the ground one too many times. Everyone had decided to stay away from him.

He was outside, where he had spent most of his time, out in the back, looking up at the sky, wondering what lied up above.

No, he didn't wonder that. He already knew out, everyday he reached his hand out to the sky, his emotionless features turned to anger, hate.

Yugo didn't what these emotions were at the time, but they made him feel uneasy, in a way, but when he looked into the sky, his worries eased just a little bit, like there was some hope in the world after all.

But his life up until now said otherwise.

Scum.

That was all there was up there.

Just. Scum.

Frankly, Yugo didn't know where to go in his life. Every time he tried to think of something, all he saw was the damn Tops, grinning down on him, keeping in stick in the dirt, never to rise up, to the top.

To the top.

The one place Yugo knew he would never be.

Where the person at the top would be the most respected among all. They would be treated the best. They would be admired. They would be acknowledged…

Acknowledged as something great. Something that isn't dirt.

They would treat him as one of them.

The mere thought of made Yugo attempt to clear his head out of disgust, not wanting to be seen as a Tops. They had done too much.

No, it's what they didn't do.

"You really like to look at the sky, don't you." A young, female voice spoke, startling Yugo a little bit. He directed his gaze over to his right to see an aqua-green haired girl smiling down softly at him.

He simply ignored the girl, taking his eyes off of her and looking back up at the sky.

Where he could he feel free. Where he could not be bound to the grounds of the earth. Of this pathetic place called the Commons, brought to 99% of the population by the other 1%, who hoarded 99% of the City's money for themselves.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. It's polite to reply to someone when they talk to you." The girl chided Yugo, putting her hands on her hips, with a small frown covering her face.

Polite.

One of the many words that Yugo didn't know due to a lack of education. He had only been here for a week, and he had forgotten all of what little he was taught in the old facility that was shut down.

And he hasn't been here long enough to learn about important things. Most of his time here was Martha making sure he got settled in with his own room and stuff.

"What you need?" Yugo asked, his English (or Japanese from the subbed view) was not very good at all. Every time he said something, there would always be something missing.

"Well, you are...alone." The girl answered simply with the frown more evident on her face as she looked down at Yugo with a sad look.

Alone.

Another one of the words he needed to learn.

"What alone mean?" Yugo asked curiously with his broken speaking.

"You don't know what alone means?" The girl raised an eyebrow, gaping at the boy in shock.

Judging from the way the girl had said the word 'alone,' Yugo assumes it meant having no one to take care of you and no one to be with.

 _That won't do..._ The girl thought to herself as she grasped Yugo's arm and practically pulled him up.

"WOAH! What you doing?!" Yugo cried out of shock as he stumbled to his feet.

"To help you have fun! You don't have to be alone!" The girl smiled brightly as she gazed into Yugo's widened eyes.

There it was! That word again.

Alone.

Was it that feeling that Yugo has felt for all of his life?!

If so, then what is he feeling right now?

* * *

 **Now**

"Happy. I felt truly happy for the first time in my life. Eventually, we scraped some Cards and managed to build a Deck for me, although it was nothing compared to the Speedroid Deck I have today...Rin got me this Deck on my supposed birthday. After meeting her, for the first time, I didn't feel alone. I didn't care what would happen from that point on, as long as I could face it with Rin, I would be fine."

Yuzu continued to listen, as did the audience, the Commons started to direct anger over to the Tops, who were listening to the story in disgust. Disgusted at the mention of gangs, disgusted at the aspect of the Tops being scum.

Them, scum? If anyone is scum, it's the Commons!

"Rin was the only light in this cruel world for me. We were inseparable, and then I...I...lost her to that bastard! The damn person who had the same face as Yuto and Yuya! I completely lost, I couldn't think straight. Without Rin to berate me, the anger and hate I have been trying so hard to suppress all these years started to leak out!"

Yugo remembered the look he saw on the boy's face, his head covered in a cloak, but his sadistic grin was forever engrained on Yugo's head, making him fear on what he did to Rin.

Then, there was Rin.

Draped over his shoulder, unconscious, unable to do anything to help herself. The bastard's arm around her waist to keep her up. The very sight of it made Yugo sick.

"Then, not long after, I attack two people who I thought was the bastard who took her blindly, I even led myself to believe that I killed him! Yeah, you know who, Yuya! I thought I had killed him! I thought I had stooped as low as the gang who murdered my first caretaker! Then, not only do I have to deal with that guilt of killing someone, I have to mistake that person's best friend for Rin! And now you are far away from home and I don't when the fuck Clear Wing will let me travel dimensions! I was in hell and I still am!"

Yugo took multiple deep breaths after his long rant, finishing with one last statement.

"So, Yuzu, tell me, why should I help the Tops if I fulfill the promise and become King? If the Tops had offered out a hand, if the Tops and Commons didn't exist, my caretaker wouldn't have been killed, the Commons wouldn't have been treated like scum, there would have been a very small amount of gangs, and I might have even been able to live with my mother and father!"

Yugo held up his hand to the sky and forced it into a fist, his eyes flashing to light green as he spoke, still in control of his actions.

The Commons began to jeer even more and started to make bad comments on the Tops, most of them saying things that are better left unknown to the world.

"But they didn't do that now did they?! They just made things worse for us! So tell me, Yuzu! Tell me WHY _I_ should help the FUCKING TOPS?!" After that last outburst, Yugo attempted to calm himself down, "I would like to hear your answer.

It was dripping with anger and hate, Yuzu could feel it. Although Yugo has stopped his yelling fit, his emotions of anger and hate were still there. And it was all directed towards her.

She couldn't help but feel sorry for Yugo.

And the fact that she screamed at him the first time they met when he was already feeling guilty about Yuya was horrible of her.

Sure, she had thought that he had 'killed' Yuya, so her anger could be justified but…

Now that she had heard Yugo's story...she didn't know if it was anymore.

She wanted to tell Yugo so bad that Yuya was still alive somewhere, and that he didn't need to feel guilt anymore. But in the state he was in, that wouldn't do much to help.

Plus, knowing Yugo he would still beat himself up for attacking Yuya in the first place, despite knowing that he could be alive.

She didn't say anything in response to Yugo. She was truly stumped on her answer.

Now she had her own questions on her mind.

 _Could_ the Tops and Commons be united?

Has it gone too far? Is it too late? Is there too much hate?

She kept these questions in her head as she continued her turn.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yuzu concluded as a set Card materialized in front of her.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Magic Card Speed Rebirth! This Card allows me to revive a Speedroid Monster resting in my Graveyard! Return, Rip Zuru!" A portal opened in front of Yugo as his Monster jumped out, taking a defensive stance.

"Next, I Summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice in Attack Position!" Yugo spoke out of adrenaline as his pyramid shaped Monster twirled in the air, appearing next to Rip Zuru.

 **Tri-Eyed Dice: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1500 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Rip Zuru with the level 3 Tuner Monster Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo chanted as his Monster let out a out of fury onto the Field, spreading his wings out onto the Field.

 **Clear Wing: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

The dragon noticed Yuzu and let out a vicious roar directed right at her. For some reason, Yuzu had a feeling at that moment…

That the roar was not just to intimidate her.

"Battle! Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Bloom Diva!" Yugo commanded as his dragon flew upwards towards the sky.

"Huh?! Why would Yugo do that?!" Melissa questioned, not seeing the context of Yugo's attack, instead seeing someone making a bad misplay that would cost him the game.

"When Bloom Diva battles a Special Summoned Monster, she has to _activate_ her effect." Yugo explained, putting emphasis on the word 'activate'. "Bloom Diva is a level 6, and when a level 5 or higher Monster activates its effect, Clear Wing can negate the Monster's effect, and then destroy the Monster itself, along with gaining it's Attack!"

"Kgh!" Yuzu grunted as she clicked on her facedown Card, activating it, "Quick-Play Fusion Cancel! I return Bloom Diva to the Extra Deck and Special Summon her Materials! Come back to me, Melodious Maestra Mozart and Melodious Songstress Solo!"

 **Mozart: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def**

 **Solo: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I can still attack one of them, and the one I choose is Melodious Songstress Solo! Whirlwind Helldiving Slasher!" Yugo shouted as Clear Wing flew up into the air, wings glowing as the dragon spun in the air and came tumbling down towards Yuzu's Monster.

The Attack connected, and Clear Wing had spun right through Solo with no difficulty at all.

Yuzu leaned forward and covered herself in order to avoid falling off her d-wheel, wincing in pain as she felt the shockwaves formed by the ensuing attack.

 **Yuzu: 4000-3100 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Yugo inserted the Card he drew at the beginning of the turn and began to wait for Yuzu.

"My turn, draw! I Summon Melodious Diva Canon from my Hand!" Yuzu swiped the Card across her Duel Disk as her Monster danced onto the Field next to Mozart.

 **Canon: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Pianissimo! With this, I target a Monster on the Field and reduce its Attack down to 100 until the end of the turn! However, for this turn, the targeted Monster can't be destroyed by battle! I target Clear Wing!"

On cue, a bunch of lowercase p's for pianissimo appeared around a Clear Wing, the dragon's Attack dropped as a result.

 **Clear Wing: 2500-100 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Mozart, attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Graceful Wave!" Yuzu exclaimed as Mozart pointed her baton at Clear Wing, firing out a green wave heading straight for the dragon.

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice! By banishing this Card from the Grave, I can negate the attack!" Right after Yugo's statement, Mozarta's waves disappeared right before Clear Wing.

"Mmphh!" Yuzu groaned as she declared an attack with Canon, who sang on a high note, releasing shockwaves from her mouth. The target, Clear Wing.

"I won't let you destroy Clear Wing!" Yugo retorted as he clicked his Duel Disk, "Trap activate, Speed Rush! Using this Card, I banish a random Speedroid Monster from my Graveyard and add its Attack to Clear Wing's until the end of the turn! Also, Clear Wing can't be destroyed by this battle!"

"Yugo is just barely managing to hang on here!" Melissa commentated as Yugo and Yuzu entered the stadium on their d-wheels. Amazingly, Melissa's voice, even when projected through the microphone, was almost drowned out by the cheers of the Commons audience. And they all had one name being chanted.

"YUGO! YUGO! YUGO! YUGO!"

There were some members of the Commons who were cheering for both Duelists.

" _YUGO! YUZU! YUGO! YUZU!"_

Meanwhile, the Tops were only rooting for Yuzu. Not openly cheering like the Commons, just silently hoping for Yuzu to pick up the win.

"YOU GOT THIS YUGO!"

"YOUR FELLOW COMMONS WILL HAVE YOUR BACK THIS TIME!"

"IT'S TIME WE RISE UP AND SHOW THE TOPS WHO'S BOSS!"

These were all exclamations and cheers coming from the Commons audience as they continued to chant his name.

Yugo froze at the second comment however.

" _YOUR FELLOW COMMONS WILL HAVE YOUR BACK THIS TIME!"_

He shrugged it off as he held out his hand to the Graveyard slot as a facedown Card slid out. Yugo grasped it with two fingers as he held it up to his face, keeping everyone except him from knowing the identity of the Card. When Yugo saw the Card, he smirked, and turned it over with his fingers, revealing it to be…

"Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!"

The Commons cheered out loud, some standing up and raising their fists while others were climbing.

"Den-Den Daiko Duke has an Attack of 1200! So, Clear Wing gains 1200 Attack!" Yugo revealed as Clear Wing was enveloped in a green aura.

 **Clear Wing: 100-1300 Atk**

"Now! Fight back, Clear Wing!" Yugo called out to his Monster, who flew over the shockwave and threw out a powerful punch at Canon, who dodged before empowering her hands on the fist, and launching herself towards Clear Wing's, striking the dragon right up the chin.

 **Yugo: 1000-900 LP**

"I activate Canon's effect! Once per turn, I can change the battle position of this Card! I switch Canon from Attack to a Defense Position!" Yuzu said as she turned the Card on her Duel Disk. "I end my turn."

"At this moment, Clear Wing's Attack returns to normal." Yugo cued in.

 **Clear Wing: 1300-2500 Atk**

"My turn, draw!" Yugo swiped the top Card off his Deck as he listened to the cheers he was receiving from the crowd, taking it all in slowly.

This was the first time. This was the first time he was being seen as someone great.

As Yugo, not just another person who lives in the slums of the City.

For the first time in a very long time, people were cheering for him. And what more, it was other people from the Commons!

"YOU'RE THE LAST ONE OF OUR KIND IN THIS TOURNAMENT! WIN THIS AND MAKE IT TO THE TOP!"

Yugo's ears perked up when he heard whoever said that.

Win it and make it to the top…

Yugo smiled, a genuine smile. A genuine smile that he would rarely show around people who weren't Rin. In fact, recently, the last couple of times he genuinely smiled after Rin's kidnapping was a small one with Yuto, a couple small ones with Yuzu, and then a couple with Sawatari in their Duel.

"Yugo!" Yuzu called out to the Speedroid user, who turned his head back to face the girl. "Do you see now, what you are fighting for? You're not just in this tournament for you and Rin! You're in it for all of the Commons! To give them freedom, to give them a good life! And maybe, if they can just put their differences aside, maybe the Tops and Commons can live in one!"

Yugo paused to take that in. Could it be possible?

Jack Atlas, who was watching the Duel from his throne room, merely closed his eyes and spoke to himself, "Hmph, don't you think I've tried to bring the Tops and a Commons closer together. It's useless, as long as Roget and the Executive Council are a thing…especially Roget..."

Maybe...a world where the Commons and Tops could live together was possible...or at the very least, a world where the Commons didn't have to live in poverty.

 _Yuzu, if what you say is possible, then I must win this Duel and become the King!_

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Yuto-In a Cell-Security Bureau**

When Yuto awoken, he noticed two things. One, he was trapped in a small box with nothing to do in except sit and lie down. The second thing he noticed was that his vision was very distorted. It was slowly focusing back into place, but this wasn't how he normally felt whenever he woke up.

"Ugh...what happened? Yuya, are you okay?" Yuto asked his companion, suddenly noticing that he hasn't communicated with him in a while.

" _Y-Yeah I'm fine...but, it feels like I'm drifting far away...and Odd Eyes started to start glowing too…"_ Yuya responded, appearing next to Yuto while clutching his head, sweat rolling down his face. " _I've felt this way before, during Yugo's Duel with…"_

Yuya froze as he came to a realization.

" _Yugo's Dueling Yuzu."_ Yuya suddenly blurted out.

"What?!" Yuto gasped out of surprise, "How do you know?!"

" _Yugo and Yuzu were the only ones who haven't Dueled in this round yet. Also...for some reason, I'm seeing glimpses of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon...facing off against Mozart, Yuzu's ace-"_ Suddenly, Yuya went silent.

"Yuya?"

Silence.

"Yuya?"

Still no response.

"Yuya, what the hell happened?!" The Xyz Duelist questioned, a little bit of worry showing on his face.

Nothing…

* * *

 **Back to the Duel**

Here he was again.

He was seeing things from Yugo's view again, he figured. He felt himself turn his head towards his opponent to see Yuzu riding not far behind him.

" _Yuzu!"_ Yuya called out her name, reaching out his hand, hoping that Yuzu would at least respond. " _Yuzu! No, stop! I don't want to face her!"_

Suddenly, Yuya felt his arm move by himself, followed by his mouth.

"I Summon Speedroid Shave Boomerang!" Yugo grinned as he Summoned his Card, starting to actually have some fun in this Duel. Yuya was mimicking Yugo in perfect synchronicity.

 **Shave Boomerang: Level 4, 2000 Atk, 0 Def**

"I activate Shave Boomerang's effect! Once per turn, by changing this Card to Defense Position, I can target a Monster on the Field and have it lose 300 Attack! I target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo and Yuya explained in unison.

"Oh no…" Yuzu mused with wide eyes.

"Oh no is right! I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!" Yugo declared, raising a hand up to his ace Monster.

" _When a level 5 or higher Monster on the Field is targeted by a Monster effect…"_ Yuya trailed off as Yugo finished.

"I can negate the effect and destroy that Monster!"

" _And then, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains the Attack of the destroyed Monster!"_ Yuya revealed as he heard Yuzu grunt.

"Dichroic Mirror!" Both Yuya and Yugo shouted as Clear Wing's wings flowed light green, letting out a green light from the wings, enveloping Shave Boomerang, destroying it. Clear Wing's eyes glowed yellow as his Attack increased.

 **Clear Wing: 2500-4500 Atk**

"I-Incredible! Yugo has a 4-4500 Attack Monster on his Field!" Melissa stuttered as her eyes went blank with surprise.

"Now, battle! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Melodious Maestra Mozart!" Yugo demanded as said Monster flew towards Yuzu's Monster, ramming his head right into the Monster's stomach, destroying her immediately as the particles rained down on Yuzu, causing her to cry out in pain.

 **Yuzu: 2600-700 LP**

" _Yuzu!"_ Yuya cried out of concern, followed by his mouth forcing himself to talk.

" _Are you okay, Yuzu?"_

Those were Yugo's words. He was actually concerned about Yuzu's wellbeing! That means that he actually cared about her in a way.

And that just confirms that he wasn't from Academia. Yuya was feeling genuine concern coming from Yugo. And that's when it hit him.

He was feeling Yugo's feelings.

He could feel deep down, a deep hatred for the Tops and the entire world as a whole.

But he also felt a little bit of love. For a girl named Rin.

He didn't have time to ponder on it as Yugo began to speak again, forcing him to speak as well.

"I end my turn. Since it is the end of the turn, Clear Wing's Attack returns to normal."

 **Clear Wing: 4500-2500 Atk**

"My turn, draw!" Yuzu gave her drawn Card a hopeful glance, hoping that it will be what she needs to get out of this situation. She smiled when she saw the Card, as she took another Card in her Hand and placed on her Duel Disk, I Summon Melodious Diva Scale!"

 **Scale: Level 2, 600 Atk, 100 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Melodious Diva Canon with the level 2 Tuner Monster Melodious Diva Scale! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 6! Melodious Floral Saint Cadence!" Yuzu's Synchro Monster appeared in its glory in front of Yuzu.

 **Cadence: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1500 Def**

"It's the Monster Hiragi Yuzu used to defeat Serena! Let's see if she can do the same against Yugo!" Melissa exclaimed as Yuzu slid the last Card in her Hand into the Magic and Trap Card Zone.

" _That Synchro Monster!"_ Yuya noted, remembering it from Yuzu's Duel with Serena. " _Yuzu's gotten much stronger! If I'm not careful, she just might surpass me. No, I don't think she ever was below me…"_

"I activate the Continuous Magic Card Rest! Once per turn, I can target a Monster on your Field and negate its effects until my next Standby Phase!" Yuzu revealed as she used the effect of Rest to negate Clear Wing's effects. "Now, my Monster can use its effects freely!"

"Damn!" Yugo cursed under his breath as Yuzu's declaration of attack rang through his ears.

"Battle! Cadence, attack Clear Wing! Graceful Shout!" Yuzu thrusted her hand forward as her Monster sang out multiple notes, causing Clear Wing to grimace at the sound hurting his ears. "Once per turn, when this Card attacks a Monster you control, it gains halve the Attack of the Monster it's battling with until the end of the turn! Half of Clear Wing's Attack is 1250! So, Cadence gains 1250 Attack!"

 **Cadence: 2000-3250 LP**

Cadence began to sing out loud even higher as Clear Wing let out howls of pain.

"I already told you, Yuzu, I'm not letting Clear Wing fall! By banishing Speed Rush from my Graveyard, I can negate the destruction of a Monster I control!"

"But you will still take the damage!" Yuzu reminded the banana-haired boy as he too soon resorted to covering his ears and wincing out of pain, slowing down his d-wheel, letting Yuzu take the lead.

 **Yugo: 900-150 LP**

When the singing halted, Yugo took his hands off his ears and slipped them out of his helmet, putting his hands back on the handle bar.

"I end my turn." Yuzu finished with a sigh.

"The effect of Cadence ends now, her Attack returns to normal." Yugo reminded Yuzu as the Attack of the latter's Monster returned to 2000.

 **Cadence: 3250-2000 Atk**

 _Clear Wing has his effect negated until my next Standby Phase! As far as I'm concerned, Speed Rush was the last Card he had with a Graveyard effect. He has no Cards in his Hand, it's all up to his last draw if he wants to win this Duel…_ Yuzu summarized in her thoughts, nodding her head out of assurance.

 _This is quite the pinch! But when has that stopped me before! Rin, give me the right Card, please! And wherever you are, I hope you are safe!_ Yugo put a Hand on the top of his Deck, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes…

Before shooting them open as he yelled "Draw!" He scanned the Card he drew, curving his lips up into a smile when he saw the Card.

"I think this is it, Yuzu! I've got what I need right here!" Yugo informed his opponent.

"A bold statement from Yugo! Can the Card he drew back that up?!" Melissa asked rhetorically to keep up the suspense.

"From my Hand, I Summon Speedroid Ohajikid!"

 **Ohajikid: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 200 Def**

"I use Ohajikid's effect! When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Tuner Monster from either player's Graveyard, then, immediately after this effect resolves, I Synchro Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck using this and the Special Summoned Monster only! I revive Speedroid OMK Gum!"

"What?! But I thought you didn't have any level 4 Synchro Monsters other than Rip Zuru!" Yuzu spoke out of surprise.

"Rip Zuru _did_ use to be my only level 4 Synchro Monster! Until not long ago, when Rin gave me this Card as a gift! Here it is! I tune the level 3 Speedroid Ohajikid with the level 1 Speedroid OMK Gum! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 4, the power of hope for the future! High-Speedroid Synchron Decoder!" Yugo lifted up the Card as his Monster appeared to the Field in a flash.

 **Synchron Decoder: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate Synchron Decoder's effect! Once per turn, I can send a level 4 or lower Wind-Attribute Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard! Then, depending on the level of the Monster, I can add the level of the discarded Monster to this Card, or, I can have the level of this Card become the level of the discarded Monster! I send Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice to the Grave, and I choose to have this Card's level become Red-Eyed Dice's, which is 1!" Yugo revealed, much to Yuzu's shock.

 **Synchron Decoder: Level 4-1**

"Wait, the levels of those Monsters...don't tell me…" Yuzu trailed off, knowing what Yugo was going to Summon thanks to his Duel with Sawatari.

"That's right! You know who I'm Summoning!" Yugo exclaimed as he and Yuya began to speak unison.

"I tune the level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to the level 1 High-Speedroid Synchron Decoder!" Both boy's declared as Synchron Decoder turned into a single green ring, with Clear Wing turning into 7 white stars which flew into the middle of the ring.

"Shine the wings that store the holy light…" Yugo began to recite chant.

" _And strike down your enemies with its radiance!"_ Yuya continued as a flash of light surged right through the ring.

"Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" Both boys bellowed as said dragon flew onto the Field, letting out a mighty roar as the wings of the Monster began to flicker with white beautifully.

"It's the Monster Yugo used to defeat Sawatari!" Melissa bent over, practically hoping that this was not going to go where she was thinking it was gonna go.

"It's so much prettier in person…" Yuzu gazed back at the Monster in awe, taking in its glittering beauty as Yugo thrusted his fist forward.

"Battle! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Melodious Floral Saint Cadence!" Yugo declared as Crystal Wing bursted off into the air, leaving a brief white trail behind it as it flew in a zigzag pattern through the sky.

" _When Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon battles a level 5 or higher Monster…"_ Yuya spoke against his will, not wanting to continue on with this in the slightest.

"He gains the Attack of the Monster battling with it!" Yugo finished the statement as Crystal Wing gained a white aura, the Attack of the Monster increasing.

 **Crystal Wing: 3000-5000 Atk**

"Whirlwind Krystallos Edge!" Yugo shouted as Crystal Wing zipped right through Cadence, earning a scream from the Monster as it exploded, a big smoke cloud forming, enveloping Yuzu as she leaned forward screaming as her d-wheel spoke rapidly from left to right, eventually releasing steam out of the back as it slowed down.

Melissa's deepest worry has come true.

Yuzu had lost.

 **Yuzu: 700-0 LP**

" _YUZU!"_ Yuya shouted at the top of his lungs, shutting his eyes tightly before prying them open, however, he didn't find himself in Yugo's point of view anymore.

He was back in the cell with Yuto.

" _Yuzu lost."_ Yuya informed Yuto suddenly, causing the boy to jump in his place.

"Holy shit! You had me scared to death! What the hell happened to you?" Yuto asked his counterpart.

" _It happened again. Odd Eyes was glowing and I was seeing things from Yugo's point of view. He beat Yuzu in a Duel. She's going to be sent out the underground…"_ Yuya formed a fist tightly.

"I'm sorry, Yuya."

" _For what?"_

"For not being able to protect Yuzu in Standard." Yuto clarified.

" _That wasn't your fault, Yuto. The circumstances in the Battle Royale were shit. No matter what you did, I don't you could have anticipated the arrival of Yugo and that Academia bastard who looks like us."_

Yuto merely looked at his counterpart's serious face as the boy continued.

" _All we can do now is do what we can now to prevent the bad things from happening."_

* * *

 **Meanwhile-On the Grounds**

"And the winner…Yugo…" Melissa pouted with tears streaming down her face due to Yuzu losing. "Wh-What a way to end the second round…"

"YUGO! YUGO! YUGO! YUGO!"

As both he and Yuzu parked, Yugo did what Sawatari had told him to do and he embraced all of the praise, lifting his arms up and waving at the audience with a smile on his face.

"Yugo."

Yugo turned around to face Yuzu, who had slipped off her helmet, holding out a hand with the hand that wasn't holding her helmet.

Yugo looked down at the hand off a moment of confusion before realizing what Yuzu was doing. He also slipped off his helmet, tucked under his left arm as he accepted the hand, shaking it firmly.

"Good Duel." Yuzu said with a small smile.

"You too. You've gotten really strong, Yuzu." Yugo complimented the girl with a nod of acknowledgement. "Oh, we forgot to talk about the dimensional war!" Yugo facepalmed.

"It's alright, I'm kind of glad you forgot. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that if people knew and actually believed us, they would begin to panic, and then chaos would ensue, especially due to the condition of the City." Yuzu spoke glumly. "Anyways, best of luck, Yugo. I'll be there with you to make sure the future we desire becomes a reality."

Yugo nodded his head with a small smile. "Yeah. And thank you, for opening my eyes. There is hope for such a future where the Commons can escape poverty and live good lives after all."

Yuzu turned her back to Yugo and began to walk away, before remembering something.

"Oh, and Yugo…"

"Yes?"

"I received a letter not long ago in my quarters. It was from Yuya." Yuzu informed the boy, causing him to freeze.

If the letter was written by Yuya, then that means…

"He's alive?" Yugo asked in a hopeful voice.

"I think so. But for some reason, he can't talk to us at the moment. He didn't mention you in the letter, I don't think he has any ill feelings towards you."

"Thank goodness." Yugo placed a hand over his heart as he exhaled.

"One more thing. I'll do whatever I can to help you get Rin back." Yuzu told the boy,, surprising him. "It's the least I can do to pay you back for helping me with Security."

And with that, Yuzu left to go to the underground, where to people grabbed her by the arms and took her away.

When she was gone, Yugo let out a yell of joy.

He could see it. He could finally see it! The path that was blocked off by darkness for so long now! He could see light! He could finally see the light!

Yugo turned towards the setting sun, holding up an arm as he formed a fist with a grin on his face.

"Wait for me, Rin! I swear on my blood that I will rescue you!"

Yugo put down his arm and he was about to begin walking off the grounds when he felt a chill in the atmosphere. A chill that only he could feel.

And the chill in the air felt very familiar.

The chill in the air from that night.

The night when Rin was kidnapped.

He looked upwards, where he could see a silhouette standing on top of the stadium, looking down on everything with a grin on his face. His purple clothes blowing in the wind as the grin plastered on his face came back to Yugo.

He scanned the body of the person and came to the upper section.

Where he saw his face.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Speed Rush, Trap: When a Monster you control battles an opponent's Monster, banish a random Speedroid Monster from your Graveyard, add the banished Monster's Attack to your Monster until the end of the turn. Also, the Monster you control can't be destroyed by this battle. You can banish this Card from the Graveyard in order to negate the destruction of a Monster(s) you control.**

 **Rest, Continuous, Magic: Once per turn, target a Monster your opponent controls, negate that Monster's effects until your next Standby Phase.**

 **High-Speedroid Synchron Decoder, Wind, Machine: When this Card is Synchro Summoned, you can Special Summon a level 7 or lower Wind-Attribute Synchro Monster from your Graveyard with its effects negated and it's Attack reduced to 0. The Monster is destroyed at the end of the turn it is Summoned. Once per turn, you can send a level 4 or lower Wind-Attribute Monster from your Deck to your Grave, apply one of the following effects:**

 **Add the level of the sent Monster to this Card's level**

 **This Card's level becomes the level of the sent Monster**

 **(I also gave Ohajikid's anime effect a little change. The Tuner Monster it can revive now has a lefel limit but it can noe revive from both player's Graves.)**

* * *

 **And we're done! Only an 8 day gap between this and the last update, not bad, not bad at all considering my track record.**

 **Ethan Kironus: The concept they introduced thanks to Leo's ambition was actually pretty cool though. The concept of the Yu-Boys and Bracelet Girls being reincarnations/a quarter of Zarc and Ray respectively. The execution was pitiful though.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: I don't really remember the Japanese version of DM that much, I grew up with the dub of DM, I'll be completely honest, it was the only series where I grew up with the dub though...I think. But yeah, I actually didn't know that Akaba Leo's VA was the same as Ryota/Mako, cool fact!**

 **Skadi: The real identity of the man using the codename 'Darkness' will be revealed in a couple of chapters. As I think I have said before, it is a Gx Legacy character, most people have been saying Fujiwara Yusuke or Fubuki (Atticus in the dub) is the identity of the mysterious man, and you know what...I'm not telling you people shit about who the man is until the identity is fully revealed (Although I did leave a hint in which I assume made you guys go to the Fubuki or Fujiwara conclusion).**

 **Now, next chapter, we aren't going to be moving onto the next Duel of the tournament...yet.**

 **Next chapter, I'll be trying to give some other characters a little bit of spotlight, albeit it'll be against fodder.**

 **The three characters that will definitely Duel next chapter are: Ryoga, O'Brien, and Reira.**

 **There are two characters that MIGHT Duel next chapter: Reiji and Yuzu (who, if she does Duel, will tag with Reira, but I think it will be better if a Reira soloed her Duel to show her growth better).**

 **Also, I'm gonna say this one thing before you people start accusing me of doing it, yes, I am fully aware that Yugo's backstory bares a little resemblance to Go Onizuka's, but I've been planning a Duel with a pretty similar backstory to the one showed in this chapter for a while now for Yugo before Go's Duel with Soulburner. In fact, that fricking episode required me to change the backstory a little bit.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	83. The Security Beatdown

His face.

There was no mistaking it, the grin the boy was wearing on his face as he looked down on Yugo, taunting him.

It was the same one from that night.

Yugo was sure that he was right! Yuto was participating in the tournament, and Yuya has only encountered Yugo once, and that was when they Dueled!

Had he been watching this entire time, he would have jumped at the chance to see Yuzu again, so there was no doubt about it…

"He's the one who took Rin!" Yugo concluded as he witnessed the boy jump off the roof of the stadium. "Hey! Get back here you bastard!" Yugo slipped on his helmet and jumped onto his d-wheel, smashing his foot on the accelerator, blasting off at great speeds in pursuit of the boy.

Melissa gasped as she saw Yugo leave, "Hey! Wait, now Yugo is going on his own too?"

In the building of Security, Roget smacked his fist onto his table, the power was back online, but it was too late, Yugo and Yuzu had already Dueled, and Yuzu had lost!

So, there was only one thing to do, and that was to send Security to capture

* * *

 **At the Executive Council**

Reiji, Ryoga, and O'Brien were face to face with 9 members of Security, Reira had left to go help Yuzu so she wouldn't be captured by Security.

"Ryoga, O'Brien, take 3 Security members each and Duel them! We have no time to waste with these people!" Reiji commanded the two Lancers.

"Understood." The two replied in unison as they walked away from the leader of the Lancers, Ryoga walking to the left, and O'Brien to the right.

"Damn you." A member of the 9 Security members cursed as 3 separated to Ryoga and another 3 to O'Brien, having no choice as they themselves couldn't waste any time either.

 _I'll finish this quickly! That way, we make sure Hiragi Yuzu and Serena are safe!_ Ryoga thought to himself as he activated his Duel Disk against the three Security officers.

" **DUEL!** " The four Duelists shouted in unison.

"I'll go first!" Ryoga opted as he grabbed a Card from his Hand, "I activate the Magic Card Foolish Burial! With this, I can send a Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard! I send Big Whale to the Graveyard! Then, I activate the Magic Card Surface, which allows me to Special Summon a Water-Type Monster in my Graveyard in Defense Position to my Field!"

Upon the activation of this Card, Big Whale rose from a purple portal to the Graveyard above Ryoga.

 **Big Whale: Level 9, 1000 Atk, 3000 Def**

"I end my turn." Ryoga concluded with a smirk, knowing that Security didn't have anything to get past his wall Monster.

"My turn!" Security 1 announced as he drew his Card. "I Summon Jutte Lord!"

 **Jutte Lord: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def**

"When this Card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Jutte Monster from my Hand! Come to the Field, the Tuner Monster, Jutte Knight!"

 **Jutte Knight: Level 2, 700 Atk, 900 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Jutte Lord with the level 2 Tuner Monster Jutte Fighter!" Security 1 declared, raising his hand to the ceiling, "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 6! Goyo Invader!"

 **Goyo Invader: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

A Monster resembling Goyo Catapult, only holding a sword this time appeared to the Field in front of his owner.

"By halving the battle damage it inflicts, Goyo Invader is allowed to jump over your Monster and Attack you directly! Go, my Monster!" Security 1 declared as Goyo Invader leaped over Big Whale, sweeping his sword at Ryoga, who ducked quickly, still getting nicked slightly, causing strands of his hair to be cut off.

 **Ryoga: 4000-3000 LP**

"I end my turn." Security 1 finished as he gave a nod to Security 2.

Security 2 and 3 performed the same moves as Security 1, Summoning Goyo Invader and using their effects to attack Ryoga directly. All of this reduced Ryoga's life down to 1000.

"I end my turn." Security 3 concluded with a smirk on his face, however, he lost the smirk when he heard chuckling coming from Ryoga. "What's so funny?!"

"Is that really ALL you have? Cause if so, then the prestigious Security unit of the Synchro Dimension is not as good as I thought, you guys are merely fodder, ants that I have to push through to continue on with my goal! The goal of winning this war!" Ryoga exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes, drawing his Card as he did so.

"I activate the Magic Card Tri-Slice! With this I release either a level 6, 9, or 12 Monster on my Field, and Special 3 Water Monsters from my Deck depending on the level of the released Monster divided by 3! I release Big Whale, a level 9! So, I Special Summon 3 copies of the level 3 Starfish from my Deck!"

In Big Whale's place, the three Monsters appeared, occupying three of Ryoga's Monster Zones.

 **Starfish(s): Level 3, 300 Atk 300 Def**

"I use the effect of Starfish! Once per turn, I can either reduce or increase the level of this Card! Of course, I choose to increase the level!" Ryoga informed the Security Officers, who clicked their tongues out of frustration.

 **Starfish(s): Level 3-4**

"I overlay the 3 level 4 Starfish!" Ryoga declared as his Monster flew into the open portal in front of him, exploding once they were all in, "Xyz Summon! Show yourself! The most powerful ruler of the deep sea! Your powerful fangs shall exterminate everything! Rank 4, Marine Biting Dragon-Shark Drake!"

 **Shark Drake: Rank 4, 2800 Atk, 2100 Def**

"I'm not done just yet! I Summon Big Jaws from my Hand!" Ryoga slammed the Monster onto his Duel Disk as the fish creature floated above.

 **Big Jaws: Level 3, 1800 Atk, 300 Def**

"When I Summon a Fish-Type Monster, I can Special a Summon this Card from my Hand! Swim to me, Shark Stickers!" Ryoga swiped the Card onto his Duel Disk as yet another Monster joined the Field.

 **Shark Stickers: Level 3, 200 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Now, I overlay the level 3 Big Jaws with Shark Stickers! With these two Monsters, I construct the overlay network! Xyz Summon! Show yourself! Rank 3, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!" Ryoga Xyz Summoned his Monster to the Field with a shout.

 **Aero Shark: Rank 3, 1900 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I activate the Magic Card Xyz Gift! When there are 2 or more faceup Xyz Monsters on the Field, I am allowed to draw 2 Cards!" Shark exclaimed as he took the top two Cards off of his Deck.

"Now, I activate the effect of Aero Shark!" Ryoga raised his hand to his Monster, detaching an overlay unit as he did so, the guns on Aero Shark began to light up, something was coming out of the guns, and it is pretty obvious what it is. "Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, for every Card in my Hand, I inflict 400 damage to you! I have 2, so take 800 damage!"

Aero Shark released multiple magazines of bullets toward the three Security Officers, the bullets whizzed through the air for their target.

If Ryoga felt any satisfaction on dealing the damage to his three opponents, he didn't show it.

 **Security 1: 4000-3200 LP**

 **Security 2: 4000-3200 LP**

 **Security 3: 4000-3200 LP**

"Following that, I activate the Magic Card Rank-Up-Magic High Tide Force!" Shark exclaimed as he showed the Card to the Security, much to their shock.

They could hope that whatever was coming was not going to be as destructive as one of Kurosaki Shun's Monsters like Ultimate Falcon and Satellite Cannon Falcon.

"Using this Card and Aero Shark as Material, I can Xyz Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than Aero Shark's! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear, Unappeased Soul placed aboard the Ark. Arise from the abyss so deep not even light can reach it! Silent Honors Ark!"

 **ARK: Rank 4, 2100 Atk, 1000 Def**

To say that the officers were quaking in their boots was an understatement, they were trembling everywhere throughout their body as Silent Honor ARK and Shark Drake stared down the three like food.

One of the officers looked away and directed his attention to a small hole on the nearby carpet, not wanting to know what his fate was going to be.

"I activate the effect of Silent Honor ARK! Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, this Card can absorb and attach one Card on the Field to this Card! If the Card is a Monster, the captured Monster's Attack is added to ARK's!" Ryoga explained with a wide smirk, despite the severity of the situation, he couldn't help but feel satisfied.

Satisfied that he could beat the shit out of trash like Security. They reminded him so much of the Obelisk Force it disgusted him! How they fought in team of 3! The fact that they underestimate every Card they see! The fact that they used the same moved for all of their turns as if hey rigged each other's Decks!

And the worst part.

The fact that they acted like big shots who ruled everything! Everything and everyone was in their control, only the higher ups were controlled by them!

No one could do anything against them, if they did, they faced the consequences.

Just like Academia. Had anyone tried to fight back in the war, they would be ganged up on and eventually withered down to their feet, facing the darkness of the ground, never able to see the light again, because of the consequence.

Sure, these guys weren't Obelisk Force, and that simple fact made Ryoga want to punch the lazy ass councilors of the Executive Council in the face. Hard.

However, these guys were enough to supplement his hunger for beating the shit out of Obelisk Force. After all, their leader Roget was a former member of Academia.

Former member or not, he's still scum in Ryoga's eyes. To the point where he wants to see to it that _he_ will be one of the key players in bringing Roget down!

"I attach your Monster!" Ryoga pointed at Security 1's Goyo Invader, who turned purple before turning into an overlay unit, immediately floating over to Silent Honor ARK, only to begin orbiting the Monster.

 **ARK: 2100-4100 Atk**

"4-4100 Attack?!" Security 3 gasped out of shock, widening his eyes behind his glasses. He tried to avert his eyes, in order to not see Ryoga's grin, but the image was stuck in his head now.

"Battle! Go, Silent Honor ARK, attack this bastard directly!" Ryoga declared, pointing a finger directly Security 1, who widened his eyes out of fear as Ryoga's Monster Silent Honor ARK charged one of its guns and released a beam towards the officer, colliding with the man's stomach, letting out a cry of pain as he was thrown back into the wall, surprisingly causing a tiny crack to appear.

 **Security 1: 3200-0 LP**

"Don't think you two are off the hook, I still have more! Shark Drake, destroy his Goyo Invader!" This time Ryoga directed his attention to Security 2's Monster, which Shark Drake easily destroyed by ramming into it, Security 2 covered his face from the ensuing dust cloud as he took damage.

 **Security 2: 3200-2400 LP**

"I activate Shark Drake's effect! Once per turn, when this Card destroys a Monster in battle, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card, Special Summon the destroyed Monster to your Field in Attack Position, reduce its Attack by the difference between that Monster and Shark Drake's, and then inflict 1000 points of damage to you!" Ryoga exclaimed as Shark Drake opened its mouth, releasing a wave of water that enveloped Security 2, smashing him against the wall behind him as he spat out saliva.

 **Security 2: 2400-1400 LP**

When the water dried, Goyo Invader was back on the Field, albeit with 800 less Attack.

 **Goyo Invader: 2000-1200 Atk**

"Furthermore, when this effect resolves successfully, this Monster can attack more by the amount of overlay units it has plus 1! There are two overlay units, so Shark Drake can attack three times!" Ryoga bellowed with a smirk, releasing his anger on the officers, before commanding an attack. "Battle with Goyo Invader once again!"

Another wave of water was released from Shark Drake's mouth, engulfing Goyo Invader and the Security Officer, reducing his life to 0 and destroying his Monster.

 **Security 2: 1400-0 LP**

When the water dried, a loud THUD was heard. The sound of Security 2's now unconscious body hitting the ground hard. But no one paid he man any heed.

Security 3 took a step back, knowing that he was going to end up like the other two.

"Please, show mercy!" Security 3 pleaded, clapping his hands together, to which Ryoga could not give him a smirk.

"It's too late for me to show mercy to you! End this, Shark Drake!" Ryoga used his last two attacks to finish off Security 3, dropping his life down to 0.

 **Security 3: 3200-2400-0 LP**

Ryoga's two Monsters floated proudly in the air before dispersing into particles, disappearing due to Shark winning the Duel.

"Hmph, easy." Ryoga muttered under his breath, turning his body to see how O'Brien and Reiji were doing.

* * *

 **O'Brien's Duel**

"I'll go first!" O'Brien proclaimed, immediately activating a Card from his Hand, "I set a Card facedown! Then, I activate the Magic Card Blasting Vein! By destroying a set Magic or Trap Card, I draw 2 Cards!" O'Brien's recently set a Card disappeared just as fast as it appeared. "The destroyed Card was Fire Trap! If this Card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I get to draw another Card!"

"3 free draws just like that…" Security 1 murmured under his breath, not liking the look on O'Brien's face when he looked at his drawn Cards.

"I activate the Magic Card Fusion!"

"What?!" The Security Officers cried out in unison, their jaws hinging slightly.

"I fuse Volcanic Queen and Volcanic Hammerer!" O'Brien announced as his Monsters flew into a vortex behind him, "Two sparks of fire burn brightly! Now merge into one burst of flame that can never be put out! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Level 7! Volcanic Avenger!"

 **Volcanic Avenger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 2300 Def**

"I activate Volcanic Avenger's effect! Once per turn, I can target a Fire-Type Monster in my Graveyard, and then inflict damage to you equal to the Monster's level times 200! I select Volcanic Queen!" O'Brien declared as an image of his Monster appeared, before bursting into three fireballs that struck the Security Officers.

 **Security 1: 4000-2800 LP**

 **Security 2: 4000-2800 LP**

 **Security 3: 4000-2800 LP**

"Next, I Summon Fire Trooper from my Hand!" O'Brien shouted, Summoning the Monster to his Field as he twisted his foot onto the ground, keeping his ground tightly to look intimidating.

 **Fire Trooper: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Fire Trooper won't be staying on the Field for long however!" O'Brien continued as his Monster was surrounded by fire, "When Fire Trooper is Summoned, I can send it to the Grave to inflict 1000 damage to all of you!"

The Security Officers gasped, they were just about to lose more than half of their life points on the very first turn of the Duel!

Fire Trooper erupted the flames it was harboring, each flame lashing out and scorching the Officers, who covered their faces and cried out in pain.

 **Security 1: 2800-1800 LP**

 **Security 2: 2800-1800 LP**

 **Security 3: 2800-1800 LP**

When the fire dissipated, scorch marks could be seen on the officers' clothes, along with the cloth on their arms being ripped and burned to shreds.

"I activate the Continuous Magic Card Blaze Cannon, and then I set a Card and end my turn." O'Brien concluded as he inserted the two Cards into his Magic and Trap Card Zone.

"My turn!" Security 1 announced as he drew his Card.

The three members of Security did practically the same moves against O'Brien as the ones against Ryoga. However, this time, they Synchro Summoned Goyo Catapult instead of Invader, due to the Monster's superior Defense and used the effects to inflict 600 damage to O'Brien for each activation.

All of this brought O'Brien's life points down to 2400.

"I end my turn." Security 3 concluded with a smirk as O'Brien quickly dusted his clothes, directing his arm to the set Card in front of him, revealing it.

"During your End Phase, I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Crazy Fire! By paying 500 life points and destroying Blaze Cannon, I can destroy all Monsters you control and Special Summon a Crazy Fire Token!" O'Brien exclaimed as he picked up Blaze Cannon and slid it into his Graveyard slot.

 **O'Brien: 2400-1900 LP**

A large flame sprouted in the middle of the Field, before spreading to every Monster and burning them alive as they let out screams of pain, cracking and shattering as they got burned. Then, the fire eased, before disappearing on the officers' Fields, while the flame on O'Brien's merely shrunk and changed form into a fire dragon or serpent like Monster.

 **Crazy Fire Token: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Now normally, I wouldn't be able to attack the turn I use this Card, however, since this was activated on your turn, this cost doesn't affect me." O'Brien stated calmly with a cold glare towards his enemies before pointing his hand forward, "Also, When Volcanic Avenger is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Fire Monster in my Grave and Special Summon it! Appear, Volcanic Hammerer!"

A flame appeared next to the Crazy Fire Token before taking the silhouette of a Monster. When the Monster fully appeared, what was seen was a molten like Monster with gold armor covering the chest and lower body while exposing the abdomen, which was a molten rock pattern.

 **Volcanic Hammerer: Level 5, 2400 Atk, 1500 Def**

"My turn, draw! I Summon Volcanic Rocket!" O'Brien droned, placing his Card upon his Duel Disk as his Monster flew into the Field.

 **Volcanic Rocket: Level 4, 1900 Atk, 1400 Def**

"Battle! Go, my Monsters, attack them directly!" O'Brien commanded, to which the Monsters obeyed, each of them except the Token taking out their selective victims. Security 3 was the only was standing, the other two were thrown into by Volcanic Hammerer and Rocket.

 **Security 1 and 2: 1800-0 LP**

 **Security 3: 1800-800 LP**

"I end my turn." O'Brien concluded with his eyes closed, knowing that the game was his. He glared at his opponent, giving him a look that said 'Surrender'. But the man did not obey, he drew his Card and grimaced seeing that it wasn't what he needed.

The officer looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, as if he was apologizing quietly to Roget for not being able to carry out his orders.

O'Brien put him out of his misery and attacked him directly with Hammerer, causing him to lose consciousness.

 **Security 3: 800-0 LP**

O'Brien turned to Ryoga, he was done with his Duel, looking in his direction, it seems as if he finished not too long ago. They both directed their attention over to Akaba Reiji, who had his arms crossed waiting expectantly.

This action caused both to widen their eyes at a realization.

The lying bodies not too far from Reiji made it clear. How he did the deed so quickly was something that O'Brien and Ryoga were curious about.

They knew Reiji was strong, but to finish the game _that_ quickly that he practically looked like he was waiting for quite a while was unreal.

And this was someone from the Standard Dimension, home to many Duelists weaker than those of the Synchro, Fusion, and Xyz Dimension.

O'Brien could practically feel Ryoga's gaze move away from Reiji, and directing it to the council, who just sat there like a bunch of kings (and a queen) who let their servants do everything for them.

Like a bunch of pawns.

The thought of pawns made O'Brien think about Roget and how he was a former member of Academia. If and when Academia comes to this dimension in search of Ruri, Yuzu, and Serena, Roget will most likely want the three girls at his disposal to use as a bargaining chip so Academia will get off his back.

But if O'Brien knew one thing, it was to never trust Academia in negotiations. Last time the West Academia underwent a negotiation, it backfired.

The Central Academia, the ones leading this war, went to the other Academia's in the Fusion Dimension and took some students and essentially brainwashed them with their teachings. Disgusted with Academia's plan of invasion to their dimensions, Professor Cobra negotiated with Academia. The deal was for Cobra himself to be used for one, only ONE, of Academia's experiments, which they would use for the war.

In return, Academia could not under any circumstance take any of the students under Cobra's wing. However, Academia cheated Cobra in their deal.

They used him for some literal brainwashing experiment and attempted to make him rule the West Academia so the rules enforced by the brainwashed Cobra could make the people of West Academia transfer over to Central Academia, to Akaba Leo.

Some stood against Cobra, one of these people being O'Brien's parents. They were Carded without mercy, and a Cobra would have gotten to O'Brien if it weren't for Cobra regaining control of his mind at the last second.

What they used to control Cobra was a parasite, but from the looks of it, it was a prototype. It was all a test run! The bug in Cobra's head had finally malfunctioned and it was erased from his head without a trace.

O'Brien felt uneasy around Cobra, even distrusting of the man, but he used to be friends with O'Brien's father, and he seemed like a good man. Carding his friend didn't seem like the type of thing he would do.

Then, not long afterwards, the Central Academia attacked West Academia, Carding almost every single student. Apparently, the had done to same with the North, South, and East Academias, to the students who didn't transfer over to Central Academia.

It was a hellish time for O'Brien, running away and struggling to survive. Eventually, after Central Academia had thought that they had rid the island of everyone, they left, leaving very few soldiers to search the island, and they eventually left too.

Cobra and the very few survivors, including O'Brien, his in the island, just in case Academia came back. And not long after, O'Brien was assigned to travel to the Xyz Dimension alone to help out in the war.

The point is, Academia is not to be trusted, and Roget will most likely get double crossed if a negotiation were to happen.

"O'Brien, Ryoga." The voice of Akaba Reiji brought O'Brien back to reality, "I need both of you to go out into the City, find Reira, she will be with Hiragi Yuzu and Tsukikage. One of you will go to the underground and meet up with Serena, Kurosaki, Gongenzaka, and Sawatari. Go, now! I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Understood."

* * *

 **At the Elevator to the Underground-Right After Yugo and Yuzu's Duel**

Yuzu, who now had her Duel Disk and Deck confiscated and tucked into the pocket of one of the people escorting her, was at the entrance to the underground.

 _So that is where Gongenzaka and the others are being held._ Yuzu thought to herself when all of a sudden, two Goyo Catapuls came out of nowhere and punched the people escorting Yuzu hard in the head, knocking them out much to Yuzu's shock. _They're here after me!_

Reacting quickly, Yuzu ran up one of the unconscious guards and dug her hand into the shirt pocket, feeling her Duel Disk, pulling it out to see the Deck already inserted in.

She activated her Duel Disk as she looked at the entrance out of the hallway leading to the underground elevator.

It was blocked by three members of Security.

"Tell you what, if you surrender, we can bring you to Roget-sama without any complications." Security 1 proposed to Yuzu.

"To Roget? Thanks, but no thanks! I don't want be manipulated and stripped of my free will by a power hungry maniac!" Yuzu retorted as she readied herself for a Duel.

"The hard way it is then!" Security 2 exclaimed.

"Prepare yourself, girl!" Security 3 followed.

They were about to duke it out, only to stop by the arrival of a new voice.

"I will Duel you!"

Yuzu and the members of Security directed their attention towards the entrance to the

underground area, where they saw a girl in a hoodie walking toward and past Yuzu, Duel Disk on arm. The hoodie she was wearing made her look like a young boy.

It was a face that Yuzu would never have expected to see. A face that she recognized to be the one who had beaten Ayu in the Miami Championship.

Akaba Reira.

"Reira! Why are you in the Synchro Dimension?!" Yuzu asked the girl out loud, but the girl didn't spare her a glance and kept a determined gaze at the officers, activating his Duel Disk.

Was she one of the people who were sent to this dimension, like Yuto, Sawatari, and Gongenzaka? Did Akaba Reiji send him? Why would he make such a young girl experience things like this?!

"What are you doing kid? You don't really plan on fighting us, do you?" Security 1 questioned Reira, who responded by declaring her turn and drawing a Card.

She made no reaction as she took the penalty damage for intrusion.

 **Reira: 4000-2000 LP**

"I Summon Film Magician from my Hand!" Reira declared softly as she Summoned her Monster, with barely any sign of timidness at all in the boy's face. It was just determination and will.

A scroll of film appeared, encompassing a purple skinned magician draped in black robes with light green outlining and a rod grasped in his hand.

 **Film Magician: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"0 Attack?" Security 2 mused, scoffing with a seemingly emotionless look on his face..

"What can a Monster like that do?" Security 3 wondered out loud.

 _I...I need to help Reira! I can let her do this alone!_ Yuzu thought to herself as she held up her arm, about to activate her Duel Disk, only for her to feel a hand grab onto her wrist, Yuzu let out a silent gasp as she looked to her right, seeing Tsukikage standing there, making his presence unknown to Reira, holding up a finger to his mouth.

Yuzu recognizes Tsukikage as the guy who saved her and Serena back in Standard.

 _So he is here too…_

Yuzu nodded her head, knowing what Tsukikage was telling her to do, dropping her arm down and continuing to watch the Duel.

Tsukikage's signal was 'Keep quiet and don't interfere'. Yuzu didn't know why he had told her not to interfere, but it was always best to listen to people who look like ninja.

"Film Magician cannot be destroyed in battle, and also, Film Magician's Attack becomes the same as the Monster that attacks it!" Reira revealed the effects of her Monster.

"So it comes down to a draw where only the attacking Monster is destroyed." Security 1 noted with analytical eyes being hidden under his glasses.

"I end my turn here." Reira finished, keeping her eyes wide and focused on the three enemies in front of her.

She had to prove herself here! She couldn't hesitate! She has to make big brother proud! She needed to change! She is sick of who she is right now! She wants to become...someone different.

"Interesting." Security 3 admitted before continuing, "You're probably just another Commons whose gotten all riled up from watching Crow, Shinji, or Yugo's Duels."

"This is the end of your pathetic dreams." Security 2 proclaimed.

 _Jack fought his way up from poor beginnings, and now stands at the pinnacle of Dueling, with one Card as the catalyst. He gained the resolve to become stronger than anyone else, as a person...and as a Duelist! I've made my choice! From now on, I won't run away! I will fight! For myself...and my comrades!_ Reira closed her eyes as she spat out her resolve.

"I won't let you take Yuzu! I'm stopping all of you right now!" Reira exclaimed with a newly lit fire in her eyes.

"It seems that we have to put you in your place. My turn!" Security 3 drew his Card, immediately Summoning Jutte Lord to the Field, and, in a flash, followed that up by Summoning Jutte Knight and Synchro Summoning Goyo Catapult.

He used the effect to inflict 600 damage to Reira. After ending his turn, the other two members of Security simply activated a Goyo Catapult's effect, as the Monster was already on their Field.

"I end my turn." Security 2 concluded as Reira's life hit 200.

"Reira…" Yuzu whispered out of concern, wanting to join in, but the look Tsukikage gave her made it seem like Tsukikage wasn't worried at all.

Was he sure of Reira's abilities as a Duelist?

"What's wrong? Done already?" Security 3 taunted.

"Weren't you going to stop us all right now?" Security 1 made fun of Reira's previous words in an attempt to discourage her.

"This is all that Commons amount to." Security 2 said as he put his fight hand on his hip. "They're just talk and…"

"My…"

The members of Security and Yuzu widened their eyes at Reira, surprised at his persistence as she drew his Card.

Reira widened her eyes at the sight of her drawn Card.

"I activate the Continuous Magic Card Nightmare Past Loop! Once per turn, I can release a Monster on the Field!" Reira declared as her Monster disappeared from the Field.

"Removing your own Monster from the Field? What is the point of that?!" Security 3 gaped out of shock.

"He's just confused!" Security 2 smirked, "I mean, he is a Commons after all!"

 _Big brother...I won't run away! I will protect Yuzu!_

"I Summon C/C Red One-Eyed Past Eye!" Said Monster twirled to the Field, it's eyes immediately glaring at Reira's opponents.

 **Past Eye: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I'll say it again! I'll stop you all here! I won't let you have Yuzu!" Reira stated her resolve with firmness.

"Reira…" Yuzu found herself impressed at the girl's resolve. In the Miami Championship, she looked like she would collapse if someone even touched her. Now, she looked like an impenetrable wall.

Just what happened to spark this change?

I activate the Continuous Magic Montage Fusion! With this Card's effect, I snap a picture of your Goyo Catapult!" An image of Goyo Catapult appeared on the Magic Card, replacing its original art, "And then, I fuse the picture with One-Eyed Past Eye!"

"You're using our Monster and using it as Material?!" Security 2 bellowed out of disbelief, having never seen a move like this once in his life.

"Iron Cannon! Dwell in this eye and give me your power! Fusion Summon! Level 6! C/C/C Rock Sword the Embodiment of Fused Arms!" Reira chanted as she Fusion Summoned her Monster.

 **Rock Sword: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def**

"When Rock Sword attacks, I can increase the Attack of this Monster by the total Attack of every other Earth-Type Monster on the Field!" Reira revealed, much to the surprise of the Security Officers, knowing what that meant. "Rock Sword gains 2400 Attack!"

 **Rock Sword: 2400-4800 Atk**

A sound could be heard coming from the sword as the blade flared a fiery purple.

"4-4800…" Everyone except Tsukikage mumbled out of shock. Yuzu knew that Reira was strong, as shown in her Duek against Ayu, but she never knew that she was _this_ strong! It was as if she was watching a mini Akaba Reiji Duel!

"Get him, Rock Sword! Attack his Goyo Catapult!" Reira pointed at Security 1's Monster, the sword zooming through and shredding a hole right through the Monster, destroying it as Security 1 was blown backwards, hitting the ground hard. He was now out cold, not moving an inch.

 **Security 1: 4000-0 LP**

"Grr!" Security 2 growled, "It doesn't matter! It's still over! End your turn now! On my next turn I'll-"

"I'm not done yet!" Reira interrupted as she revealed Nightmare Past Loop once again, "On the turn that Nightmare Past Loop releases a Monster, I can release one Monster Summoned with One-Eyed Past Eye as Material! And I can then revise Past Eye from the Grave! And then I activate the Quick-Play Magic Past Tuning from my Hand! Using this Card, Past Eye's effects are negated and can be used as a Tuner Monster until the end of the turn!"

"A Tuner...don't tell me…" Security 3 trailed off as Reira continued, jabbing a finger at Security 2's Goyo Catapult.

"With the effect of Past Tuning, I change the level of your Goyo Catapult from 6 to 3 and capture a copy of that Card!"

 **Goyo Catapult: Level 6-3**

 _SNAP!_

The sound of a camera taking a picture.

Reira lifted her hand up into the air as her Cards flew upwards.

"I tune the image of the now level 3 Goyo Catapult with the level 3 Past Eye!" The image of Goyo Catapult turned into three stars as Past Eye turned into three rings, the rings hovered around the stars, as a Reira recited a chant, "Iron Cannon that has been engraved! Synchronize with this eye and give me your power! Synchro Summon! Forward! Forged weapon that knocks everything down! Level 6! C/C/C Rock Shooter the Embodiment of Tuned Attacks!"

A wave of light blue light surged through the rings as Reira's Monster blasted to the Field.

 **Rock Shooter: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Incredible! A Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase!" Yuzu smiled, looking on in awe at the young boy's skills.

He wasn't a prodigy like Reiji was, but damn was he close!

"I use Rock Shooter's effect! Once per turn, it can lower the Attack of a Monster my opponent controls by 1000!" Reira declared as her Monster released a green beam which struck the armored Goyo Monster in the midsection, draining it of its Attack, much to the shock of the Security members.

 **Goyo Catapult: 800-0 Atk**

"Battle! Get him, Rock Shooter!" Rock Shooter rushed towards Security 2's now 0 Attack Monster while Reira cued in, "At this moment, Rock Shooter's Attack will increase by the total level of all other Earth-Type Monsters on the Field times 200!"

The total was 9, so Reira's Monster increased by 1800.

 **Rock Shooter: 2200-4000 Atk**

A yellow blast with electricity circulating the beam erupted out Rock Shooter's nose and right towards Goyo Catapult, engulfing it and its owner, getting destroyed and causing a Security 2 to be knocked out of the Duel in the process.

 **Security 2: 4000-0 LP**

When the attack connected, a large dust cloud blocked the view of everyone present, however, not long after the destruction of Goyo Catapult, the loud thud of a body hitting the ground could be heard.

Security 2, was defeated.

"Sorry for the wait, all that's left it you!" Reira's eyes momentarily dilated before returning to normal size as Security 3 took a step back out of fear, knowing that he nothing to protect himself.

"Using Nightmare Past Loop, I release Rock Shooter and revive One-Eyed Past Eye! Now I activate the Quick-Play Past Overlay! With it, an image of your Goyo Catapult is captured in Past Overlay! And then, Past Eye gains the attribute, level, type, Attack, and Defense of Goyo Catapult!"

 **Past Eye: Level 3-6, 1400-800 Atk, 1000-2800 Def**

"I overlay the level 6 image of Goyo Catapult with my now level 6 Past Eye!" Reira raised her hand as the two Monsters sunk into the portal opening before her, "Solemn tyrant of the earth! Reside in this eye and give me your power! Xyz Summon! Appear now! The ultimate armament that repels all! Rank 6! C/C/C Rock Armor the Embodiment of Heavy Armor!"

 **Rock Armor: Rank 6, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I use one overlay unit and activate Rock Armor's effect! The Attack is increased by half of the total Defense of all face-up Earth-Type Monsters!" Reira revealed as Yuzu smiled, it was over.

Goyo Catapult's Defense is 2800.

While Rock Armor's is 2000.

Half of the total is 2400, which means Rock Armor gains 2400 Attack.

 **Rock Armor: 2500-4900 Atk**

The rocks orbiting Rock Armor flew outwards slightly as a field of electricity sparked between all of the rocks, lighting up the entire room.

"Battle! Rock Armor, attack the final Goyo Catapult!" Reira commanded, and, following her order, a Rock Armor BLASTED an orange beam with electricity cloaked inside. The beam enveloped Goyo Catapult and Security 3, the man screamed loud as he was electrocuted and blown back, hitting the ground hard, causing his helmet to be blown off.

 **Security 3: 4000-0 LP**

Yuzu was amazed. Reira had single handedly defeated three enemies, each of whom had a Monster with 2800 Defense in one turn.

"With Fusion...Synchro...and Xyz!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Goyo Invader, Synchro, Earth, Warrior: If your opponent controls a Monster, you can attack directly. However, if this Card deals damage by a direct attack this way, the damage is halved.**

* * *

 **Before we begin, since this will most definitely be the last update for** _ **this**_ **story of the year, I want to wish you guys an early Happy New Year.**

 **Now, I realize that since I skipped over every single Security turn except one, and I did that on purpose.**

 **Now, about Yuzu taking a back seat for Reira's Duel, although it was a repeat, was literally the first sign of character development for Reira.**

 **Having her take on three members of Security by herself further institutes her growth as someone who doesn't always need someone to hide behind, and that she is now going to try to step forward from here on out.**

 **Had Yuzu Dueled those three, you obviously would know how it would turn out, regardless of a Reira's intervention. Yuzu takes a turn, ends turn, Security takes their turns and do the exact same thing, and Yuzu will, most likely, kick their asses in the entire duration of the fifth turn of the Duel.**

 **I had Ryoga and O'Brien Duel because they haven't Dueled in a while, and also this chapter would be too short with only Reira's Duel.**

 **Also, about the Dueling rules shown in this chapter, I showed two versions.**

 **The version showed in Ryoga and O'Brien's Duel, solo person goes first, then, the other three go next.**

 **The Reira version, since she had intruded on the Duel after the second Security member began his turn, she immediately gets the next turn.**

 **Now having one person go and then three other people go next against them is kind of absurd, and makes Security look even more weak and fodderish, and I am sorry for that.**

 **If you guys really wanted me to, although I would eternally hate you all for it, you can request a filler chapter showcasing a 3v3 Duel between the members of Security and the Obelisk For-oh wait, the Obelisk Force would kick their asses, never mind.**

 **Anyways, sorry for this little break in the tournament if you were expecting the semi-finals to start. I did this mostly to give remind you guys that Ryoga, O'Brien, and Reira are still parts of the story (O'Brien and Ryoga especially considering the fact that I don't believe that Security is SO FODDER that Reiji best 9 of them by himself without breaking a sweat). Lastly, I also wanted to save the semi-finals for next year.**

 **Also, to further bring in the fact that he hasn't been forgotten, I decided to give O'Brien a little backstory segment.**

 **Next chapter, the semi-finals will start! I'll only tell you this, Yuto will be one of the two contestants facing off. I already have the matchup set, so no one is changing my mind, but feel free to gamble on guessing.**

 **Thetiger39: Looking back, I realize that I've been having characters asspull a win most of the time without realizing at the time of those chapters, and I'm sorry if that upsets you. Also, if I wanted to, I could have had Yugo just flat out Summon Red-Eyed Dice instead of pulling out a new Synchro Monster out of nowhere, but I needed to introduce that Monster for something later down the road, so it isn't as out of nowhere as it would be if I were to pull it out at that time. At least this time, Yugo didn't magically create the new Monster, it was just something Rin gave him.**

 **Deatharrow35: I have a plan to do a tiny thing with Zarc later near the end of the arc, but you'll have to see what it is.**

 **Ethan Kironus: Well, whenever talking about Darkness one would be referring to the big skeleton looking dinosaur that Judai/Jaden beats the shit out of in the second to last Duel in Gx, so, do whatever with that knowledge what you will.**

 **Skadi: A Duelist of Yuzu's caliber deserves Yugo being pushed to use Crystal Wing. As of right now, Crystal Wing was literally the only thing Yugo could have used to beat Yuzu.**

 **Bridgey: Actually, unless I'm being a dumbass and counted wrong, Yuzu should have her next Duel in the books by the time Chapter 90 rolls around, maybe 1 or 2 chapters before even!**

 **That's all for now guys!**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	84. The Unwinding Road

**Academia Base-Heartland-Xyz Dimension**

"So, you want me to take Rin and some other Obelisk Force members to the Synchro Dimension, regain control of Kurosaki Ruri, and then go on to find Hiragi Yuzu?" The Doktor repeated as he listened to the Professor, who was communicating with him via Duel Disk.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Akaba Leo asked, narrowing his eyes at the man, seeing his sadistic smirk as he hid a look of disgust. Even the likes of Akaba Leo showed some sort of emotion when around someone as disgusting as the Doktor.

"Excellent. This will be the perfect test for the parasite experiment." The Doktor murmured to himself.

"You are aware that you are not allowed to perform the parasite the experiment on anyone other than Rin and Kurosaki Ruri without my permission, correct, Hiro?" Akaba Leo questioned, using the Doktor's real name.

"Please, just call me the Doktor. I have long since abandoned the name of Hiro." The

Doktor responded, not even paying heed to the first part of Leo's statement.

Akaba Leo let out a small sigh. Recently, he has been having trust issues with the Doktor. And soon, he had a feeling that it was going to spout into something more. And whatever it was, Leo was ready for it.

"Very well. I expect you to head to the Synchro Dimension right away."

* * *

 **Synchro Dimension**

Hiragi Yuzu was in awe.

Had she been sprayed with nerve gas right before she witnessed what had just happened, she could have shrugged it off and said it was a hallucination.

She wasn't sprayed by nerve gas though.

First of all, one of the things that shocked was the fact that Reira was actually in the Synchro Dimension. A girl whom Yuzu is sure is not even older than Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya back in the Standard Dimension.

Second of all, was the fact that Reira, the quiet, timid girl she had seen in the Miami Championship, has single handedly taken out three members of Security in one turn while using the three Summoning methods in succession.

"Reira-dono has changed." Tsukikage said, as if he knew what Yuzu was thinking at that exact moment. "He is no longer an existence that needs to just be protected."

Reira's head moved, her body turning to see the member of the Fuma Clan, "Tsukikage!" Had he seen the entire Duel?! If he did that meant…

That this could be relayed to Reiji.

A smile appeared on Reira's face at the very thought, knowing that Tsukikage reported practically anything of interest to Reiji. Surely her progression would interest Reiji, right?

"Did something happen?! What happened to Hiragi Yuzu?" Reira jumped, startled by the sudden interruption of a voice. And judging by the tone, the owner was not happy.

The voice was coming from a communicator stuck into one of the helmets of the Security Duelists. Tsukikage trotted over to the helmet and picked it up, speaking into it calmly.

"We have Yuzu-dono under our protection."

"What? Who are-"

The ninja gave his name before the owner of the voice could even finish the question.

"My name is Tsukikage."

* * *

 **With Roget**

Roget grabbed his hair as he pressed a button on his backup computer, as his original working one was destroyed by a pissed off Yuto.

"Capital Building! What's going on there?!" Roget blurted out with a panicked tone, as things were definitely not going into his favor. He slid his chair backwards when he saw a camera of Akaba Reiji, with three unconscious Security members behind him.

"We have dealt with the Security unit currently in this Capital Building. All 5 of the Council members are safe."

"From your reaction, it seems you failed to capture Hiragi Yuzu as well." Reiji stated, closing his eyes and not even bothering to look Roget in the eyes. "We will not give Hiragi Yuzu or Serena to you. Of course, not to Academia as well."

"YOU!" Roget snapped as he bursted out of his chair, unintentionally pushing it backwards, "You mean you already have Serena as well?! I already have full control over the City! I'll remind you that there is nothing you can do!"

Despite the act Roget was trying to put up, Reiji could see through it easily.

With a wave of his arm, the feed showing Reiji switched to a lan, a man in a science coat with Sergey lying on a table, his entire body except his head covered by a white sheet.

"What's the status on Sergey's repair surgery?!" Roget demanded out of frustration.

"It's finished. The brainwashing device is functioning as well." The scientist reported.

"Good, then have him head to the Capital Building immediately!"

Roget then took a glance at a screen that had a meter on it. Above the meter were the words 'Shock Level'.

"As for Yuto, the shock device I implanted inside his helmet will make him reveal his true beastly nature."

* * *

Again.

Again life had decided to give him a kick in the shin and push him down to the mud. As a means to corrupt his soul with thoughts of giving up.

First he had to witness his best friend and lover Duel each other with no choice. Now, _he_ has to Duel his lover.

Fate was cruel, Yuto had decided when he found out that he was going to be Dueling fellow Resistance comrade Kurosaki Ruri.

He didn't know 100%, but he was sure that Ruri was having similar thoughts to him at the moment. They didn't want to do this.

But they had too. Even if they didn't want to. If they tried to run away, the world would catch up to them in a blink of an eye, and either force them to fight...or have something much worse than what could happen right now.

For some reason, wherever he was, Yuto knew that if Shiunin Sora had heard the matchup, he would probably have dropped the sweet he would be sucking on. After all, Yuto had mentioned Ruri to Sora. So, maybe...with some luck, Sora would leave Ruri alone. But even then, Yuto had to be cautious with Sora.

He still didn't fully trust him, and others from Academia were sure to come to Synchro soon. But no matter what happened, he would make sure Ruri would be reunited with Shun and him in the end. They were so close to being back together Yuto could taste it.

Those were his final thoughts as Yuto found himself driving his d-wheel down to the startling line of the stadium, soon followed by Ruri and a loud wave of cheering, a split chant between the audience, each reciting the name of the person they were rooting for.

Both Yuto and Ruri's first instinct was to jump off their d-wheels run up to each other and embrace in a hug. Unfortunately, they had noticed the restraints from Shun and Ruri's Duel strapped them in place.

"Ruri…" Yuto whispered the name of his friend, so desperately wanting to get the hell of for his d-wheel.

"Yuto, it's okay." Ruri assured the boy, "Circumstances like this happen, as much as we don't like them. We just have to move on and push forward! Besides, I know you wouldn't want to send me to the underground willingly."

"Ruri, it's not just that! My comrades, both in Heartland and the ones here are in need of help, and I cannot do anything about it!" Yuto tightened a fist, gritting his teeth as he did so, "And we can't just ditch the match! These restraints will keep us from getting off of our d-wheel! And getting forced onto the damn thing didn't help either!"

Ruri responded by giving her a smile. Yuto felt a pang in his heart.

She was giving _that_ smile. The 'I don't care what happens to myself as long as you are okay' smile. The Ruri smile. The smile Yuto associated with Ruri the most, cause she literally makes that smile almost all of the time. He also read on her face that she wanted to continue with the Duel. She already proved herself to Shun, and now she wants to prove herself to Yuto.

Yuto let out a long sigh. Just like Shun, he was going to hate every second of this.

"Fine…"

Not long after their conversation, Melissa activated the Action Field. A timer appeared in front of Yuto and Ruri, the latter leaning forward slightly.

3.

2.

"Riding Duel!"

1.

"Acceleration!"

Both jammed their foot onto the accelerator, bursting past the starting line neck and neck, racing to the exit of the stadium to decide who gets the first move.

In the end of it all, Ruri had managed to leave the stadium first, both of The Xyz Duelists drawing 5 Cards from their Deck as Ruri began her turn, scanning her Hand for any possible moves. And this was when she noticed something…

 _The blank Card..._

She remembered that at some point, Academia had gave Ruri two blank Cards, but she never got to know what they were. Academia, as expected, wouldn't tell her anything about the Cards. And there were times Ruri would rip the Cards, but Academia would do 2 things.

The first was to punish her by putting her through excruciating pain.

The second was to get her 2 more blank Cards.

Eventually, Ruri stopped and the cycle halted. There was no point in ripping the Cards, she was only harming herself and the Cards wouldn't go away.

She didn't know what the Cards were for, but she would remember these sessions she would be forced into during her stay at Academia. During these sessions, she would black out, and the next thing she knew she would be back in the tower holding her captive.

The Cards...

They were like a scar, an open wound. Scars never disappear, and some wounds never close.

But if the Card was in her Deck, then did that mean the other blank Card was somewhere lying in her Deck? Or maybe it was an Extra Deck Card?

She had also forgotten to destroy the Cards. But for good reason, so much had went on since she had escaped from Academia that the thought had never crossed her mind.

Ruri shoved these thoughts aside, viewing the rest of her Hand. There wasn't much that she could do this turn, but she had to try something.

"I Summon Lyrilusc-Black Canary from my Hand!" As the name suggested, a girl with blonde hair wearing a canary costume doused in black flocked to the Field.

 **Black Canary: Level 1, 0 Atk, 200 Def**

"If I control a Lyrilusc Monster except this Card, I am allowed to Special Summon it along with another level 1 Lyrilusc Monster! Flock to my Field Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow and Lyrilusc-Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri called out to her Monsters, the two appearing next to Canary.

 **Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"If Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I am permitted to add another copy of this Card from my Deck to my Hand!" Ruri spoke, pulling out the Card sticking out of her Deck before sliding it into her Hand.

Ruri hovered her hand to another Card, picking it up and inserting it into her Duel Disk.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Ruri concluded, taking a glance back at Yuto, who had a hand over his Deck, hesitating to draw.

He caught her looking at him just in time, as she had just turned her head away.

 _That's right. Ruri wants to prove herself to me...but doesn't she realize that there is no need for that? I am already aware of how strong she is..._ Yuto thought as he picke$ up the top Card of his Deck, taking a long gaze at the road in front of him, still in deep thought. He placed the Card into his Hand, directing his attention to two other Cards.

"Using the Scale 2 Entermate Hermit Crab Landlord and the Scale 5 Entermate Chain Giraffe, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto swiped the two Cards across his Duel Disk as a light blue pillar erupted from the ground on both of Yugo's sides. His Monsters were floating above the ground in the columns with their respective Scale number below them.

"With this I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters whose levels are either 3 or 4! Swing! Pendulum of my soul! Carve an arc of hope across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!" Yuto raised his fist in the air as his Monsters erupted out of the portal of Pendulum.

Out of the portal came two Monsters. The first one was Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade, followed by Phantom Knights Fragile Armor.

 **Deceased Comrade: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1600 Def**

 **Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I overlay the level 4 Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade and Fragile Armor! Dragon with fangs of pitch black darkness of the night, redeem the fall of your comrades and slash the pall of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Redemption Dragon!" Yuto chanted as his Xyz Monster stormed to the Field behind his owner.

 **Dark Redemption: Rank 4: 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"So this is what it feels like to face Pendulum Summoning…" Ruri whispered to herself as she felt the feeling in her chest. It was intimidating, being able to simultaneously Summon Monsters like that in a flash. It was even more intimidating in person though. She also noted the new Xyz Monster Yuto had, but Ruri gave a much more pending question, "How did you even get Pendulum Summoning and those Entermate Cards?"

"I received these Cards from a person I met. Like you and Shun and the rest of the Resistance, he is now one of my many treasured comrades, and I respect him for the ideals that he had and believed in." Yuto answered simply.

" _Yuto…"_ Yuya murmured inside of the Xyz Duelist. He never knew that Yuto held him in such regard. He then realized that Yuto was referring to the old him. The Sakaki Yuya who always wanted to put a smile on others…

"Battle! Go, Dark Redemption Dragon! Attack Lyrilusc-Black Canary!" Yuto threw his hand out, his dragon soaring towards Ruri's Monster.

Ruri pointed her hand to her facedown Card. The Card was flipped over and revealed to be a Trap Card.

"I activate the Trap Card Lyrilusc-Battle Xyz! When you declare an attack on a Lyrilusc Monster I control, I can negate the Attack and Xyz Summon a Lyrilusc Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters I control!" Ruri revealed the effect of her Card with Yuto making a 'tsk' sound with his mouth.

Dark Redemption swerved upwards now that the battle was forcefully ended.

As soon as Dark Redemption returned to Yuto's side, all three of Ruri's Monsters began to shine yellow before turning into yellow orbs that flew up into the air.

A portal opened up in front of Ruri. Her Monsters, which were now three orbs flew inside of the portal, which imploded and released a treaty yellow light which looked similar to a quasar. Ruri began to recite a chant for her Xyz Monster.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilusc- Assembly Nightingale!"

 **Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

Due to her effect, Assembly Nightingale gains 100 Attack for each overlay unit she has attached to her.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 0-300 Atk**

"When Lyrilusc-Black Canary is used as Xyz Material, I inflict 500 points of damage to you!" Ruri exclaimed.

Yuto grunted as he was hit by a beam emitting from Assembly Nightingale's body.

 **Yuto: 4000-3500 LP**

Yuto ended his turn after comprehending that he was facing Ruri, who had the most defensive Deck out of everyone he knew. Some of her Monsters also had killer effects despite their weak appearance, he shouldn't just rush in recklessly.

Yuto stole a glance to his right, at the approaching capital building. If his legs and feet weren't restrained, Yuto would have probably told Ruri that they will resume this Duel for another day and that he was going to jump off the track and escape. Hopefully to reunite with Akaba Reiji and the others, along with freeing the Lancers who were trapped in the underground area.

Leave it to Shun to screw things up.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuto spotted multiple figures gliding in the air far from him. To a person who didn't know any better, those were just a bunch of birds. But Yuto was not one of those people. He knew that those weren't birds.

They were people.

Yuto squinted to get a better look of the figures off in the distance. He could just barely make it out, but he could see people with masks on draped in the familiar blue of the Obelisk Force.

Fear found its way into the Phantom Knights user's eyes, _Don't tell me that Academia are already going to begin their attack! If that's the case…_

"Ruri!" Yuto called out to his friend with a panicked voice, Ruri's head perked up, hearing the panic and fear in the Xyz Duelist's voice. Her hand which was on the top Card of her Deck froze. She turned her head around to face Yuto and slowed down slightly and veered off to Yuto's left so they were riding side by side.

"What's wrong?"

Yuto pointed to his right, a grim expression on his face, "Look over there."

Ruri was confused on what was so worrying that Yuto was this scared until she saw what he was looking at. She hadn't actually seen that many in Heartland, but she still knew what they were.

"Why does Academia have to attack now of all times?!" Ruri murmured out of frustration, cursing their horrible luck at the moment.

"We have to reunite with my comrades and Shun. We have to hold this Duel off for another time, what's important is keeping you, Serena, and Yuzu safe from Academia's clutches and getting back together with the Lancers!" Yuto stated, calmly addressing their current situation.

Ruri nodded her head, "Got it. So, what's the plan?"

"One of us will need to jump off, preferably you, since you are one of Academia's targets, and Dueling in public will only jeopardize your safety." Yuto reasoned, "I don't know what to do about these damn restraints though! I'm not strong enough to tear through them."

"Reuniting with our comrades is our number one priority, right? That shouldn't be a problem. I'll do it!" Ruri gave Yuto a determined look, to which Yuto would have smiled at if not for the situation at hand.

A lightbulb went off in Yuto's head, "I know how you can get rid of the restraints. One you escape, try making your way to the capital building. Look for either a man named Akaba Reiji or a boy our age named O'Brien. They can probably hack the system and rid us of these bindings."

Yuto then gave Ruri a brief description of Reiji and O'Brien's appearances. Ruri made sure to keep the most important details in her mind.

"On my command, make your move, we don't have much time. And Ruri…" At the girl's questioning look, Yuto continued, "Stay safe."

Ruri smiled and gave Yuto a nod, "You too."

Ruri slammed her foot into the gas pedal, causing her to speed up, moving ahead of Yuto as she eyed the capital building which she was now passing by.

Time slipped by as slow as sand in an hourglass.

Jeers began to be heard from the audience due to the inactivity of the Duel, Yuto and Ruri flinched when they heard Melissa's angry voice.

"Are you two just going to keep messing around or are you going to get on with it?!"

"Do it now, Ruri!" Yuto shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Right!" Ruri responded as she prepared to slide her d-wheel to the right, which would send her flying off the track. However, before she could do such an action, she felt a beat go off in her head, followed by the close sound of a creature.

Elsewhere in the city, the Doktor has just activated the Parasite Fusioner in Ruri's brain, immediately gaining control of her.

Back to the Duel, Ruri suddenly began to scream in pain, gritting her teeth as she began to tremble in place. She grabbed the sides of her heads trying to ease the throbbing pain going off in her head.

"Ruri! What's wrong?!" Yuto asked out of immediate concern.

 _Roget...don't tell me..._ Yuto thought darkly as he planned to seriously hurt Roget later.

The screaming stopped, and Ruri's head drooped down, her face staring dead at the Cards in her Hand. One of the Cards in her Hand before was blank. Now, the acard was perfectly clear.

Yuto drove up to Ruri's side in a flash, calling out Ruri's name frantically due to not getting a response. His blood ran cold when he heard a low chuckle coming from Ruri.

This laugh, it was nothing like Ruri's other laughs. The ones filled with joy and care. This laugh...was filled with sadism and an intent to torture and inflict pain.

"What's wrong, Yuto? Cat got your tongue?!" A sadistic smile found itself splattered over the female Kurosaki's features.

Ruri cackled as she sped up her d-wheel, leaving Yuto in the dust, ripping the top Card off of her Deck as she did so.

"Due to her effect, Assembly Nightingale can attack you directly! Furthermore, she can attack for every overlay unit she has!" Ruri explained, her voice drooling with a dreadful tone the real Ruri never used.

"Ruri! Ruri! Ruri!" Yuto called the name of his friend even more, but to no avail, she made no reaction to the calls as she merely continued with her onslaught.

"Sick em, Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri declared calmly, turning her head around and pointing at her enemy. Assembly Nightingale let out an abnormal sound, jumping into the air and kicking down on Yuto's head.

The helmet on Yuto's head reduced the pain, but the Xyz Duelist still let out a cry of pain regardless.

 **Yuto: 3500-3200 LP**

"Attack two more times, Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri declared, her voice drooling with an intent to hurt.

Assembly Nightingale let out a cackle, sharpening her claws before scratching Yuto on the face twice, leaving scratch a red with fresh blood seeping from his cheeks.

 **Yuto: 3200-2600 LP**

"Next, since a Lyrilusc Monster I control inflicted damage to you, I can activate the Quick-Play Magic Card Lyrilusc-Bird Song! I Special Summon a level 1 Monster in my Hand in a Defense Position!"

She picked up a Card in her Hand, tilting her head to the side as she recited the name of the Monster.

"I Summon Parasite Fusioner!"

"What?!" Yuto's lips separated to form a thin gaping opening. Ruri had _definitely_ never used that Card before. A horrible realization came through Yuto's brain. It made so much sense that Yuto had thought that it wasn't the truth. But it was.

Ruri got that Card from Academia.

 **Parasite Fusioner: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"When this Card is Special Summoned, I am allowed to conduct a Fusion Summon!" Ruri revealed with a smirk, much to Yuto's surprise.

 _It's just as I thought..._

"Parasite Fusioner, when it is faceup on the Field, can be used as a substitute for a Fusion Material! Now, I fuse Parasite Fusioner with Assembly Nightingale! Twitter of the songbird that resounds in the dark night. Become one with the inner voice and cry more intensely! Fusion Summon! Fly down! Noble isolated night bird! Lyrilusc-Independent Nightingale!" Ruri raised her hand as she declared her Fusion Summon.

Unwrapping her wings from her body, the figure rising from the vortex behind Ruri was draped in an assortment of red and multiple variations of blue feathers.

Yuto felt the air around him change with the arrival of the new Monster. It was...eerie and disgusting at the same time.

 **Independent Nightingale: Level 1, 1000 Atk, 0 Def**

Yes, they had to have done something her. Yuto knew Ruri wouldn't willingly use Fusion like that. She just wouldn't!

"First off, Parasite Fusioner is now equipped to Independent Nightingale!" Ruri pointed to her Monster as a purple portal opened in front of her.

The distorted figure of Parasite Fusioner flew out of it, attaching itself to Independent Nightingale's left breast.

 _That Parasite Fusioner seems to be the thing that's controlling Ruri. Either that or it's Independent Nightingale!_ Yuto thought to himself as he spoke up.

"That abomination will cease to exist shortly!"

The mind controlled Ruri scoffed, "Oh please, you won't be able to touch my Monster! Now, the effect of Independent Nightingale activates! Her level is now increased by the amount of overlay units Assembly Nightingale had!"

Assembly Nightingale had 3 overlay units, so Independent Nightingale's Level rose up by 3.

 **Independent Nightingale: Level 1-4**

This Card gains Attack equal to its level times 500! 4 times 500 is 2000, so Independent Nightingale gains 2000 Attack!" Ruri gave a wide wicked grin, showing her teeth. A blood red aura surrounded Independent Nightingale.

 **Independent Nightingale: 1000-3000 Atk**

 _Shit!_ Yuto cursed inwardly as Ruri declared an attack on Dark Redemption, immediately lifting his fist towards his Monster in retaliation.

"Dark Redemption's effect! Once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a Monster you control and add it to Dark Redemption's Attack until the end of the turn! Redemption Recharge!" The wings of Yuto's dragon quickly slid open as electricity poured out, electrocuting Independent Nightingale, who merely flew through it all. Dark Redemption howled into the night sky as it savored it's Attack boost.

 **Independent Nightingale: 3000-1500 Atk**

 **Dark Redemption: 2500-4000 Atk**

"Dark Redemption! Attack back and destroy Independent Nightingale!" Yuto shouted to his Monster as the dragon dodged a claw strike from Independent Nightingale, the dragon wheeled around and prepared to skewer Ruri's Monster with his fangs.

"I won't let you! By destroying Parasite Fusioner instead, Independent Nightingale avoids destruction!" Parasite Fusioner hopped off of Independent Nightingale's chest, taking the hit for the Monster, getting destroyed in the process.

Ruri leaned forward, making a 'tch' sound to voice her annoyance at the destruction of her Monster.

 **Ruri: 4000-1500 LP**

Ruri merely grinned as she thrusted her hand toward her Monster, "I activate Independent Nightingale's effect! Once per turn, I can inflict damage to you equal to this Card's level times 200! This Card's level is 4, so, I inflict 800 damage to you!"

Yuto growled as he narrowly dodged a wave of energy Independent Nightingale threw at him. The wave nicked his shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth as he took damage.

 **Yuto: 2600-1800 LP**

"I end my turn. Remember, the Attacks of our Monsters return to normal." Ruri reminded Yuto in a taunting manner, not really worried about Dark Redemption's effect at all now.

 **Independent Nightingale: 1500-3000 Atk**

 **Dark Redemption: 4000-2500 Atk**

"Ruri! Please, stop! It's me, Yuto! Listen to me! Don't give into whatever Academia has done to you! Fight it Ruri! Fight it!" Yuto yelled, trying to get through to Ruri, hoping that it would work.

Unfortunately, it did not.

Ruri turned her head to show Yuto her face. Yuto's eyes widened seeing that there was nothing left of the old Ruri except the body Yuto was seeing in front of him. It was as if the old Ruri was just erased completely and replaced by someone else.

"Damn it! No, I refuse to give up! I'm not losing you again. Ruri! I will reach out to you!" Yuto mumbled under his breath.

In Roget's office, the director picked up on what Yuto had said due to the device implanted in his helmet. Roget chuckled as he moved his hand to a meter.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to 'reach' out to her. Whatever Academia did, it cannot be undone. And besides, this is the perfect opportunity. You two, putting on a show for the audience. _This_ should had some vigor and flare to it."

Roget touched the blank meter, sliding his hand up the meter as one of the bars in the meter turned red, activating the transplant in Yuto's helmet.

The transplant sent electrical currents to Yuto's brain, causing the Xyz Duelist to let out a loud yell of pain.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Ruri made no reaction when she heard the scream. Instead, she licked her lips when she heard it, relishing what she had heard. She wished to hear more now.

" _Yuto, what's wrong?!"_ Yuya asked his counterpart out of immediate concern.

"No, that's not enough!" Roget spoke to himself, "Even more! Show me a Duel so the audience will not be able to take their eyes off of you!" Roget presses his fingers on the board one again, lifting the bar up by 4.

More electricity coursed through Yuto's head as the boy jerked his head back, screaming and clutching his head. Yuto let out a gasp, losing his breath from the sudden pain.

"Wh-What the hell...is this shock?!" Yuto mused to himself.

"What's Yuto doing down there…" Melissa wondered to herself, speaking out of the microphone as she looked down from the helicopter she was riding in. Little did she know, a certain boy with light cyan hair was hitching onto the helicopter.

"No matter what kind of person you may be, you always have your primal instincts. Now, bring it out! Show it to the world once more! Awaken! Ferocious power that lies deep within this boy! Release that power and rampage like a _demon!_ "

Roget practically slammed his hand onto the meter, pushing it all the way up the max.

Yuto's voice began to crack as he let out his loudest cry yet. The pain in his head felt as if he got ran over by a truck.

Yuto could slowly feel something rising deep within him, but he did his best to suppress that feeling. He began to sweat, huffing and puffing as he was relieved to feel the pain stop.

Meanwhile, Ruri was ecstatic.

"YEEEEESSSSSSS! LET OUT EVEN MORE! MORE SCREAMS! ALL OF THOSE LAUGHS! ALL OF THOSE SMILES! TURN THEM INTO SCREAMS AND WAILS!"

"I'm...not going to give into a damn imposter!" Yuto closed his eye as he continued to breathe heavily, his heart practically trying to burst a hole in his chest.

"Well here's something that will give you the biggest smile! Remember that Parasite Fusioner you destroyed?" Ruri questioned rhetorically.

Yuto gasped, suddenly not wanting to hear anymore, horrified of what was going to be said next.

"There's another one." Ruri lifted her hand, holding up one finger before pointing to her ear. "Right here, lying in my brain."

Yuto went dead still. His vision began to go blurry as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard. He found his hatred rising again.

No...they couldn't have…

Not to her...NOT TO HER!

" **What did you say?"** Yuto asked, his voice suddenly sounding more raspy and menacing. His head was down, hiding the expression on his face.

Ruri raised an eyebrow before chuckling, "You heard me. The Parasite Fusioner...is lying right here, in my brain."

Inside Yuto, Yuya also began to feel anger taking him over.

" **An insect? Trying to act all high and mighty now that's it's got a human host. Well, let me tell you this, insect. Your kind tries to act like your at the top of the world. But no matter what happens…"** Yuto trailed off as the air around began to change, felt only by Ruri and her Monster.

Yuto shot his head up, revealing his hair spiking upwards, more than usual. A dark aura now surrounded him. Bright blue eyes shining on his face.

Ruri gasped out of shock with a horrified expression when she heard what the Phantom Knights user said next.

" **AN INSECT WILL ALWAYS BE AN INSECT!"**

Elsewhere, in two different locations of the city, Yugo and Yuri felt a hard beat in their chest. They stopped what they were doing, with Yugo quickly parking his d-wheel. They checked their Deck unconsciously to see that their ace Monsters were glowing.

In the underground facility, Serena, who had just defeated yet another opponent so she could get back up to the surface, began to hear a light twinkle in her ears, followed by her eyes seeing a purple light coming from her wrist.

She looked down to her bracelet to see it blinking a small purple light.

"The bracelet…"

Yuzu, who was running with Tsukikage and Reira, stopped moving when _her_ bracelet also began to start glowing. Tsukikage and Reira turned to her. They were all mesmerized by what was happening, and Yuzu had a feeling that she knew that something was happening.

The mind controlled Rin, who had arrived in the Synchro Dimension with the Doktor not too long ago, found her bracelet twinkling with a light green light.

Ruri's bracelet also began to glow repeatedly with a yellow tint to the light.

"What's this thing doing?" Ruri murmured as she turned her head back to Yuto, who had a hand on the top of his Deck.

" **My turn!"** Yuto ripped the Card off his Deck. Oddly enough, Yugo, Yuri, and he spirit of Yuya began to do the same thing, their eyes glowing light green, purple, and red respectively.

It was as if they were synchronized.

" _ **I detach an overlay unit to activate Dark Redemption Dragon's Monster effect!"**_ Yuya declared in conjunction with Yuto and the others.

Dark Redemption Dragon grabbed an overlay unit and crushed with ease, electricity once again lashing out at Independent Nightingale.

" **REDEMPTION RECHARGE!"** All four boys shouted in unison.

 **Independent Nightingale: 3000-1500 Atk**

 **Dark Redemption: 2500-4000 Atk**

" _ **DIE AND GO TO HELL YOU PIECE OF SHIT! SIEGE OF REDEMPTION!"**_ Yugo roared.

Dark Redemption flew up into the air, with fangs surging with purple electricity. The dragon began to storm down veering towards its target: Independent Nightingale.

"Kgh!" Ruri grunted as she took a Card out of her Graveyard and revealed it, "I activate the Graveyard effect of Lyrilusc-Battle Xyz! When an attack is declared on a Lyrilusc Monster while this Card is in the Grave, I can banish this Card and two other Lyrilusc Cards to negate the attack and destroy your Monster! Then, after the battle, I am allowed to draw 2 Cards!"

A purple light emitted from Independent Nightingale's feathers, a bright line enveloped the area. A loud cry was heard from Dark Redemption a moment later. When the light dissipated, Dark Redemption was gone, and Ruri was rleady drawing 2 Cards and banishing 2 from her Grave.

The Monsters she banished were Lyrilusc-Black Canary and surprisingly, Sapphire Swallow.

" _ **I activate the Pendulum effect of Entermate Hermit Crab Landlord!"**_ Yuri immediately reacted, throwing his hand to the side as he and the others began to explain the effect.

" **When a Pendulum Monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Extra Deck, I can Special Summon a Card in my Pendulum Zone! Appear, Entermate Chain Giraffe!"** The four boys explained in unison as said Monster was Summoned in front of Yuto in Defense Position.

 **Chain Giraffe: Level 1, 100 Atk, 500 Def**

Ruri grunted out of annoyance, but even in this state she couldn't hide her shock when she heard what Yuto said next.

" **When Chain Giraffe is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target an effect Monster you control! That Monster's effects are negated and it can't attack as long as this Card is faceup on the Field!"** Yuto practically yelled the effect. Ruri gasped out of shock as she saw chains erupt from Yuto's a Summoned Monster.

The chains wrapped themselves around Independent Nightingale, who gasped as she was surrounded, a yellow aura surrounding her as her Attack was reduced.

"An amazing counter from Yuto! Since Independent Nightingale's effect is negated, she loses her Attack boost!" Melissa announced.

 **Independent Nightingale: 1500-1000 Atk** (I honestly think I got this stat wrong, so if anyone could correct me so I can fix it, that would be great)

Members of the audience began to cheer out loud, most likely people who wanted Yuto to win.

"I wonder what's happening to the two of them though. They seem much different than from their previous appearances." Melissa noted quietly, but the audience paid no heed to her statement whatsoever.

"You…" Ruri cursed the boy she was Dueling. The one the real Ruri called friend and lover.

" **I end my turn."** Yuto concluded coldly with his three counterparts talking alongside him, " **At this moment, due to Cloven Helm's effect, I get to add a Phantom Knights Card to my Hand! I add Phantom Knights Fragile Armor!"**

"My turn, draw!" Ruri looked ahead on the road and narrowed her eyes, speeding up and reaching her hand out for what she saw: an Action Card. "Tch! I can't even use this right now!" Ruri put the Action Card in her Hand and took out another Card and slid it into her Magic and Trap Card Zone.

"I activate the Magic Card Lyrilusc-Bird Strike! If I control a Lyrilusc Monster, the effects of all your Monsters will be negated!" Ruri directed her eyes to her Monster, who easily broke out of Chain Giraffe's chains. With a sickening smile, she witnessed her Monster gain her Attack back.

 **Independent Nightingale: 1000-3000 Atk**

"Battle! Independent Nightingale, attack Entermate Chain Giraffe!" Ruri commanded her Monster, who nodded her head and jumped into the air, spinning around and unleashing sharp feathers at Yuto's Monster, destroying it easily.

Yuto made no reaction whatsoever and didn't even use the effect of Hermit Crab Landlord. Whether Yuto's mind had broke apart in the Duel Ruri didn't know and didn't care.

"I activate Independent Nightingale's effect! I inflict 800 damage to you once again!" Ruri reused her Monster's effect as Yuto's d-wheel was hit by a wave of energy head on, this time not even making an effort to dodge.

Yuto let out a grunt as his life was reduced little by little.

 **Yuto: 1800-1000 LP**

Instead of the pained face that Ruri wanted him to make, the wielder of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon merely gave a malicious smirk.

"I...I end my turn…" Ruri soon began to find herself startled. She even found her own hand trembling. _Her_ hand.

" **What's wrong? Is the little insect starting to get scared?"** Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, and Yuya's voice taunted in unison.

Ruri's ears perked up as she could have sworn she heard the voices of 3 other people speak at the same time as Yuto, saying the exact same things.

"Wh-What the hell are you?!"

" **What am I?"** Yuto repeated, before beginning to chuckle darkly. There was a hint of bloodlust in that chuckle of his, and it far surpassed the amount of bloodlust that Ruri could ever release. " **I am the one whose name inflicts fear! Wherever there is darkness, I will be there! Wherever there is sin, I will be there! So who am I?"**

" **I am the devil's incarnate! And the reincarnation of the Supreme King who wreaked havoc on the world years ago! Now, it's time for you to die you spineless coward!"**

Yuto placed a Card on the top of his Deck, the dark aura surrounding him becoming more pronounced. " **My turn…"**

" _ **My turn…"**_

" _ **My turn…"**_

" _ **My turn…"**_

" _ **DRAW!"**_ The four Yu-boys howled.

" **I, using the already set Scale 2 Entermate Hermit Crab Landlord and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale!"** Yuto slammed the second Pendulum Card onto the right end of his Duel Disk, resetting the Pendulum Scale. " **With this I can simultaneously Summon Monsters whose levels are from 3 to 7!"**

" _ **Swing! Pendulum of my soul…"**_ Yuri began the Pendulum chant.

" _ **Carve an arc of destruction across the ether!"**_ Yuya followed in perfect succession.

" _ **Pendulum Summon!"**_ Yugo finished.

" **Come forth! My Monster servants!"** Yuto raised his fist as two beams of light flew out of the portal.

" _ **First is the wondrous and beautiful dragon with dual-colored eyes! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon from the Hand!"**_ Yuya chanted as his ace Monster let out a roar of fury.

" **Revive from the Extra Deck, Dark Redemption Dragon!"** Yuto slapped the Card onto his Disk as the Monster rose behind him.

 **Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

"It's Yuya's dragon…" The boy who snuck onto the helicopter noted.

A low growling noise could be heard from Odd Eyes. It was glaring, right at Ruri, as if trying to scare her away. Ruri looked back in confusion and saw Odd Eyes' telling her to scram.

If that wasn't weird enough, Odd Eyes was whipping the tail near Yuto's head, as if it was ready to strike if anyone got too close. Was the dragon showing him affection?

The dragon was acting like it hadn't seen someone in a long time. But that was impossible, Odd Eyes has been with Yuto for a while now…

Unless that wasn't Yuto.

Yuto paid no attention to this action. In fact, he looked like he didn't even care.

"Wait a minute! How did you Summon Dark Redemption from the Extra Deck?!" Ruri enquired, thinking that Yuto was cheating. Unknown to her, Melissa has just asked the same question, but she was paying no heed to her or the audience, who were cheering like madmen and chanting the name of the person they wanted to win.

" **Dark Redemption Dragon is an Xyz-Pendulum Monster hybrid. When Dark Redemption is in the Extra Deck and I can Pendulum Summon a level 4 Monster, I can Pendulum Summon this Monster."** Yuto stated calmly before moving on, grabbing a Card in his Hand and sliding it into his Duel Disk.

" **I activate the Magic Card Phantom Knights Possession! Using this Card, I can give an Xyz Monster the level of a Monster I control!"** Yuto informed Ruri.

" _ **I grant Dark Redemption the level of Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, 7!"**_ Yuya spoke, with Ruri once again hearing for just a split second 3 other people talking at the same time as Yuto, the person she was hearing in reality.

 **Dark Redemption: Rank 4-Level 7**

"Giving an Xyz Monster a level?! Just what is Yuto planning?!" Melissa spectated. The sister of Kurosaki Shun was also asking this question internally.

" _ **I overlay the level 7 Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon…"**_ Yuri began.

" _ **And the now level 7 Dark Redemption Dragon!"**_ Yugo followed.

" _ **With these two Monsters, I construct the overlay network!"**_ Yuya finished as the two dragons on the Field flew into the portal that opened in front of him.

" **Dragon of dual colored eyes. Unleash the black scale of wrath, eradicate all opposing enemies! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! Dragon with eyes of rage! Supreme King Black Dragon-Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"** Yuto chanted as his Xyz Monster let out a loud shriek that caused shockwaves to flow throughout the surrounding area for people to feel.

 **Odd Eyes Rebellion: Rank 7, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

"Odd Eyes…Rebellion Dragon…" Ruri repeated the name of the dragon as it's vicious dual-colored eyes glared daggers into her soul.

"It's the dragon he used against me!" The cyan haired boy hanging off of Melissa's chopper realized.

" **I activate the Equip Magic Card Supreme King's Wings! I equip it to Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon! Now, this Card and the equipped Monster cannot be destroyed by Card effects!"** Two big light purple wings sprouted from the hybrid dragon's back.

" **Come, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"** Without even giving the command in what to do, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon sunk down a little bit and grabbed Yuto and his d-wheel with his hands. He sped up his flying speed, flying right past Independent Nightingale and Ruri, who gasped out of shock as the dragon of rebellion dropped Yuto not that far ahead of Ruri.

"He flew!" Melissa shrieked out of surprise.

"Nice one, Yuto!" Someone from the audience lifted his fist out of excitement.

"Ruri is putting on quite a show as well." A member of the Tosp said, taking a sip of his drink.

The spiky haired boy reached out and grabbed an approaching Action Card.

" **Battle!"** Yuto announced followed by Yuya, Yugo and Yuri saying their own parts respectively.

" _ **Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon…"**_

" _ **Attack and exterminate…"**_

" _ **Lyrilusc-Independent Nightingale!"**_

Odd Eyes Rebellion flew forward before shooting around, glaring at Independent Nightingale and digging his fangs into the ground. Flying full force at Ruri's Fusion Monster.

" **Action Magic, Extreme Sword activate! For the duration of the Battle Phase only, I give Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon 1000 Attack!"**

 **Odd Eyes Rebellion: 3000-4000 Atk**

"Action Magic, Attack Force!" Ruri countered with her own Action Card, "When a Monster I control battles a Monster with higher Attack, I can give my Monster 600 Attack during damage calculation only!"

 **Independent Nightingale: 3000-3600 Atk**

" **Rebellious Wrath Strike Disobey!"**

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon shot its fangs upwards, colliding with Independent Nightingale and finally destroying her.

Ruri screamed out of pain, as she was assaulted by stray purple electricity from Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon along with the sharp particles of her destroyed Monster.

Ruri clutched her head, which hurt the most out of all areas of her body. She writhed in agony as she leaned forward, putting one hand on the handlebar of her d-wheel to try and keep control of the vehicle, while using the other hand to try and ease the pain in her head.

 **Ruri: 1500-1100 LP**

" **I activate the effect of Supreme King's Wings! Once per Battle Phase, during either player's turn, when the equipped Monster destroys a Monster you control in battle, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to you!"** Yuto revealed the effect of his Equip Magic Card.

Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon opened its mouth and let out a roar, which released even more shockwaves. Ruri once again screeched out of pain, the pain she was enduring through becoming even more unbearable as time went on.

 **Ruri: 1100-100 LP**

Unknown to Yuto, the shockwaves destroyed the implant in his helmet.

However, nothing changed. The expression on Yuto's face was still filled with a distortment of anger and rage.

Ruri groaned as she closed her eyes and opened them again, her vision blurry, her d-wheel falling out of course at that moment, startling her. Ruri immediately reacted and regained control of her d-wheel. She suddenly gasped when she realized…

She had blacked out.

She widened her eyes when she saw a large dragon bearing similar colors to the ace Monster Yuto used. Speaking of whom, she had just realized that Yuto was now ahead of her. She looked down at her Duel Disk, surprised to see her with no Monster, 2 Cards in the Hand along with only having 100 life points.

Yuto, on the other hand, had a Monster on the Field named Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, to which Ruri noted was the same as that Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon he used in a past match. He had 1000 life points and his Scale 5 Entermate Chain Giraffe was now replaced with the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician.

Ruri checked her Grave, letting out a gasp of horror to see 2 Cards she had never seen before. Parasite Fusioner, and Lyrilusc-Independent Nightingale…

A Fusion Monster.

Ruri suddenly realized why she blacked out. Academia was controlling her, and these 2 new Cards were the blank ones she had and kept ripping for all of this time.

It wasn't staying long after this Duel, that's for sure.

" **I end my turn."**

Ruri flinched, not only was Yuto's voice much deeper and filled with anger and hatred, she heard 3 other people! And one of the voices brought chills to her spine.

It was the same voice of the boy who captured her back in the Xyz Dimension!

But why? Was he here? And why was Ruri hearing 3 other people alongside Yuto.

It was at this moment Ruri noticed her blinking bracelet. She narrowed her eyes at Yuto, suddenly noticing his hair standing up more along with a dark aura surrounding him.

"Yuto!" Ruri pressed her foot on the gas pedal, speeding up to catch up to Yuto, who was going at a steady speed, still fast enough to originally outspeed Ruri, but now the Lyrilusc user was catching up to him. "Yuto! What's going on?!"

She felt a chill in her spine when she heard a feral growl coming from Yuto, who nudged his head to face her. Their eyes met, and it wasn't the kind and determined eyes of Yuto that Ruri normally saw.

They were determined, yes. But these eyes looked like they wanted to hurt and destroy, not help.

She found herself slowing down before realizing her descending speed. She began to stay at a constant pace, making sure to not lose any more distance from Yuto.

"Oi, oi! Ruri! What's taking you so long?!" The booming voice of Melissa caused a Ruri to almost jump out of her seat.

Melissa sighed, moving the mic away from her mouth, "Geez, what is with all of the stalling today?" Melissa moved her head down to see light cyan hair.

Melissa squealed out of fear, startling the owner of the hair, who was merely looking.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?! I GET THAT YOU WANTED TO GET A CLOSER LOOK BUT DOING THIS KIND OF STUFF IS DANGEROUS!" Melissa yelled at the boy, who was still ignoring her.

 _Annoying._ The boy thought to himself.

The drop from the helicopter to the road Yuto and Ruri were riding on wasn't actually that bad. The only way one would get injured is if they screwed up the jump and had a bad landing.

Melissa didn't know that, so that's why she screamed when she saw the boy with the lollipop in his mouth jump off the wheel of the helicopter.

Ruri let out a yelp as her d-wheel rumbled from someone landing on it. She turned her head to see a light cyan haired boy with a lollipop in his mouth sitting right behind her.

"Who are you?" Ruri questioned the boy, before directing her eyes to the boys clothes and wrist. The boy wore a blue jacket and had a Duel Disk in the form of a shield with yellow trimmings and a blue body. The Shield was a dead giveaway. "You're from Academia!"

Ruri panicked and purposely swerved her d-wheel from left to right, trying to shake Sora off of her Duel Disk.

"Oi! Stop!" The boy pleaded, clutching onto Ruri's shoulders to hang on, "I'm a comrade of Yuto's!"

Ruri froze, putting the d-wheel back in place, "Comrade of Yuto's? Liar! Why would Yuto align himself with someone from Academia?!"

"It's...complicated, but I have no time to explain! My name is Shiunin Sora!" The boy now known as Sora brushed off the topic and continued, "Whatever is happening to Yuto right now, I've seen it firsthand before."

"Then how do I return him to normal?!" Ruri quickly demanded.

"I don't know. But if I were to guess, he'll snap out of it if either the Duel ends or you beat some sense into him. And maybe a few words will help too." Sora answered the question as best as he could, not even sure of the answer himself.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"Look, I have no way of proving to you that I am trustworthy! In fact, Yuto doesn't even trust me that much! But I can't do anything to help him! I have to protect Serena, Hiragi Yuzu and you from the Obelisk Force!"

"The Obelisk Force…" Ruri whispered with a confused tone before the memory came back to her of members of the Obelisk Force flying in, "Don't tell me even more are coming!"

"I don't know how much are coming, but it's clear they want to force you out of your hiding spot and capture you that way." Sora replied, "I'm counting on you!"

"Wait!" But Sora did not listen, by the time Ruri turned her head back around, Sora was already gone. She looked back ahead to where Yuto was ahead.

 _So...something really is wrong with Yuto...Then as his friend and comrade, I will return him to normal!_ Ruri nodded her head as she drew the top Card of her Deck. She eyed the drawn Card of her Deck and immediately slid it into her Duel Disk.

"I activate the Magic Card Lyrilusc-Revival! I get to Special Summon a

Lyrilusc Monster sleeping in my Graveyard! Revive, Lyrilusc-Assembly Nightingale! Next, I activate the Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force! Using this Card and a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster I control, I get to Xyz Summon a Lyrilusc Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 higher than Assembly Nightingale's!"

"Ruri performs one of her signature Rank-Up Xyz Summons!" Melissa commentated.

"Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 2, Lyrilusc-Private Nightingale!" Ruri raised her hand as her new Xyz Monster flew down onto the Field.

The Monster looked almost identical to Assembly Nightingale, except wherever there was pink and bright yellow on Assembly Nightingale, it was replaced with green and red respectively.

 **Private Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"Private Nightingale gains 100 Attack for every overlay unit she has!"

 **Private Nightingale: 0-200 Atk**

"When Private Nightingale is Special Summoned, I can target a Monster you control Private Nightingale gains the Attack of the targeted Monster! I target the 3000 Attack Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon!" Ruri pointed her finger at Yuto's Monster.

 **Private Nightingale: 200-3200 Atk**

"Attack, Private Nightingale!" On the female Xyz Duelist's command leaped into the air, flapping her wings, flying towards Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, who had his fangs ready.

Private Nightingale dove under Rebellion Dragon's chin and used her talons to slice off Rebellion Dragon's fangs, before leaping up into the air to slice at the dragon's head. The dragon moaned and cried out of pain as it was destroyed.

This time, Yuto did make a reaction. He actually let out a cry of pain.

 **Yuto: 1000-800 LP**

To Ruri's surprise, a purple ball of lightning appeared out of the dust cloud that formed when Rebellion Dragon had fallen. Yuto jerked his head down to glare at Ruri.

" **At this moment, Supreme King's Wings final effect activates!"** Yuto revealed to Ruri.

"Final effect?!" Ruri's breathing halted when she heard that.

" _ **When the equipped Monster is destroyed by a Monster in battle…"**_ Yuya managed to blurt out.

" _ **I can destroy the Monster that destroyed it…"**_ Yugo followed Yuya, gritting his teeth hard that they looked like they could come clean out of his mouth.

" _ **And then you take damage equal to the amount of Attack the Monster had on the Field!"**_ Yuri finished the explanation of the effect as all four dimensional counterparts lifted their heads up to say one thing.

" **Fall! And go squirm in the mud with that spineless insect!"**

A large explosion occurred. This explosion enveloped Ruri, her Monster, and Yuto, making it so Melissa couldn't see either of the three.

"It seems that Yuto has the game in the bag!" Melissa exclaimed, earning jeers from the people who wanted Ruri to win. "Wait!" Melissa paused when she saw the cloud of dust disappear, with nothing changed at all except for Ruri's Monster having one less overlay unit. "Kurosaki Ruri is still in the game ladies and gentlemen!"

 **Private Nightingale: 3200-3100 Atk**

" **Why?! Why does your Monster still remain?!"** Yuto questioned, the dark aura around him settling slightly and the blinding blue light in his eyes dimming slightly as well.

"Once during either player's turn, by detaching an overlay unit, Private Nightingale can't be destroyed by Card effects nor can I take effect damage for the rest of the turn!" Ruri revealed the effect of her Monster. "I end my turn."

" **No...I won't lose! I REFUSE TO LOSE! MY TURN!"** Yuto roared, sweeping the top Card off his Deck, " **I activate the effect of Phantom Knights Possession from my Graveyard! By banishing this Card, I am allowed to take control of a Monster you control until the end of the turn! Now, serve me! Lyrilusc-Private Nightingale!"**

"Unfortunately for you, Private Nightingale can't be targeted by a Card effects as long as she has an overlay unit." Ruri told her friend, who growled out of annoyance.

" **RAAAAHHH! I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS INSUBORDINATION ANY LONGER! If I can Pendulum Summon a level 7 Monster, I am allowed to Pendulum Summon Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon! Pendulum Summon! Appear, Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"**

The dragon flew out of the portal that opened above Yuto, returning to the Field once more. Along with Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, another beam flew out of the portal.

" **Appear! From my Hand, Entermate Drumm-ARGH!"** Yuto let out a cry of pain as he stuck his hands to his face, experiencing a sharp pain in his head, " **No...not now of all times…"**

The dark aura receded more, and Yuto's hair stopped flowing upwards. However, Yuto's eyes still glowed bright blue.

Yuto rigorously nodded his head many times, before continuing, "From my Hand, Entermate Drumming Kong!"

 **Drumming Kong: Level 5, 1600 Atk, 900 Def**

Ruri noted Yuto's voice didn't carry as much venom and anger as it did just a minute ago. It seemed like the real Yuto was trying to come back!

"Battle! Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack Lyrilusc-Private Nightingale! Next, I activate the effect of Entermate Drumming Kong! Once per turn, when a. Ouster I control battles, I can have it gain 600 Attack!" Yuto explained, his eyes dimming slightly as he clutched his head, taking deep breaths as he did so.

 **Odd Eyes Rebellion: 3000-3600 Atk**

"No...Stop...Ruri…" Yuto managed to get out before crying out in pain, shooting up his head again with a look of fury on his face.

"ODD EYES REBELLION DRAGON! FINISH THIS DUEL! REBELLIOUS WRATH STRIKE DISOBEY!" Yuto screamed at the top of his lungs as his Monster dove straight for Private Nightingale. Yuto clutched his chest, breathing heavily once again as his d-wheel began to slow down.

Ruri saw Yuto's face at that moment. It was constantly getting pale, and it slowly but surely, it was getting more pale by the second. Yuto began to cough uncontrollably as his started to twist out of pain. Ruri widened her eyes when she saw the translucent image of a boy with green and red hair floating next to Yuto, making the same actions he was.

The next thing Ruri knew, she was riding alongside Yuto, whether he had slowed down or she had sped up she did not know. All she knew was that Yuto was in pain and she had to do something about it.

She began to see the image of the green and red haired boy began to disappear, she reacted quickly and grabbed Yuto hard on the wrist. Her bracelet glowed a bright light, enveloping the area and blinding both her and Yuto.

Everything was silent, until Ruri began to hear the horrible sound of screaming.

" _AAAAAAHHHHHHH! MY HEAD! MY HEAD! IT'S LIKE I'M BEING RIPPED APART! YUTO! YUTO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"_ The voice sounded concerned for Yuto. Another loud scream from the boy followed by a scream from Yuto occurred.

And then silence.

When the bright light dissipated, Ruri found Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon and Lyrilusc-Prime Nightingale were no longer on the Field. She looked down at her Duel Disk to see what happened.

 **Ruri: 200-0 LP**

She lost.

But she didn't care about that. She turned her head to see Yuto's head lying down forward on his d-wheel, eyes closed. She let go of his wrist, confused and a little spooked at what just happened.

Soon, the two arrived at the stadium and not long after their d-wheels parked automatically, Yuto woke up.

The first thing he was met with was blurred vision and a throbbing head that hurt like a bitch. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered Yuto at the moment.

It was the fact that for some reason, he didn't feel right.

He felt like something was missing.

He felt...empty.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **So, before we begin, I would like to point out I changed the effects of three Cards. Well, the third Card had a change that I forgot to implement when I first introduced the Card.**

 **The first Card is Independent Nightingale. As you saw in the chapter, I changed the burn damage effect cause one, if that Monster gains 500 Attack for each level it has, then it should not have an effect that does the same with damage! I mean sure, I've made some broken Cards in the past...ok I'll shut up, but still! I think that 200 damage for every level is better than 500!**

 **The second Card is Supreme Kong's Wings. Now, the second effect in conjunction with the fact that it gives destruction immunity to effects and that it's a nuke when the equipped Monster is destroyed is too much. So inflict 1000 damage when destroying a Monster in battle once per turn is fine.**

 **The third Card is Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon. So, this change I planned on adding when I first had Rebellion Dragon appear, but I forgot the change due to some crap that was going on and I never remembered until now. But basically, if you can Pendulum Summon level 7, as long as Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon is faceup in your Extra Deck, you can Pendulum Summon it.**

 **Now for the custom Cards.**

 **Lyrilusc-Battle Xyz, Trap: You can only activate this Card if a Lyrilusc Monster you control is attacked by an opponent's Monster, Xyz Summon a Lyrilusc Monster from your Extra Deck using Monsters you control. When an opponent's Monsters declared an attack on a Lyrilusc Monster you control while this Card is in the Grave, you can banish this Card and 2 other Lyrilusc Cards from your Grave, negate the attack and destroy the attacking Monster. Then, draw 2 Cards.**

 **Lyrilusc-Revival, Magic: Special Summon a Lyrilusc Monster in your Graveyard. When this Card is in the Graveyard, except during the turn it is sent, you can activate this effect: Banish this Card from the Graveyard, add up to 3 Lyrilusc Monsters in your Grave to your Hand.**

 **Lyrilusc-Private Nightingale, Xyz, Winged-Beast, Wind: 2 or more level 2 Monsters; This Card gains 100 Attack for every overlay unit it has. When this Card is Special Summoned, target a Monster your opponent controls, this Card gains that Monster's current Attack. Once during either player's turn, you can detach an overlay unit from this Card, you take no effect damage for the rest of the turn and this Card cannot be destroyed by Card effects. As long as this Card as an overlay unit, this Card can't be targeted by Card effects.**

* * *

 **Alright, how long has it been? 20 days? I don't know.**

 **But for some reason I found that I had a case of writer's block for this story. I found the inspiration to write again not that long ago, so I should be fine now.**

 **Anyways, sorry if this chapter seems out of whack, I guess I've a little out of it for the past couple of days.**

 **Alright, so forgetting that, I also need to mention, the scene in the anime where some weird shit is happening to Yuya's brain and it could result in his death or memory loss will be added in later maybe. I felt like that scene greatly showed how cruel Roget is and how he doesn't care about what happens to his pawns. He thinks that pawns are merely soldiers, tools, for the king to be able to use at his disposal however he likes. It's kind of symbolic that way.**

 **And one more thing, it should be obvious why, but if you're wondering why I'm literally milking the f*ck out of Ruri and giving her OC Cards left and right, it's because Ruri literally has shown 6! FUCKING! CARDS that were her own and not given to her from stupid parasite bullshit.**

 **Which brings me into my next point, if you guys were disappointed that Ruri got controlled by a parasite, AND I KNOW THERE ARE A FEW, then you'll be happy to know that the reason why I did this is so I can get rid of the parasite. Yes, Yuto's berserk mode killed the parasite from Odd Eyes Rebellion's attacks, REJOICE! And don't worry, Yuto and Ruri will definitely Duel again, maybe even 2 more times if you guys are lucky.**

 **Anyways, with all of that shit out of the way, let's move to the response things. Oh yeah, I know I already said this the last time I posted a chapter, but Happy Late New Years.**

 **Critical Guest (From now on I think I'll call you CG): First of all, in case you were having thoughts about this, no, you're not the reason I went on writer's block. If anything, I'm actually glad you actually criticized the early chapters, I know that they suck ass, but I barely have any time to actually edit chapters. I've been slowly trying to edit them, but that's going to take a while, and since no actually bothered to criticize the early chapters that much in terms of pointing out spelling and grammatical errors, I don't look back on the chapters after they are posted. Anyways, some of the stuff that you have stated were actually things on my mind when I was writing before you first reviewed, but since no one actually seemed to be bothered by the shit, I assumed it was ok. Sorry if it bothered you that much. Oh yeah, and for the record, I type most of my chapters on an iPad now cause for some reason it is much more productive on an iPad for me than a computer. But anyway, on my iPad, I normally have autocorrect so it can fix words that I've spelled wrong, but sometimes, it pulls shit like that where it changes the names. Like, I remember a numerous amount of times that Yuya's name was autocorrected to Yuma and Yuto's was corrected to Yugo and vice versa.**

 **Skadi: Honestly, if the Obelisk Force didn't Duel like absolute fodder, than the good guys would not actually be able to beat them in a 1v3.**

 **Matrixnis: Nice to see you again. Honestly, it's just Security, and the next time I have the Obelisk Force, I'll TRY to have them act like a challenge.**

 **Thetiger39: I've already had a rematch between Yuzu and Yuri in my head.**

 **DG: First off, thank you for your kind review, it actually kind of jolted me out of my writer's block a little bit. Anyway, unfortunately, I am not going to be adding any more characters from the other series because this fanfic already has a lot of people to work with. Plus, I said I wasn't going to be adding VRAINS characters...or did I not say that before, I don't remember. But having Vector is actually SUCH a good idea, I'm kind of pissed I didn't think about it until now. Alas, it's too late now. Good suggestions though.**

 **That's all for now, hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**


	85. Signs of War

Empty.

A feeling that Yuto desired to never once feel on his life. If he were to feel emptiness, it could be classified as a corpse. After all, a corpse is empty. It has no soul. All that a corpse is the decomposing body and the skeleton that lies within.

As soon as he woke to that feeling of emptiness, he knew something was wrong.

As he woke up, he couldn't see clearly. It was as if something had hit him hard in the head. His ears were ringing as well, and it took awhile for them to adjust. Every moment he couldn't hear anything except the ringing felt like a moment wasted that could have been used to learn something useful.

"-to!"

He jumped out off his seat startled. Was he hearing things, or was that actually someone yelling. Moments later, the calls continued, and they became more clear.

"Yuto!"

His vision returned at that moment, and so did his hearing. He was immediately met by the sound of applause and cheering from the audience, mixed with chants of his name. That wasn't what he heard though.

"Yuto!"

This voice sounded much closer. And much more comforting and familiar at the same time.

The Phantom Knights user cocked his head to the left, seeing Ruri, letting out a sigh of relief. He then suddenly saw the big picture.

By big, he meant the two big brutes restraining her by the arm, but Ruri seemed to pay no heed to that. All of her attention was on him, Yuto. He opened his mouth to speak...

"..."

But nothing came out. All that was in his mind was the image of her being taken away. He then had the image of something he definitely didn't want to see.

His face. Same eyes. Same hair color. Same clothes. All but one thing…

The wicked grin on his face. The wicked grin that he wore as he stood over a collapsed Ruri, beaten, battered, and dirty from falling into debris after losing a Duel.

To him, he all but didn't want to assume. And then he saw Ruri being picked up, before being met by the wicked smile, as his body. His body. Turned into light blue and disappeared from his eyes. Along with Ruri.

 _No. That won't happen again!_

Yuto jumped off his seat (the restraints were removed once Ruri's-wheel parked), making a mad dash for the two men restraining Ruri, much to the latter's surprise. The Xyz Duelist ran so fast that he appeared as a blur to the two guards, and even Ruri could barely keep up with his movements.

The next thing Ruri knew, her arms were released, and Yuto had grabbed her hand. He directed her to his d-wheel. He sat in the front while Yuto placed Ruri in the back, with her Duel Disk in hand and Deck already inserted.

He slammed the gas pedal.

And they were gone before Melissa or anyone else could do anything about it.

As they sped out of the stadium, Ruri looked with a look of confusion at Yuto's back, surprised that he would do something like this. This was one of the only times she has seen Yuto lose his cool like this. Was he still acting weird like in their Duel?

"Yuto! What are you doing? You know Academia is looking for me!" Ruri protested at Yuto's rash actions, wrapping her arms around his body and leaning forward so the chances of falling off were reduced.

Yuto closed his eyes, "I know. But if you go down into the underground, Security could just as easily try to capture you and Serena. They could use both of you as bargaining chips against Academia."

"But brother and some of your comrades are down there, right? They could easily protect me if Security were to arrive. Besides, I'm not so weak that I need a babysitter all the time!" Ruri exclaimed out of frustration.

"I know...You are strong...very strong. Hell, in some situations, you could probably beat me in a Duel. You have before. I'm aware of your strength, it's just…"

Yuto grit his teeth, forming a tight fist with his right hand before loosening it and moving over to Ruri's hands. He gripped both of them tightly, not wanting to let go.

"I already had you taken away once. I don't want that to happen again."

Ruri's face turned from an expression of frustration to one of surprise.

"I see...I'm sorry." Ruri apologized, realizing her misconception about the boy's actions. This wasn't the monster that she was Dueling. It was her dear comrade. Her friend.

"It's fine. Now that I have the chance to ask you, what the hell happened to you during that Duel?" Yuto switched gears at the other topic that was ramming against their skulls.

"I don't know, I just blacked out," Ruri stated before raising an eyebrow, "And I could ask you the same question. I was scared, Yuto. You…"

Ruri caught herself. Mentioning what Yuto had said was going to worsen his mood. Telling him about what he said would make Yuto afraid of himself.

Ruri winced as the words of the seemingly possessed Yuto echoed in her head…

" _ **I am the one whose name inflicts fear! Wherever there is darkness, I will be there! Wherever there is sin, I will be there! So who am I? I am the devil's incarnate! And the reincarnation of the Supreme King who wreaked havoc on the world years ago!"**_

What did that mean? And why was her bracelet shining when all of this was happening? All of this made no sense and it was driving Ruri crazy!

Was Yuto really what he had said, a reincarnation of something called the Supreme King? No, Yuto didn't say. Ruri knew that. That demonic voice, the dark aura of an intent to destroy everything…that was anything _but_ Yuto.

But if that wasn't Yuto...then what was it?

What Yuto had said next only gave further evidence to believe that the person she was facing for the last turns of the Duel was _not_ the Xyz Duelist that Ruri had known and grown to love.

"I also blacked out at some point. I woke up to in the stadium…"

Ruri would have let out a sigh of relief, but held her breath so Yuto wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"Actually...no...I think I was temporarily conscious…" Ruri paled at the statement, "I...saw complete darkness...and I heard a voice trying to tempt me to 'give in'. Then, I could have sworn I heard someone else yelling…"

Ruri continued to listen as she retracted her hands, turning her attention to the Duel Disk that she was clutching this entire time. She proceeded to remove all of the Cards from the Grave and such, adding them back to her Deck. However, during this process, she froze when she came across two Cards.

Parasite Fusioner and Lyrilusc-Independent Nightingale.

These were the two blank Cards, Ruri was sure of it. But why could she see them now?

Ruri's immediate instinct was to take the Cards and rip them to shreds, but she stopped herself. During her stay at Academia, she was always caught when she ripped up the Cards. She knew that the tower she was trapped in was under surveillance by a single camera, but even that had a blind spot.

Ruri usually ripped the Cards under the camera's blind spots yet she was somehow always caught. It was clear that these two Cards are Academia's own creations. It wouldn't surprise her if Academia ha somehow programmed a tracker into the Card. It sounded absurd, but she was currently fighting in a war against people from ANOTHER DIMENSION, using the game Duel Monsters as a means of attack and defense.

Hell, if she remembered correctly, in the war, planes and tanks tried to attack the many Ancient Gear Chaos Giants, only to fail and be destroyed.

Academia didn't just Card people. They also ruthlessly murdered those in the planes and tanks, or others who were crushed by collapsing structures, fired, etc.

Ruri stared at the Cards, before looking at Yuto, remembering how he used a Fusion Monster in the Duel against Duel Chaser 227. Ruri knew that there was nothing with using Fusion. It was just a Summoning method. It was only abused by the soldiers of Academia, and that painted the method in a bad light for the Xyz Duelists.

Ruri took Independent Nightingale and put it into her Deck slot which was strapped to her left leg. She glared at Parasite Fusioner for a very long time.

If she was ever going to use Fusion, it was never going to be with this Card!

Ruri held her hand off the side of the d-wheel, dropping the Parasite Fusioner Card, which was taken by the wind and blown into the Commons area.

"Yuto, don't worry about whatever is happening. We're together again, and that's all that matters."

Yuto gave a small smile of gratitude.

"Thank you, Ruri."

Minutes of driving later, the two saw a flash of purple light followed by an angry yell of a familiar voice to both Yuto and Ruri, the former hearing in many times before and the latter hearing it from his Duels in the Friendship Cup.

It was Yugo.

* * *

 **Rooftops-Commons**

Yuri gasped as he found himself back in the place where he was before that weird feeling came. What _did_ happen anyway?

He looked around, eventually seeming multiple yellow lights in the sky. Yuri narrowed his eyes at the sight of this.

"The Obelisk Force? I thought Darkness, Shiunin Sora, and I were going to take care Ruri, Serena, and Hiragi Yuzu…" Yuri trailed off. If there were Obelisk Force members here, then that meant someone was in this dimension commanding them.

 _Barrett._ Yuri assumed internally. The Fusion Duelist looked down at his Duel Disk, he had received a message from Barrett.

The message basically said that there was a change of plans. The Professor still needed more Carded souls in order to fuel that stupid reactor Yuri constantly saw the man stare at. As a result, they were going to plunge the Synchro Dimension into a big battle just like the Xyz Dimension, to Card more people _and_ draw out the three needed girls.

He also noticed that Barrett had added that Rin was at the frontlines, as she was a more than capable Duelist.

"I've found you, bastard!" The familiar voice of an angry Yugo rang through Yuri's ears, causing him to look up from his Duel Disk. Here he was, Rin's overprotective boyfriend. Yuri let out a grueling smirk as he saw Yugo's d-wheel fly into the air off of a wall.

Yugo glared daggers at Yuri as his d-wheel plummeted to the roof Yuri was standing on. He hit the breaks on his d-wheel and stopped it abruptly. The holder of Clear Wing forced off his helmet as he gave Yuri a look of disgust.

Yuri turned around to face the Synchro Duelist. Originally, he wasn't interested in the guy, but after that weird feeling, he had some sort of...attachment, to the boy who shared his face.

Yuri chuckled to himself, preparing himself to push Yugo's buttons, hoping to get a funny reaction, "Who are you again?"

"I'm Yugo!"

"Oh? Fusion? So you use Fusion as well?" Yuri drawled, putting his arms behind his back.

What he got from this wasn't he was expecting.

"You already know I don't use Fusion, you piece of shit!" Yugo's eyebrows furrowed even more out of sheer anger. Yuri could clearly see all of the anger drawn over his face.

"Hmm? Hey, you know, until now I had the feeling that I was Dueling." Yuri spoke as he took a couple of shaky steps backwards, as if to taunt Yugo. "I wonder...was my opponent you?"

Yugo's eyebrows raised slightly out of confusion, murmuring something Yuri could just barely hear, "I had that same feeling too just now…"

Yugo shook his head rapidly, once again directing his attention to Yuri.

"But all of that doesn't matter now! Now, tell me, where the hell is Rin?!" Yugo interrogated.

"Sure, but under one condition." Yuri raised a single finger.

"A condition?" Yugo narrowed his eyes.

"I'll tell you where Rin is, if you tell me where Hiragi Yuzu is." Yuri proposed, "I saw her being taken somewhere, but I don't know if she is there anymore."

At Yugo's silence, he sighed.

"Well, I didn't expect less. It doesn't matter anyhow, my comrades should be pursuing her as we speak."

"What?!" Yugo widened his eyes, before looking off to the side. Were those lights he saw in the sky just soldiers of Academia?

"You know what, I'm feeling generous. I'm sure you'll love this! Rin…"

A long gust of wind came into the area, as if to build up the tension building between the two lookalikes.

"Rin has sided with Academia."

Yugo immediately felt like he was hit by a truck. And he hated that feeling.

"Stop spewing bullshit! Rin would never side with people like you!" Yugo jabbed an accusing finger at Yuri.

"Heh? You know, Academia isn't bad as you think. A perfect world can be created from all of this. A world of peace. Justice. All of the Carding will be undone in the new world. Oh yes, and also, you'll have equality."

Yugo froze. That was the one thing he had secretly wished for his entire life! But his hatred for the Tops had drowned out that desire ages ago! He only rekindled a desire for equality after his Duel with Yuzu.

But Yugo didn't buy any of Yuri's bullshit.

"Stop messing with me! I know you're lying!" Yugo retorted.

"Suit yourself. You missed out on a good opportunity. Frankly, I don't care about the Professor's vision for the world. Me? I just want to be the strongest in all of the dimensions." Yuri grinned, which amped up Yugo's anger even more.

Yuri closed one eye as he held up a Card in his Hand.

"Anyway, I don't have anymore time to waste with you. Magic Card, Violet Flash, activate!" Yuri slipped the Card into his Duel Disk, causing a bright flash of purple to envelop the area. It was this light that Yuto and Ruri saw.

Yugo grunted and covered his face. When the light dissipated, Yugo brought down his arms.

"DON'T RUN AWAY YOU…" Yugo trailed off as he saw that Yuri was no longer in the area. He groaned out of annoyance as he slipped on his helmet, ready to get on his d-wheel and speed off in pursuit of Yuri. However, he froze when he heard someone calling out his name.

He turned around, seeing a purple d-wheel launch itself into the air, crashing onto the ground as Yugo saw the person-no, _people_ on it.

"Yuto! And...Rin!" Yugo's eyes lit up out of joy, immediately bolting for the long haired girl next to Yuto, only for the latter to step in front of Yugo, halting his run. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Ruri merely looked on with a dumbfounded expression on her face. However, she perked her ears up when she heard Yugo say the name Rin.

"Are you _that_ delusional that you can't tell the difference between Ruri and this Rin girl you know." Yuto chided Yugo lightly yet forcefully.

"What? But...they look exactly the same! Fuck, this person's like the third person who looks like Rin! First Yuzu, then that Fusion girl Serena who Yuzu Dueled, and now this person! What the hell is going on here?!" Yugo cried out loud.

"You know Rin?"

At Ruri's question, Yugo shoved Yuto to the side and grabbed Ruri's shoulders in a flash with an exuberant expression plastered on his face.

"Where's Rin?! Tell me, please!"

"I met her at Academia. She was captured also. We both were freed, but I blacked out, I found myself in this dimension. Rin might be in another dimension." Ruri stated.

"But that bastard said that Rin had sided with them!" Yugo growled under his breath.

"He's lying." Yuto butted in immediately, trying to lighten up his mood, "She hasn't joined Academia's side, at least not willingly. Ruri and I just had a Duel against each other in the Friendship Cup, and she went all weird in the Duel. We believe that she was controlled by Academia. And if Rin and Ruri were both captured, then I am sure Rin is being controlled as well."

Yugo's hand tightened into a fist, gritting his teeth from the pain of his nails digging into his skin.

"I guess this gives me another reason to beat the shit out of everyone Academia soldier I see! Including that guy!" Yugo raised his fist out of declaration. "This has gone too far!"

 _That guy…_ Yuto thought to himself before opening his mouth to speak.

"Yugo, this guy you're talking about...does he have the same face as us?"

"Yeah! And I'm sure it's the right guy this time!" Yugo assured Yuto with a fire in his eyes.

"It has to be him. It isn't Yuya because…"

Yuto took a deep breath. This was going to take a lot of explaining.

"Because Yuya is inside of me."

As expected, Yugo was confused. Yuto went onto tell him and Ruri about how after Yugo beat Yuya, the Standard Duelist practically disappeared into his arms. He also mentioned the mental link he and Yuya has, and how they can communicate with one another.

"If that's so…" Yugo murmured after learning about the mental link, "If you can really talk to that Yuya guy. Then can you tell him…" Yugo felt his breathing stop before letting out the rest of his wish, "I'm sorry for attacking him."

Yuto nodded his head, "Don't worry, I'm sure Yuya doesn't hold any ill feelings towards you."

 _Speaking of Yuya, where is he?_ Yuto then attempted to mentally call out to Yuya, but to no avail. He never got a response. It was as if Yuya was never in Yuto's head in the first place. Was this the empty feeling he had not too long ago, Yuya's disappearance? Did something bad happen to the boy? Did he cease to exist?

No, Yuto couldn't think like that. Maybe Yuya was just in a deep sleep within the dark corners of Yuto's mind. That was it. He was sure of it!

He tuned back in to hear Yugo's sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. Truth be told, that has been weighing down on me ever since my first conversation with Yuzu."

 _That's right, Yuzu and Serena!_ Yuto flinched. He had completely forgotten about the task at hand due to this conversation.

"Yugo! We need to go! Hiragi Yuzu, Serena, and Ruri are all in danger! Ruri and I are separated from our comrades, and we need as many people as we can get! Academia is invading this dimension as we speak! Who knows what they're going to do! So please...Yugo, lend me your strength!" Yuto pleaded the Synchro Duelist, clapping his hands together.

Yugo looked at his lookalike out of surprise, before giving his own smile and chuckle.

"Don't worry." Yuto looked up at his Synchro counterpart, who was giving him a thumbs up…

"I've got your back!"

Ruri smiled as she saw the two boys standing, with Yugo giving Yuto a high five out of excitement. She then noticed something.

From what she remembered during the Duel, she had heard three more voices speak along with Yuto. One was that boy who had captured her. And now Ruri recognized Yugo's voice as one of the two other boys. So...if this Yuya boy was really inside of Yuto, then was he the fourth person speaking?

Ruri brushed these topics to the side for now. At the moment, they could be facing the subjugation of the Xyz Dimension all over again!

They had no time to waste.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-In a Commons Alleyway**

"So the preparations are set?" The masked man going by the codename Darkness asked the man who he was talking with, the Doktor.

"Yes. You have the honor of sending the signal." The Doktor informed Darkness.

The masked man nodded his head, "And when does the fighting stop?"

"When Hiragi Yuzu, Kurosaki Ruri, and Serena are captured of course. Our goal is also to get rid of the Lancers, but that is a secondary priority."

Darkness narrowed his eyes, "And about Yuri's lookalikes?"

"Hoh? Why the interest? You haven't ever met his three counterparts once in your life."

Darkness frowned out of irritation, he really didn't want to state his reasons. The Doktor didn't know shit about it. So he stayed as cryptic as possible.

"Let's just say...I have some... _history_ with Yuri and his counterparts…"

"Really now? As I've stated, you've never met Yuri's counterparts before. So why do you _really_ want a hand at them?" The Doktor enquired his 'comrade'.

"I'm not obliged to answer." Darkness replied with a small smirk on his face.

"From what I remember, you always hated Yuri for how smug he acts despite your Dueling skills being superior to his?"

"From your logic, Doktor, you would be implying that I am disgusted by everyone aligned with Academia, except the Professor. Of course, everyone except the Professor would include you too. If _that_ is what you're implying…" Darkness let out a dark smile, "Then you're not wrong."

"You've always wanted to stab Yuri in the back, haven't you?"

"I've never thought of him or anyone else except the Professor as my comrade. In fact, the only person from your little group that I actually hold some sort of respect for is Barrett."

"Touché. Of course, I don't really respect the Professor in the slightest." The Doktor grinned, not bothered by Darkness' attitude in anyway.

"I know what you're up to with those parasites of yours."

"..."

The grin on the Doktor's face had disappeared, he had turned his back so Darkness couldn't see. The masked man could tell he made his mark however, and a smirk appeared on his face out of victory.

"You are aware that I can finish you whenever I want, right?" Darkness questioned the Doktor.

Let it be known to the world that there was nothing more silent than the Doktor at that moment.

The Doktor regained his composure and shoved the topic off to the side and moved to something else, beginning to walk away from Darkness.

"I have Rin at the ready. She is ready to assist you if needed." Darkness said as a silhouette walked into the alleyway, revealing themself to be Rin.

Darkness glanced at the girl, seeing that the Wind Witch user's eyes were now void of any emotion.

"Do you have that tracker on Ruri that you put on those two Cards?" Darkness asked curiously, wanting to see if the Doktor's reputation as a genius really lived up to its name.

"No. For some reason, one of my trackers were destroyed, and the other one is just sitting in one place, it surely isn't her. To make things worse, Ruri isn't under my control anymore."

"Anymore? We were never told that Ruri was under your control. What is the meaning of this?" Darkness took a step toward the Doktor, and indirectly Rin.

There was once again silence, and Darkness knew that the Doktor was sweating heavily, even in the dark.

Soon, the Doktor found the will to speak, however he once again changed the topic, "Whenever you are ready, send the signal for the attack."

Darkness nodded his head, deciding to put aside the Doktor's questionable allegiance to the Professor to the side for now. He raised his head to look at the sky.

The same night sky that had disappeared long ago. Deep inside his black heart, he had wished the sky was the same as it used to be.

But it will never be the same.

"The night sky will change. Just like how the four dimensions will change after the war is won."

* * *

 **Finished!**

 **So, the Fusion Dimension is going to launch an attack on the Synchro Dimension similar to the one on Xyz.**

 **So, this chapter is just a little interlude if you will, which is why there was no Duel.**

 **Now if you guys were wondering, next chapter, we will go into the underground. Now I'll say this now, the Duel with Tsukikage, Sora, and the Obelisk Force has happened already off screen. I won't show the Duel, but it still happened. As of right now, Tsukikage is already on his way to the underground.**

 **I also wanted to mention something else but I have forgotten it at the moment.**

 **One more thing, next chapter, we may have 'Darkness' first Duel. It won't be against anyone important. It will be against Duel Chaser 227, who unlike the other members of Security, isn't complete donkey cheeks as he gave Yuto and Yugo a run for their money.**

 **DG: Yes, I had Ryoga mention underground Dueling before. I had him mention that for two reasons. 1. So he could relate to the underground Dueling in Synchro. 2. To also show that even before Academia attacked, although Heartland was a pretty peaceful place, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.**

 **Skadi: Yugo will be facing Sergey if you forgot.**

 **Bridgey: The guys in the underground will be featured next chapter. For the record, Yuzu isn't the underground at the moment.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	86. Darkness Rises

"What? Is what you said really true?" The steel eyes of Kurosaki Shun met with Tsukikage's own. The ninja had just entered the underground facility. He was at the moment conversing in secret with Shun, Serena, Gongenzaka, and Sawatari. Crow had also decided to listen in on the conversation. Tokumatsu was beside them, with his arm in a cast, as he had injured himself badly in the Duel against Sergey.

Aki wasn't in the underground. Due to her forced allegiance with Roget, she got to immediately leave the underground. No one knew where she was.

Tsukikage nodded his head glumly. Serena narrowed her eyes, already knowing what the purpose behind the attack was. It was too obvious at this point.

"So me, Yuzu, and Kurosaki's sister are being targeted by Academia." Serena surmised, making eye contact with Tsukikage, all but seeing the answer in his eyes.

"More importantly, are Yuto and Ruri okay?" Shun demanded the ninja for an answer.

"I do not know, Kurosaki. However, I think both of them fled the stadium together." Tsukikage answered. Shun responded with a sigh of relief, clutching his chest as he did so.

"But what do we do now, we're stuck down here. And it's not like we can just break out of here…" Sawatari paused when he saw the look on Tsukikage's face, the lips of the extravagant Entertainment Duelist curled into a grin, "We're totally breaking out of here."

"And how are we going to escape with all of the guards?" Gongenzaka chimed in, saying his part. The group all went silent until the sound of footsteps leaving the group was heard. They turned to see Shun walking up to one of the guards nearby. He latched onto his collar, much to the man's shock.

"Hey! What are you-AAAAHHHHH!" The man screamed as he found himself being hurled over Shun's shoulder, crashing right into the back of another fellow guard.

The other guards in the area who saw this pulled out bats and began to all rush Shun at one. The older Kurosaki sibling got into a fighting stance as he easily oneshotted anyone who dared came close to him.

Crow grinned, "I can't let some guy from another dimension show me up! I have to give a good representation for the world I live in." And with that, Crow took off running to another handful of guards, all of whom were unaware of what was happening.

Tsukikage's ears perked up, hearing the sound of chains being wrapped around one's body. He turned to see Kurosaki being restrained by the wrists by these chains.

With great speed, Tsukikage drew his sword and dashed towards the the four guards surrounding Shun. He opened a pouch and pulled out two kunai and a smoke bomb. Tsukikage put one of the kunai in his mouth, clamping his teeth on the sharp end.

Tsukikage chuckled the smoke bomb followed by the second kunai in his hand. The smoke bomb crashed onto the ground, enveloping a Shun and the guards in a cloud of smoke as the kunai ripped one of the wires of Shun's chains.

The Fuuma ninja grasped the circular opening end of his kunai threw it over to Shun's other restraint, which was easily cut into two pieces.

The masked warrior went on the attack, knocking each guard unconscious with a slash to the back with his trusty sword.

The now freed Kurosaki immediately went to taking off the remainder of his restraints, strapping them off with ease. Kurosaki inched his head to the left to see his approaching comrades, with the exception of Crow who was beating the snot out of some guards.

In another area of the facility, Shinji had overhead a message about a riot. He turned to his friend Tony, who was immediately sent to the underground before the Friendship Cup. They glanced at each other and nodded. Now was the time for revolution.

"Guys! Catch!" Back with the Lancers a voice called as the members of the interdimensional group of soldiers quickly reacted. They reached their arms out and caught what was thrown at them. Their Duel Disks.

Gongenzaka had also caught Crow's Duel Disk as well, as the owner was top preoccupied to notice.

The sound of feet hitting the ground could be heard next to Shun.

Shun almost smiled when he saw the identity of the newcomer.

"Ryoga!"

The shark user gave Shun a smile of acknowledgement, before turning serious.

"Not much time to explain. Since Tsukikage's here, I assume you guys know about Academia's oncoming invasion?" After seeing the knowing looks he received, Ryoga continued, "Of course, their end goal is capturing Serena, Yuzu, and Ruri. Yuzu is hiding out with Reira-"

"She's fighting?!" Shun interjected out of surprise.

Ryoga merely nodded before continuing, "Yes. O'Brien is currently on route to meet up with the two. I don't know where Ruri is, but while outside, I overheard that announcer saying something about Yuto and Ruri Dueling."

Shun noticeably paled.

"Judging from how neither of them are here. I would assume that Ruri lost, but is not captured by Security, or that Yuto and Ruri ditched the stadium. Or maybe Yuto lost."

"Splitting up is our best bet." Shun proposed, knowing good battle tactics from the battles fought in Xyz.

"I agree." Tsukikage nodded his head as he began to count the people.

Shun, Ryoga, Serena, Sawatari, Gongenzaka, an injured Tokumatsu, and Crow.

Including himself, that made eight people. However, Tokumatsu was injured, so that brought them down a number.

Yuto and Ruri were presumably together, and Yuzu and Reira were with one another. O'Brien was on his way to meet up with the two girls as well. So the best move was…

Tsukikage raised his head, "Alright, it is decided. We _will_ split up." At that moment, Crow decided he was done, seeing other prisoners starting to rebel as well. He joined up with the rest of the group.

"Crow, you will go with Kurosaki and Ryoga. You three will keep guard of Serena _and_ search for Yuto and Ruri. Gongenzaka, Sawatari, the two of you will accompany me on the journey back to Hiragi Yuzu. She and Reira are in the subway."

"We should meet up in the central park in the Tops area." Gongenzaka suggested. Tsukikage nodded, knowing exactly what Gongenzaka was talking about. The ninja then turned to Tokumatsu.

"Tokumatsu-san, seeing as you are injured, it is best not to get involved with our affairs. One you reach the topside, go into hiding where no one can find you."

Before Tokumatsu could argue, Crow spoke up, "Actually, if you _are_ going to go into hiding...could you uhh...do me a favor." Crow reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a picture of him and three children he took care of it, "If you find kids who look like these, could you take them under your wing, and tell them that Crow sent you."

Tokumatsu raised an eyebrow, "And who would these young children be?"

"Those are the kids he fosters. He's like a parental figure to them." Sawatari stated with an actual serious look on his face, with a look of respect for Crow hidden in the expression of his face.

Tokumatsu made an 'ooh' sound of understanding before turning to Crow and bowing his head, "Leave it to me!"

Crow also nodded his head. This one was out of gratitude.

"Wait a minute…" Gongenzaka blurted out suddenly, "Where did Serena go?"

The others looked around, taken aback by Gongenzaka's statement and the fact that Serena was indeed not there.

 **(The rest is basically the same as in the anime)**

* * *

 **Later**

It was time. Darkness had just sent out the first signal for attack on the Synchro Dimension. Darkness smirked as he saw the Ancient Gear Monsters of the Obelisk Force appear from out of nowhere. Most of them were Chaos Giants, some of them were Ultimate Golems.

Then, a loud screaming followed the appearance of the Monsters.

It had begun. The battle of the Synchro Dimension was now underway.

There was a large group of people in that stadium where the tournament was being held. So, a couple of members of the Obelisk Force were already marching their way over to the stadium.

They had to use the element of surprise to their advantage, just like how they used it against Xyz. Sure, some of Academia's Duelists were lost in Xyz, but it was drastically reduced than if the residents of the Xyz Dimension had prep time.

Darkness turned his head to the aqua-haired girl near him, Rin.

"Let's get going. We have work to do."

"Yes."

Darkness and Rin had now joined the battle. Well, more like Rin was Carding some of the residents of the City while Darkness merely watched.

 _The Doktor... He's made this girl a blank slate. As expected of the pest._ Darkness thought to himself with a 'hmph' as the two continued along as fire began to sprout in areas around them.

"That's enough, Rin. You've had enough fun Carding people. Don't forget our objective of capturing your lookalike."

"I am aware." Rin stated blankly.

"Hold it right there!" A voice shouted out of anger.

Darkness sighed. Another fool who didn't care about their own life. Great, just what they needed right now. Darkness turned his head to see a guy in a gray tank top, wearing shades and a Security helmet.

"And who might you be, to have the audacity to challenge us?" Darkness questioned the new arrival.

The man thrusted his thumb to his chest, "I am Duel Chaser 227!"

Darkness chuckled, "How cute, a codename. I have a codename too you know. It's not right to have my real name revealed, it would just ruin the mystery. If you must know, my name is Darkness: And that's all you're going to be seeing after this is over."

Rin scowled, "I thought I was going to take care of the small fries?"

"Stand down." Darkness sent her a cold look before directing his attention to 227, "It's been a while since I've let loose. This idiot is the best candidate to…'test' my abilities."

Rin closed her eyes and made a gesture to have at it.

"What are you doing to my home?!" Duel Chaser 227 blurted out.

"What does it look like? Genocide? A complete subjugation of this dimension? Yes, it is."

"Dimension?" 227 repeated out of confusion.

"Yes, you hail from the Synchro Dimension, while I am from the Fusion Dimension."

"Synchro...and Fusion? Like the Summoning methods?"

Darkness nodded his head out of confirmation, "Correct. However, I have no time to spare you the details. Let's get this over with," Darkness threw his arm to the side, his Duel Disk activating as he did so.

227 also activated his Duel Disk, a drop of sweat rolling down his face now that he was face to face with this man. It could have just been the fact that there were screams flying around the area or the constant stomps of the metal giants, but 227 was only being frightened from the guy in front of him.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists recited in unison as a soft wind blew at the faces of the participants.

"I'll let you go first." Darkness opted.

The former officer flinched, but he didn't back down. He put his hand on one of the five Cards he held.

"I Summon Jutte Lord!"

 **Jutte Lord: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def**

"When Jutte Lord is Normal or Special Summoned, I can bring out another Jutte Monster from my Hand! Join me, the Tuner Monster Jutte Fighter!"

 **Jutte Fighter: Level 2, 700 Atk, 900 Def**

"I tune the level 4 Jutte Lord with the level 2 Tuner Monster Jutte Fighter!" Duel Chaser 227 raised his hand to the sky, "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 6, Goyo Catapult!"

 **Goyo Catapult: Level 6, 800 Atk, 2800 Def**

Duel Chaser 227 placed his Monster's Card sideways on his Duel Disk. When the Monster appeared, it took a defensive stance.

"I activate Goyo Catapult's effect! Once per turn, by sending a Card in my Hand to the Graveyard, I can inflict 600 damage to you! I send Assault Dog to the Grave!" Goyo Catapult threw a blue wave of energy towards Darkness. The wave collided, and Darkness merely withstood the entire thing, not budging one bit as his clothes blew behind him due to the shockwaves ensuing from the attack.

 **Darkness: 4000-3400 LP**

When all was said and done, Darkness brought a hand up to his clothes and dusted them off.

"I end my turn." 227 concluded.

Darkness didn't say anything about 227's turn as he put his hand on his Deck, "My turn, draw! I set a Monster and end my turn." On his command, a sideways facedown Card materialized in front of him before disappearing.

Duel Chaser 227 raised an eyebrow. That was it? No set Cards? Just a set Monster? There was something else going on here…

"My turn, draw! I switch Goyo Catapult into Attack Position and activate its effect! I send the level 4 Jutte Summoner to the Grave in order to inflict 600 damage to you!"

Another wave hit Darkness. Although this time, he actually held up a hand to cover himself.

 **Darkness: 3400-2800 LP**

"Next off, I activate the Monster effect of the Jutte Summoner who now rests in my Grave! By banishing this guy and a Tuner Monster from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck whose level is equal to the total amount of levels between the banished Monsters! Of course, I banish Jutte Fighter along with this Card!"

The spirits of his Monster rose from the Grave. Jutte Fighter turned into two ghostly rings while Jutte Summoner changed into four little bright stars which flew inside the circles. One flash of light rushing through the rings later, and Goyo Predator was now on the Field.

 **Goyo Predator: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Battle! Goyo Predator, attack the set Monster!" Goyo Predator threw his weapon at the Monster like a boomerang. The weapon hit the set Card and rebounded back to its owner. The set Monster revealed itself before crumbling into little pieces.

The Monster was a purple brick like machine, with its main body shaped like a cube. Around the creature a clear crystalline structure, which protected it.

Darkness thrusted his hand out towards his destroyed Monster, "I activate the Monster effect of the now destroyed Clear Cube! When this Card leaves the Field by method other than being released, then I can Special Summon another copy of this Card from my Hand or Deck!" Darkness slipped out an ejected Card from his Deck as he placed the Card on his Monster Zone. It was revealed to be another Clear Cube in Defense Position.

 **Clear Cube: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"I activate Goyo Predator's effect! When this Card destroys a Monster you control and sends it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the destroyed Monster to my Field! Come, in Defense Position, Clear Cube!" One of Duel Chaser 227's three remaining Zones was now occupied by the Clear Monster.

"Now! Goyo Catapult, attack Clear Cube!" 227's Monster hit the ground hard with it's weapon, causing shockwaves to rupture the ground. Darkness' Clear Cube was destroyed in it all.

Darkness once again used the effect of Clear Cube, this time Special Summoning the last copy from his Hand.

"I end my turn." 227 concluded with a smirk, "How's that? The power of Security! The power of I, Duel Chaser 227! By beating you here, I will prove my worth to the Chief! I will show that I am not just dead weight!"

"You want to prove your not just dead weight, huh? So this is your darkness." The masked Duelist from Academia muttered out loud.

"My...Darkness?" The former officer repeated, taken aback by the sudden statement.

"Where there is light, there is darkness. There is no such thing as a pure being in the world. Not this one, or any of the other dimensions. _Everyone_ has some sort of darkness hidden inside them. Darkness that they choose not to reveal. I suppose in that sense, this is the only thing that everyone has in common."

"Where the hell are you getting at with this?!" 227 narrowed his eyes at his masked opponent.

"I'm telling you to embrace the darkness. Just like how everyone has darkness, they cannot escape that darkness. It is fate that darkness catches up to them. That is, how all humans are, wouldn't you agree?"

Darkness sighed when he only received Duel Chaser 227's silence.

"It seems I'm the only person with this sentiment. Look at me, losing myself and beginning to monologue like an idiot." Darkness placed his hand on the top of his Deck as he drew his Card. He let out an evil grin when he saw the Card.

Rin saw this facial expression, _Has he finally got something? Finallt, has been so boring. I finally get to see some of the power of the so-called rival of the Professor._

"If my opponent controls a Monster, then I can Advance a Summon this Card with one release instead of two! I release the lone Clear Cube in order to Advance Summon Clear Vicious Knight!" Another Monster encased inside of a clear crystal appeared.

 **Clear Vicious Knight: Level 7, 2300 Atk, 1100 Def**

"I activate the Equip Magic Card Attribute Bomb! I equip to Vicious Knight! First off, I am required to declare an Attribute. If the equipped Monster were to battle a Monster you control with that Attribute, you will take 1000 damage!"

Duel Chaser 227's eyes widened under his shades as he let out a small gasp.

"I declare Earth! Now, my Monster, attack Goyo Catapult!" Clear Vicious Knight obeyed its master's orders. The crystal rushed over to said Monster. The knight phased through the surface of the crystal, thrusting its arm out with a blade extending from it. Goyo Catapult was stabbed an destroyed.

"AUGH!" 227 cried out of pain as he stumbled backwards from the explosion from the destruction of his Monster.

 **227: 4000-2500 LP**

"Goyo Catapult's Attribute was Earth! And so, due to the effect of Attribute Bomb, you take 1000 points of damage!" Darkness sneered as the blade of his Monster glowed a light blue.

Officer 227 let out a loud cry of pain as he felt the cold stinging feeling of blade grazing his chest. His tank top ripped, he looked down to see a small cut in his chest where blood was pouring out and trickling down his body.

 **227: 2500-1500 LP**

"Real damage?!" 227 murmured out of shock, holding his hand to his wound. His shock only increased when he saw the blood spread onto his fingers.

Darkness closed his eyes, albeit 227 couldn't see that due to his mask, which had green placid eyes which made practically no other expression at all, not even blinking. "My turn is done."

"M-My turn…" Duel Chaser 227 announced with a stutter, now spooked by the potential severity of this Duel. "I draw!" 227 looked at his Card with a pleading look. All of his fears were washed away when he saw the Card.

"Chief! I won't disappoint! First off, I Summon Trapart!" A circular brown disk appeared, with a green skinned witch appearing on both sides in perfect symmetry.

 **Trapart: Level 2, 600 Atk, 600 Def**

"I tune the level 1 Clear Cube with the level 2 Tuner Monster Trapart! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 3! Goyo Defender!" 227 declared the Summon of his Monster as yet another Synchro Monster appeared on his Field, replacing the two non-Synchro Monsters.

 **Goyo Defender: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Next, I activate the Magic Card Fusion! Using this Card, I fuse together the Goyo Defender and Goyo Predator on my Field! Fusion Summon! Behold, my strongest Monster gifted to me by the Chief! Level 10! Goyo Emperor!"

The colossal Fusion Monster towered over Darkness as he glanced up at it, meeting its menacing glare with a semi-interested look.

 **Goyo Emperor: Level 10, 3300 Atk, 2500 Def**

"Go, my ruler! Show the Chief how strong we can really be by beating this scoundrel!" The Fusion Monster 227 possessed obeyed, taking a deep breath before blowing fire out of his mouth, burning Clear Vicious Knight to death.

 **Darkness: 2800-1800 LP**

Officer 227 pointed at his attacking Monster, "When this Card destroys a Monster you control, I can Special Summon that Monster to my Field! Come and serve me, Clear Vicious Knight!"

Said Monster disappeared from Darkness' Field and reappeared on 227's Field. Darkness paid no need to this and merely stared at the Duel Chaser who was currently Dueling on foot.

It was at this moment when Rin finally made a reaction, her lips separating to forma gape in her mouth, "No way! Is he going to lose to this shrimp?!"

"Be finished off by your own Monster!" Duel Chaser 227 exclaimed as Clear Vicious Knight stuck its body out of its crystal body, pointing its blade at Darkness. The blade was now glowing blue. The blade released a ray of blue energy, which found itself connecting with Darkness' chest.

The victim of the attack let out a grunt as he endured the brunt of the attack. An explosion occurred, with the ensuing cloud enveloping and covering Darkness.

Duel Chaser 227 grinned. He raised his hand to the sky, letting out a cry, "Yes! I've won! I've finally proved my worth! Do you see it Chief?! Now you have no choice but to acknowledge my skills! I know you're watching this somehow!"

"Don't get overly excited just yet."

227's blood ran cold. Slowly, he shifted his head down to the dust cloud. In it, he saw a silhouette standing in the dust with its arms crossed.

"But how?!"

Darkness clicked his tongue in a mocking way, "It's simple. I activated the effect of the Clear Guardian in my Hand. When a direct attack is declared on me, I can send this Monster to the Graveyard and halve the battle damage."

 **Darkness: 1800-750 LP**

"Also, since Clear Vicious Knight battled with an Earth Monster while Attribute Bomb was equipped, you take 1000 damage." Darkness stated, much to 227's dismay.

 **227: 1500-500 LP**

"I...I have no choice but to end my turn…" 227 droned with a defeated expression on his face, as if he knew that he was going to lose next turn.

"You fought valiantly. Hell, I've got to even give you just a little credit. I wasn't expecting the Fusion Summon, and for one of Roget's followers, you're actually a little strong. However, comparing our strength is like comparing how much power a commoner has to the rich."

"Why you…" 227 cursed under his breath, thinking that Darkness was calling him a Commons, "I am not like the lowlife trash that lives below in the city slums! I am and always will be a topsider!"

Darkness ignored this statement and drew his Card. "I activate Clear Fusion! By banishing Clear Monsters with different names from my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Clear Monster from my Extra Deck! I banishing Clear Guardian and Clear Cube!"

A portal opened in front of Darkness. The spirits of the two declared Monsters appeared. They both flew into a vortex like formation as Darkness began a chant.

"Clear souls residing in the darkness! Accept each other's darkness and hatred and spread onward! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!"

 **Slithering Serpent: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

Rin covered her field of view as harsh gusts of wind flew throughout the area, smacking against the faces of everyone there.

Rin took a peek between her arms at Darkness, "Unbelievable...The shockwaves he's creating are so strong... It's unlike anything I've ever felt before…"

"This can't be real…" Duel Chaser 227 mused as he saw the Monster, which was a purple serpent with green eyes and black irises encased in a crystal surface like the other Clear Monsters. However, this surface had a darker tint to it.

"Oh all of this is real. As real as the ground we stand on. First off, this Card's effect treats it as a Monster with no Attribute!"

"What?! No Attribute?!" 227 gasped out of disbelief.

"Next, if this Card battles a Dark or Light Attribute Monster, you can negate the attack and destroy that Monster. Any other Attribute, then I can switch the Attack of our Monsters!" Darkness explained, causing 227 to retreat with a single step backwards, ready to make a run for it.

"M-My Monster's Attribute is Earth...so that means…"

"You've lost." Darkness said with a smirk as he declared battle, with his Monster slithering out of the crystal completely, wrapping around Goyo Emperor and biting it's neck.

 **Goyo Emperor: 3300-2400 Atk**

 **Slithering Serpent: 2400-3300 Atk**

Goyo Emperor let out a scream as it blew up into multiple particles. These particles spilled out and assaulted Duel Chaser 227, who yelled out of pain as he felt the remains of his Monster pelt at his clothes and skin. Blood from various doors on his body poured down like wildfire as 227 collapsed.

 **227: 500-0 LP**

As the Duel was over, Slithering Serpent withered away from the Field, as if it had never existed.

Darkness walked over to the now stationary body of Duel Chaser 227. Darkness brought his arm up as he lifted the finger of his other hand, shifting it over to a button on his Duel Disk.

"Any last words?"

"..."

"Good. Then experience true darkness in the depths of a Card!"

And with the click of a button, Duel Chaser 227 was permanently retired.

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **Jutte Summoner, Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def, Warrior, Earth, Tuner: When this Card is in the Graveyard, you can banish this Card and a non-Tuner Monster in your Graveyard. Synchro Summon a Monster from your Extra Deck whose level is equal to the level of the two banished Monsters.**

 **Clear Guardian, Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def, Rock, Dark: While this Card faceup on the Field, it is not treated as a Dark Monster. When your opponent declared a direct attack, you can send this Card to the Graveyard, halve the battle damage.**

 **Clear Fusion, Magic: By banishing Clear Monsters with different names from your Grave, you can Fusion Summon a Clear Monster that lists the banished Monsters as Materials. You can banish this Card from your Grave, then, you can Special Summon a Clear Fusion Monster in your Grave by returning two banished Clear Monsters to your Hand.**

 **Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent, Reptile, Dark:**

 **2 'Clear' Monsters.**

 **When this Card is faceup on the Field, it is not treated as a Dark Monster. If this Card battles a Light or Dark Monster, you can negate the attack and destroy that Monster. if this Card battles a Monster with any other Attribute, you can switch the Attack of both Monsters. When this Card is destroyed, you can Special Summon a Clear Monster in your Hand or in your Grave, except 'Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent'.**

* * *

 **Finished...not really**

 **Now, this chapter is 'unfinished'. I was originally going to put an extra couple of scenes, but I'll just put them in extra chapter.**

 **Now, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Card Catalog. I will fill that in...later. Definitely before the release of the next chapter though.**

 **For the record, Clear Fusion has an extra effect that will be stated on the Card Catalog.**

 **Now, no preview cause if I were to make one it could be misleading. These next couple of chapters will be hard to manage because I have to deal with a ton of characters and Duels.**

 **Now to be nice, I will confirm some of the people that will be Dueling next chapter, however I might have to split all of the Duels into separate chapters just so it is easier on me.**

 **Keep in mind that the matchups will not be revealed until next chapter.**

 **The confirmed characters Dueling: Yuto, Ruri, Darkness, Rin, Yugo, Yuri, Serena, Yuzu, Sergey, and Barrett.**

 **Yeah, definitely going to split up the Duels,and that might not even be all the characters. The Obelisk Force will Duel, as I need to give other characters some much needed spotlight.**

 **Skadi: 'Kill all Synchro users who don't use Mayakashi FTK'? That's literally...all of the Synchro users in the fanfic. Did you review the wrong person? Or did you mean something else?**

 **Bridgey: Teaming up between Yuto and Yugo, you mean?**

 **DG: Actually, when I first introduced Darkness, I literally had Dennis say the first two letters of his name before being cut off by his literally, Fujiwara (Yes I know that's his last name but I don't remember anyone in Gx who merely called him 'Yusuke') and Fubuki were the ones who were supposed to be theorized. Last thing, Ryoga won't Synchro Summon in this fic.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: Ok, I NEVER knew that Fubuki had the same English AND Japanese VA as Shadow. That's actually really cool now that I know it.**

 **That's all for now guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, take care, goodbye!**


	87. The Gathering

**Before going to the chapter, I wanted to say that there will be no Duel this chapter. This chapter will be used to set up the coming Duels which I will split to 2 a chapter or just 1 per chapter. I sounded really misleading last chapter and I am sorry for that. But this would take way too long if I tried to put a Duel in this chapter and I have to manage my time between life, this fic, my other fic, and also planning out said fics.**

 **Without any further delay, here is the short setup chapter...**

* * *

Darkness picked up the now Carded officer. An emotionless look was on his face as he gazed at the Card. Unlike most of the other soldiers, he didn't show any sort of emotion when Carding someone. And he certainly didn't see war as a game.

"Damn it! I wish I could have been the one to Card him," Darkness heard Rin mutter under her breath. He could tell without even looking that the girl was pouting.

The masked Duelist glanced down at his Duel Disk, seeing a message from Barrett. He scanned the contents of the message and narrowed his eyes.

 _In the subway…_

Darkness looked up from his Duel Disk and began to walk to a new destination, telling Rin to follow him.

"So? Where are we going this time?"

"To the subway." Darkness replied bluntly.

"Why?"

"Hiragi Yuzu has been found there along with a member of the Lancers. We can capture her and pick off a member of our greatest enemy."

"And what of the other two?" Rin pressed further, hoping to let loose and Duel one of her counterparts.

"Yuri is tracking down Hiragi Yuzu, while Shiunin Sora is after Serena." Darkness said no more. When he had sent Dennis to back to Academia, he could tell in Shiunin Sora's eyes that he was no longer an Academia soldier at heart. Deep down, he knew the Furnimal user was questioning Academia's methods and end goal.

"Also," Darkness added, "Knowing the Lancers, they are probably sending people to the subway to retrieve Hiragi Yuzu. I would assume that Yuri and Barrett are already there."

Rin's eyes brightened slightly when she came to a realization. A sadistic grin appeared on her face.

"Yugo is probably out for Yuri's neck. Maybe I could have some _fun_ with him."

When Roget defected from Academia and fled to the Synchro Dimension to build his own empire, he never expected himself to be in the situation he was currently in.

Academia was attacking, and some of the high-ranking soldiers knew about him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if some were actually assigned to execute him.

Then there was the escaping Yuto and Ruri. He could not activate the restraints because for some reason, the power to both Yuto's helmet and the restraints of all d-wheels were cut off. He had reason to believe that it was due to some part from the shockwaves he felt during Yuto and Ruri's Duel. However that was just speculation.

However, he did have a plan. And thank goodness he had modified Sergey to do his bidding only.

He really only needed one of the three girls to use as a bargaining chip. And he already knew where one of them was. Thanks to sightings of the Obelisk Force constantly marching into the subway, he knew that one of the girls was there, fighting for their freedom.

He had them where he wanted. In chess terms, it was a 'check', not a 'checkmate'.

However, with Sergey…

Roget would change that soon enough.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-With Yuto, Yugo, and Ruri**

Yuto peered down at his Duel Disk, seeing an message from Shark. He widened his eyes out of surprise, as he was 100% sure that the email feature on his Duel Disk was jammed thanks to Roget's tampering. But here it was, an email from a comrade.

He read the message he received, and let out a small gasp of shock. From what Ryoga had written, the Shark user and his comrades managed to escape the underground. Also, Serena was missing and Yuzu along with Reira were in the subway.

 _There's no doubt about it. If they are still in the subway, then Academia must be sending soldiers to apprehend Yuzu…_ Yuto deduced before closing his eyes, and making a silent promise to Yuya that he would at all costs get Yuzu back.

Ever since his Duel with Ruri, he found that his mental connection with Yuya was...severed. He no longer felt the Entermate Duelist's presence hanging around in the back of his head. It was as if he was never there.

He decided to keep the current situation on Yuya on hold for now, focusing on the task at hand.

"Guys." The Xyz Duelist called out to his companions, "We're heading to the subway. Yuzu and Reira are hiding out there. But it's only a manner of time before they run into trouble." Yuto turned his head to Ruri, "I already know that no matter what I say, you're gonna want to come with us, am I right?"

At Ruri's insistent nod, he sighed, before his lips curled into a smile.

"Alright then."

Yugo immediately felt his right hand quiver for a quick moment. This was just like the situation with Rin all over again. Yuzu was currently fighting for her safety and Yugo was nowhere to be found when she needed help the most.

 _No! I won't let that happen again! I won't let any of those bastards pay a finger on her!_ In Yugo's eyes burnt a new fire. A fire to not only protect Yuzu, but to amend for his past mistakes, particularly the accident he had with Yuya.

The 'death' of the Pendulum Duelist was weighing down on Yugo's conscious for a while now. This was the least he could do for the guy: Protect his precious people.

This, along with getting Rin back, was a vow he made to fulfill no matter what.

Yugo was so determined that he didn't even notice the sudden increase in speed from his d-wheel and the minutes that had passed. Thankfully, he focused back in on reality just in time to notice something while they were getting close to the subway.

Currently, they were driving in a park. It wasn't the Central Park, but it was still a popular place from what Yugo knew. However, currently, thanks to Academia and originally the Friendship Cup, the place was like a ghost town.

However, that wasn't what caught Yugo's eye. It was the small hoard of Obelisk Force soldiers making their way to the subway. From Yugo's point of view, there seemed to be only three soldiers, fortunately.

He noticed Yuto with Ruri speeding up along with him. Yuto and Yugo drove their d-wheels right in front of the Obelisk Force's path, halting the journey to the subway.

Yugo, Yuto, and Ruri, who was on the former's d-wheel, all faced the Obelisk Force and activated their Duel Disks. No one ushered one word except the declaration of the word 'Duel'.

* * *

 **Later**

The three members of the Obelisk Force laid defeated in front of them. The three victors of the Duel noted that the Obelisk Force picked up a bit of a fight. Hell, they even use different strategies from each other, something that caught the three off guard. In fact, if it wasn't for Ruri, Yuto was sure that he would have lost all of his life.

Yuto looked at the surrounding area, a hint of jealousy forming in his mind. It was a selfish thought. Very selfish. What he was thinking of. He noticed that despite Academia launching an attack on this dimension in a similar manner as the Xyz Dimension, the damage so far was nowhere near as bad as the damage done to Xyz.

A part of the Phantom Knights user felt glad that Yugo's homeland hadn't suffered the same fate as his own. Yet...at the same time, another part of Yuto was envious of the fact that his dimension was got the worse outcome. In fact...in a tiny corner of his heart, he wished that the outcomes of the attacks on both dimensions were reversed...

"You guys!" A female voice broke Yuto out of his selfish rambling. The voice definitely didn't belong to Yuzu. It sounded more stronger and commanding than Yuzu's more light and kind tone.

The group turned to see Serena standing behind them.

"Serena!" Yuto and Ruri exclaimed in unison before Yuto threw her question out of exasperation, "What are you doing here alone?!"

"I came here to rescue Yuzu and Reira, of course." The indigo-haired female jabbed her finger in the direction behind her, where the group saw Yuzu and Reira walking up to them.

"Yuto! Yugo!" Yuzu smiled, fastening her pace as she ran to the two, completely forgetting about her bracelet.

Yuto remembered...but at the wrong moment.

"Yuzu, wait!"

One pink bright light later, and Yuto was sure that either him or Yugo was fucked, and that one of them was going to be separated from the others. Hell, maybe both of them would have been transported. Yuto found himself closing his eyes both from the brightness of the light and the fact that he didn't want to know whether he got transported or not.

However, he opened his eyes when he heard Yuzu's surprised gasp.

When view of the area came back into his view, he immediately noticed one thing…

Nothing had changed. Yugo was still with them, and Yuto himself was most definitely still with Ruri, Yuzu, and Reira.

"The bracelet…" Yuzu started in a low voice before speaking up, "I completely forgot. Normally it transports someone who looks like Yuya but…" She trailed off, truly at a loss of words.

Yuto narrowed his eyes. Could this have something to do with Yuya's sudden disappearance from his mind? After all, Yuto and all of his lookalikes were connected with Yuzu's bracelet in such a manner that they would get warped away if another lookalike was nearby.

While Yuto thought about this, Ruri turned to her Standard counterpart.

"The same face as me…" Ruri deciphered what Yuzu was silently mouthing.

"Then, you must be Ruri, right?" Yuzu asked her lookalike, to Ruri's nod, Yuzu smiled. So Yuto really did get Ruri back. She was happy for the boy, but confused at the same time.

"How did you escape?" Yuzu threw another question with a raised eyebrow.

Ruri let out a sigh, "It's a long story. You don't want to know."

"Oh yeah, Yuzu!" Yuto suddenly blurted out, slightly startling the girl, as the holder of Dark Rebellion was usually much more quiet and reserved than this. Yuto reached into his jacket pocket (the jacket of his Riding Duel outfit) and pulled out a certain blue pendant.

"Yuya's pendulum!" Yuzu whispered. To her surprise, Yuto held it out to her, "What are you doing?"

"Returning it. You're one of Yuya's closest people. I have no right to be in possession of something sentimental to Yuya. Take it, Yuzu." Yuto said with firm eyes, giving Yuzu absolutely no room to refuse. She took the pendant from the boy's hands and placed into the same jacket pocket where she had put her Duel Disk and Deck…

Unbeknownst to Yuzu, her Deck and Yuya's pendant began to glow a light blue hue.

ears perked up as she heard feet of two more people hit the ground at the exact same time. The Kurosaki turned her head at the new arrivals, one was on the group's left, while the other was on the group's right. The one on the right immediately spoke…

"Shiunin Sora!"

Yuto snapped out of his thoughts when heard the mention of the name and the voice that spoke.

"Shiunin Sora?" Yuto repeated as he looked behind him, seeing Sora standing there, glancing away from Yuto as soon as their eyes met. Yuto looked in front of him to see O'Brien running to them. "O'Brien! Hold up a second!"

"Don't you see, Yuto! Shiunin Sora is right there!" O'Brien bellowed, jabbing a finger at said boy.

"No, please stop!" Ruri immediately intervened, running in front of O'Brien. "He introduced himself to me as a comrade of Yuto's! He's on our side!"

Yuto took a step forward, "O'Brien, Ruri's right. Honestly, I don't trust Shiunin Sora fully. But, if he wanted to capture Yuzu, Serena, or Ruri, he would have done a long time ago."

O'Brien pondered these words before standing down, soon adding, "This doesn't change the fact that you deceived those who thought of you as a friend."

"O'Brien...Sora, what are you two doing here?" Yuzu asked, relieved that the two were well but concerned as well.

"I came here to protect you!" Both replied in unison, much to their surprise and immediate disgust.

"I'm sure you came to protect her! Come up with more lies just so you can backstab us again and capture her!" O'Brien accused Sora, not taking his changed allegiance.

"Look, I know that with what I have done in the past I can't be forgiven or trusted! But please, I'm begging you! Just give me a chance!" What Sora did next surprised everyone there. The boy actually dropped to his knees and bowed to O'Brien.

"Tell me! Why have such a sudden change of heart?!" O'Brien interrogated with his Duel Disk at the ready, his eye twitching at Sora's pleas.

"There is no denying that I was an Academia soldier. I fought only for them. Yuya and Yuzu are my friends...I never had such a thing in Academia...No matter how many times I try to deny it, I can't erase those memories! Yuya taught me that there are more things to life than just fighting! I...I want him to show me the right way!" Sora confessed his friendship to Yuya and Yuzu.

Sora raised his head, a pained expression on his face, "Thinking back, I thought that I was happy back at Academia. I was respected by my colleagues, and I was treated in high regard. But...after visiting Standard...I realized how horrible I was really feeling in Academia. There was a hole in my heart...one forged by solitude. I don't want to have that feeling ever again, and I don't want to lose my first friends either!"

O'Brien lowered his arm before sighing, "Stand up. Making such a face doesn't suit a person like you."

Sora stood up, now that he was back on his feet, he immediately turned to Yuto and took a bow.

"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry. While I still believe in Academia's goal of creating a perfect utopia, I don't agree with their methods anymore."

"You're betraying the Professor now?" Everyone froze, with Yugo immediately getting an angered expression on his face, "Your venture into the Standard Dimension has made you soft...Shiunin Sora-kun."

The group shot their bodies in the direction of the voice, with Yugo practically running to before skidding to a halt when identifying the owner of the voice.

" _You…_ " Yugo growled with hatred burning in his eyes.

"Long time no see, Fusion-kun." Yuri taunted as members of the Obelisk Force walked behind him, coming to a halt with grins targeted at Yuto and the others.

"Bastard! Tell me the truth this time! _Where_ is Rin?!" Yugo demanded, wrinkling his eyebrows.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Yuri clicked his tongue, waving a finger in the air. As if he was trying to tempt Yugo into anger, "Now, now, Fusion-kun. I already told you that Rin sided with us."

"LIAR! RIN WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Yugo threw his hand to the side.

Yuri chuckled as he stole a glance at Yuto, gaining an interested expression on his face, "Oh? So you must be Ruri's boyfriend then? I hope you had a good time being back together with your lover. Now, if you would so kindly hand over Hiragi Yuzu, Serena, _and_ Kurosaki Ruri, I'll let all of you live to see another day."

Yuri directed his gaze to Sora adding, "Except for Shiunin Sora and O'Brien, of course."

"Like hell I'm going to go back with you!" Serena exclaimed, taking a step forward and raising a fist towards Yuri.

"Oh? It's you? Hmm...What's your name again?" Yuri plastered an innocent expression over his face. The group knew better. The cabbage-haired boy was just messing around with them.

"To think that you would sink this low, Yuri…" Serena mumbled under her breath, speaking loud enough for the Fusion Duelist to hear her.

"We both know that _you_ are the cause of my change. However, I must say, I should be grateful to you. By discarding the weak, old me, a new and much better version took surface."

Before Serena could respond, another voice entered the fray…

"Serena-sama, to think that you would side against Academia…Why would you do such a thing?" The man named Barrett stopped beside Yuri.

Serena made a small sound of surprise at the sight of Barret before quickly regaining her composure.

"Go back to a prison like Academia? I would rather die." Serena retorted with a look of resolution on her face. "I've seen the truth of Academia's ways, and it's disgusting! Training child soldiers...Making it so they don't have the chance of a real life, and then throwing them into a battlefield, forever changing them. It's one of the reasons that I cut my ties."

"Very well then, it seems like I will have to drag you back to Academia." Barrett stated with a neutral expression on his face.

"Hey now, you didn't forget about me, did you?" Yet another voice entered the fray.

Sora paled, _Oh no…_

The group slowly creaked their heads to see a masked man walking towards them with his Duel Disk out.

"Oh? You must be Yugo." Darkness said, Yugo widened his eyes at the mention of his name, "My companion here has just been itching to have a crack at you. Apparently, you two already know each other..."

As Yugo heard footsteps behind the masked man, Yugo's bottled up fears came crashing at the back of his head at full force. No...It couldn't be…

As the walking person revealed themselves, Yugo had the feeling to just die on the spot and erase his existence so no one could ever know how the boy was feeling right now.

"You are…"

The aqua green hair. Those beautiful orange eyes that used to be so full of life…

Except those eyes weren't filled with life anymore. At least, not the good kind…

"Rin..."

* * *

Jack Atlas stood from his throne, overlooking the city in its burning state. He saw multiple Ancient Gear Chaos Giants reek havoc on the surrounding area.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of a person walking into the throne room. Even with his back turned towards the person, Jack already knew who is was.

"I've been waiting for you, Akaba Reiji."

* * *

 **As I said, this will be a short chapter. Sorry for that. I sounded really misleading last chapter.**

 **Now, if you guys noticed, Sergey isn't here yet. The scene with Roget sets up the moment when Sergey will appear next chapter.**

 **I have put the Card Catalog in for the Duel between Darkness and 227. I added a bonus effect for Clear Fusion and Slithering Serpent, so make sure to check after this chapter.**

 **And also, since I've a really big asshole with the no previews thing lately, I'll tell you some of the Duels that will occur in this situation.**

 **Sora, O'Brien, and Reira vs Obelisk Force (I might skip this because we already know who will win, but then again, since Sora hasn't Dueled since chapter 49 I believe I might not skip it).**

 **Yugo vs Rin**

 **Yuzu vs Sergey (When he appears)**

 **Yuto vs Fujiwara**

 **Now as for who Duels Yuri and Barrett. I was debating on having Serena face Yuri or Ruri facing Yuri cause, you know, everyone loves revenge Duels. And then maybe Serena against Barrett to show Serena truly cutting ties with Academia and showing her growth. But then again, as I said, I was also thinking Yuri vs Serena due to the interaction and potential backstory I could give the two. I'd like your guys take on what should be done.**

 **Should Serena Duel Yuri or Barrett? Ruri will Duel whoever Serena doesn't Duel. Of course, the final decision is mine, but I'm interested in your guys' thoughts on the matter.**

 **Ethan Kironus: Glad you like it.**

 **Bridgey: Yuto and Yugo will team up, but they probably won't be alone.**

 **Skadi: Yeah, I'll admit, the Duel was really boring when I read it over. But I had no intentions of changing it because although it was Darkness' first Duel, it was against DUEL CHASER 227. Honestly, I only had Darkness Duel last chapter so everyone could figure out his identity. Darkness will Duel very soon against Yuto, but due to the sheer amount of Duels I have planned, it might be like 2 or 3 chapters before I get there.**

 **DG: Thanks for your encouraging words. Also, if it helps any, good luck on those midterms you have! :)**

 **Neonecrodarkman: Yeah, I wanted a Darkness esque character in this fic for a while. But after reading other fics, I noticed how everyone uses Fubuki (I think someone even used the real skeleton dude Darkness). I actually completely forgot Fujiwara was Darkness as it has been a while since I watched Gx. I'm still really pissed I never noticed the connection between Atticus and Sonic/Shadow. Honestly, while I like Roger Craig Smith's take on Sonic, I prefer Jason much more.**

 **That's all for now guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Take care, goodbye!**


	88. Her Cold Heart

Crimson eyes open up to a new setting in which the owner was not familiar with.

Straight up at the sky…

And if it weren't enough, the feeling of the wind blowing at his face…

The _feeling_ …

Something that he should not be able to experience due to the situation he was in...or maybe not in anymore.

A low roaring noise rang in the ears of the recently awakened boy. It sounded all to familiar. After all, he tagged with the owner of the voice for almost all of his life.

The emotions he felt next were not familiar in anyway. He used to only think of the owner of the roar as a partner which he could trust. But now...he felt...a little overprotective. He had the immediate urge to rush to the dragon's aid, no matter how bad the situation was.

He had the feeling as if the dragon was part of his family...Something that hasn't been complete for over three years now,

Crimson eyes saw the dichromatic eyes of his partner-no, family. Rising to his feet, he got a look of his surroundings. Everything felt so real, and he has definitely had this feeling of realism before.

It was when he had his own physical body.

And thus, only one conclusion could be drawn from this. He didn't know how in the hell it happened, and he didn't know why it happened, but he did know one thing…

Sakaki Yuya was reborn…

* * *

 **At the Park**

Yugo has gone through many things in what would call a pitiful and sad life. But out of all things that he has seen, this one thing shocked him the most.

The sight of his one and only friend standing on the enemy side. With the same people who captured her and taken her away from home in the first place.

"Rin...Why are you with Academia?! What did they do to you?!"

No response was given to Yugo. All he got was a sickening grin on his childhood friend's face.

"Answer me, Rin! Why...Why would you…" Yugo paused as he wiped the tears streaming down his face. "No! I refuse to believe this is real!"

"This is real alright. As real as the ground we stand on." Darkness sneered, seeing the reaction on Yugo's face was very amusing to him.

Yugo's face of bewilderment soon turned into an expression of anger, "Stop fucking around! If you think this trick is going to work on me...If you think that you can take advantage of my emotions, then you're dead wrong!"

"Having bonds and tight ties with others only cause for more pain physically, mentally, and emotionally. You'll learn to accept shortly." Darkness replied calmly, not fazed at all by the threatening look Yugo shot at him.

A small flame of hope ignited inside Yugo's heart when he heard Rin talk, "Yugo…"

That flame was immediately put out when he heard the test of Rin's sentence. "I am going to beat you into the ground...and erase any trace of our bond. After all, now...I am an Academia soldier at heart, and foolish emotions like love, kindness and companionship mean nothing in the heat of battle."

Yugo forced his hands onto his head, his eyes widened with fear, "No...Please tell me this is some sick joke! Please! Rin!"

"Duel me!" Rin retorted, activating her Duel Disk.

"No...I...I won't…I can't…"

"So this is Rin?" Yuto questioned his counterpart, his features darkening as he made comparisons between Ruri in their recent Duel with how Rin was acting right now.

Yuzu made a similar reaction to Yuto, as Yugo spoke about the girl often. And in the way he talked about her made it seem like she was a very good person. Yet...for some reason she was standing with Academia soldiers...something was definitely wrong here.

"No! No way in hell! The real Rin would never side with Academia!" Yugo hissed as a response.

"Are you sure about that, Fusion?" Yuri taunted with a grin. To his disappointment, Yugo made no reaction to the nickname as he usually does.

After a few moments, Yugo glared daggers at the Predator Plants user, much to the latter's delight, _I wanted to kick this guy's ass for taking Rin, but..._ He turned his head to Rin, _I cannot forgive anyone who would dare frame my best friend for being a part of Academia! For disguising as Rin, I'll make you pay!_

Yugo grit his teeth, a vein could be seen on his forehead as he stomped forward, throwing out his Duel Disk before pointing to the aqua-haired girl.

"Alright, faker! I'm gonna beat the shit of you!" Yugo let out a low feral growl towards who he believed to be an imposter of his friend, "Just because you look like Rin, it doesn't mean I'm going to hold back! Prepare yourself!"

"Then let us take this away from here, so we shall have no interruptions." Rin stated as she and Yugo began to walk away from the group to a secluded area.

Before Yugo left, his Xyz counterpart placed a hand on his shoulder, "Be careful." Yugo could only nod as a response before running off, a searing pain running through his teeth as a result of him clenching them so hard.

While this entire thing played out, Darkness merely stared directly at Yuto. An influx of interest and a little excitement coursed through his veins, along with a little hint of hatred. Truthfully, the females who looked like Serena and Rin interested him, but this boy interested him more. Only for one reason. He looked like Yuri, who looked like _that_ guy.

Darkness made a sign to Yuto, who let out a small sound of surprise when he saw that the Academia Duelist was picking _him_ specifically out of the group.

Ruri caught the memo, and took a protective step in front of Yuto.

"Step aside girl. While the objective is to capture you and the their two, the boy interests me more." Darkness stared at the Phantom Knights user with cold green eyes.

"Hmm...I _was_ originally supposed to capture you," He pointed at Ruri, "But since Shiunin Sora defected, it seems like I'll have to take care of Serena- _chan._ "

Serena almost found herself shivering at the addition of the honorific and the tone of Yuri's voice when he spoke.

Yuri made a motion with his hand towards Serena as he began to walk away from the group. The Moonlight user narrowed her eyes, keeping a sharp gaze on her former friend as she soon followed, ready to fight her heart out for her freedom.

"Ruri!" Yuto called out to her comrade before continuing, "Let's fight together!"

Said girl nodded her head with a small smile, "Right!"

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Darkness waved his finger around in a taunting manner, "Oh no you don't. The two of us will fight in our favorite place, the shadows!"

The eyes on Darkness' mask glowed a bright green. Yuto widened his eyes as the light of the eyes reflected off his gaze. Soon, he saw a dark mist beginning to arise in the area.

"Yuto!" Ruri called out of concern, trying to reach out to her close friend. However, when she did, she let out a cry of pain, removing her hand as she felt like she was burned by the cloud of darkness.

"It is no use." Barrett spoke out to Ruri, "Those two will be in there for as long as their Duel lasts. No one can enter, and no one can leave. Nothing except Darkness."

As if on cue, the dark cloud soon engulfed Darkness before fully closing.

Barrett held up his hand to the three Obelisk Force members behind him, commanding them to go after O'Brien, Sora, and Reira.

The only remaining person who didn't get anyone to deal with, Yuzu, strapped on her Duel Disk, ready to help Ruri with Barrett. Unfortunately, a large crashing sound could be heard behind Yuzu. No one except Yuzu paid it any heed.

Reacting quickly, the Duelist from Standard leaped high into the air. And it was a good thing, as at the tip of her eye, she could see a large hand sweeping where she once was, trying to capture her. She found herself performing a backflip over her pursuers' hand, getting a peak at the face of the person.

Her heart skipped a beat out of fear when she saw that it was the same man who brutally defeated Gongenzaka and that Chojiro guy.

Sergey Volkov.

* * *

 **Meanwhile-King's Throne**

"I've been waiting for you, Akaba Reiji."

Reiji merely adjusted his glasses, keeping his distance from the King. It was as if the ground between them was lava and they had no way to get to the other.

Finally, after a whole minute of silence, Reiji broke the silence.

"I am sure you know the reason of my sudden arrival, King."

Jack Atlas turned to face the man. In his eyes, this newcomer, who controlled all Summoning methods, including even Synchro, was a genius. A complete and utter genius. He ruled with an iron fist, and there weren't many who compete with his strength.

Just like his own.

In that sense, Jack Atlas held a great deal of respect for Akaba Reiji. And that feeling was mutual between the two men. This recognition for the other man only grew after their little match in between the Friendship Cup.

So much so that he Akaba Reiji deserved much better than to refer to him as King.

"Leave the formalities for another time, Akaba Reiji. You have tied with me in a Duel. Therefore, as I have stated previously, we currently stand on the same summit, on the same mountain. We are equals. Please refer to me by name." The Synchro user told Reiji.

"Very well then." Reiji nodded, waiting for Jack to continue.

"Yes, I know all too well why you are here. Your enemy has attacked, and you would like to enlist my help with a plan of yours that will drive the invaders out and potentially benefit the Synchro Dimension as a result." Jack guessed, not even needing confirmation to know that he was right.

"You are very perceptive, Jack Atlas." Reiji gave a rare compliment to the owner of Scarlight. "I think that if the Tops and Commons are forced to work together to defeat a common enemy, then relations would improve, if only slightly."

Jack narrowed his eyes, "I have already thought of that proposition, and it is disheartening to be the one to say that it won't work. The animosity between the two groups has gone too far. Despite my constant efforts, they were all futile due to Roget's powerful grasp on the City. And even if the Tops and Commons were to work together, it wouldn't amount to anything in the end. They would only put aside their differences to defeat the enemy, and then things will go back to how they currently are."

"I am aware of that. But, I have a backup plan."

* * *

 **With Yugo and Rin**

Yugo wiped the drop of water on his face. There were no signs of rain, yet the Synchro Duelist was 100% sure the drop came from the sky. Maybe Kami was crying for him. He didn't know. And to be frank, he didn't give a damn.

At this moment, all Yugo cared about was beating the shit out of this imposter.

"What's so funny?!" Yugo demanded with an angry tone in his voice after seeing Rin holding her stomach, trying to control herself.

"Oh nothing. It's just how stupid you look while trying to ease your doubts. You already know that I am the real Rin. You're only saying that I'm an imposter to run away from the truth."

"Kuh!" Yugo grunted. Just like the real Rin would, the person standing in front of him read his true emotions like a book. There was no use denying to make himself feel better.

Like it or not, Yugo was face to face with whom he once called his best friend.

"Just shut and get ready! I'm going to kick your ass!" Yugo creased his eyebrows, putting a hand on the top of his Deck and drawing 5 Cards. He witnessed his opponent do the same.

A gust of wind came in the area and blew at Yugo's face. It was as if Rin's Will was trying to make him stay way. Was it the real Rin trying to warn him? Protect him? Or was it this faker trying to intimidate him and scare him off?

He didn't know. As of right now, he only knew one thing. He wasn't going to have any of this. And that there was only one way to solve this...

" **DUEL!** "

"My turn!" The male of the two announced, beginning his move, "When I control no Monsters on the Field, I can Special Summon Speedroid Beigomax from my Hand!"

 **Beigomax: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 600 Def**

"Following that I Summon this Tuner, Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!" A wand looking gizmo was raised into the air, with the owner of the object having a getup that compliments a magician's appearance.

 **Den-Den Daiko Duke: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 600 Def**

"I tune the level 3 Beigomax with the Den-Den Daiko Duke of the same level! Magical sword with the form of a cross. Use your power to rend all enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 6! High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama!"

 **Magical Sword Dama: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate the effect of Magical Sword Dama! Once per turn, by banishing a Speedroid Monster in my Graveyard, I can inflict 500 damage to you! Take this!" Yugo took Speedroid Beigomax from his Grave as his Monster's fun glowed blue at the tip before firing.

The blast hit Rin directly in the chest, blowing her backwards. She clicked her tongue out of annoyance as she cleaned the top of her jacket.

 **Rin: 4000-3500 LP**

The annoyed look soon disappeared off of Rin's face and it was replaced with a masochistic look. She was fully embracing the pain as if it was her life force.

That was not a quality the old Rin had. And Yugo caught onto this almost immediately.

"I set a Card and end my turn."

Without hesitation, Rin placed a hand on her Deck and drew her Card, "Wind-Calling Bell Chime, activate!" The aqua-haired Duelist slipped the Card into her Magic and Trap Zone. "By revealing a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster in my Hand, then I can Special Summon a Monster with the same name from my Deck! Appear, from my Deck, Windwitch-Ice Bell!"

 **Ice Bell: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Her effect activates, once per turn, if this Card was Summoned, I can inflict 500 damage to you!" Rin thrusted her hand at Yugo, who got knocked back by a cold gust of wind.

 **Yugo: 4000-3500 LP**

Yugo rubbed his arms roughly, noting that the wind Rin released was _much_ colder than usual. It had a much more sinister feeling to it. The wind of the Rin that Yugo knew had a much more calm and graceful feeling to it. In fact, he would often feel a little refreshed when getting hit by her wind.

That was not the case here.

"If you think I was done, then you are greatly mistaken! I Summon another copy of Ice Bell from my Hand!" As her Monster was Summoned, Yugo was braced himself as another dose of wind lashed out at his face.

 **Yugo: 3500-3000 LP**

"When I control two or more Windwitch Monsters, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand! Come to me, Windwitch-Snow Bell!" In a breeze of snow, a small bell appeared in between the two Ice Bells.

 **Snow Bell: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

Yugo narrowed his eyes. This was one of Rin's signature setups. He already knew what was going to come out next.

"I tune the two level 3 Ice Bells with my lone level 1 Snow Bell! Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Windwitch- Winter Bell!"

 **Winter Bell: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate Winter Bell's effect! Once per turn, I can target a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster in the Grave and copy one of its effects until the end of the turn! Of course, I pick Ice Bell! Have another round of 500 damage!"

A gust of wind much stronger than the last two struck Yugo in the stomach, blowing the banana-haired boy right off his feet and right onto the ground.

"AUGH!" Yugo cried out in pain, feeling a red liquid in his mouth rising and on the verge of being spewed out into the world.

 **Yugo: 3000-2500 LP**

"Battle! Attack, Windwitch-Winter Bell!" Rin commanded, with her Monster turning to face Sword Dama and conjuring a field of snow around it. The snow lashed out at Sword Dama, preparing to freeze it completely.

From the ground, Yugo held his arm out forward, activating his facedown Card.

"Continuous Trap! Burning Sonic, activate! Since a Monster I control was targeted for an attack, I can target that Monster and activate this Card! The targeted Monster gains 500 Attack and finally the battle is negated!"

A vortex of fire appeared from the Card and spewed out at Winter Bell's snow. Soon enough, there was nothing left except the two battling Monsters, who remained on the Field to the nullification of the fight.

 **Sword Dama: 2200-2700 Atk**

Rin merely scoffed at this play, "Once a chump always a chump. I set a Card and end my turn."

Yugo looked down at his Hand before back up at Rin, _This is bad...Rin keeps dishing out damage to me left and right, just like always!_ He clenched his teeth so hard he felt like they would pop off his mouth. His ears perked up when he heard Rin speaking.

" _Yuuuuuuuugooooooooo_...Come on Yugo. The fun hasn't ended yet. You said you were going to beat the crap out of me, weren't you?"

"Shut up!" Yugo yelled, "There is no doubt that you are Rin physically! Your appearance and your Deck are proof of that...along with your voice. But in mind and soul, you are nothing like her! Academia did something to the real Rin...I know...that she's still in there somewhere! So I'm going to beat the shit out of you and get Rin back!"

"You make all of those vows...but all they turn out to be are empty words."

Yugo let out a small gasp at the comment, before gaining an irritated expression on his face.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Tell me, Yugo. When have you every fulfilled one of your little promises. That dream of becoming King along with me, well...we already know how that's going to turn out. You promised that you would always protect me...but look how that turned out."

At that moment, Rin put up a fake sad face. It was so believable that Yugo almost fell for it.

"You promised that you would prevent anything from hurting me...but low and behold, at Academia...I was hurt physically, meantally, and emotionally as well."

Yugo tried to sputter out words as a response but none came out.

"You know how I felt during my time at Academia? Betrayed." Tears streamed down the girl's face as she continued to rant, "Every second I was praying that you would come and save me! I WAS COUNTING ON YOU!"

Yugo found the words to speak, "Rin! I did my best to find you, I-"

"If you were doing your best to find me, then why were you busy throwing your ass into the Friendship Cup, BY YOURSELF?! YOU BETRAYED THE DREAM THAT THE TWO OF US CARVED _TOGETHER_! You…" Her body began to tremble, "You threw me away...AND FOR WHAT, FOR YOU AND YOUR STUPID DREAM!"

Rin's childhood friend could widened his eyes, completely taken aback from Rin unleashing her emotions. They felt to powerful...it was as if the real Rin was talking...and that these were her actual feelings…

Was this how Rin felt while they were separated? Did he really betray their friendship like that?

"I thought you were a broken boy with nowhere to go just like me and everyone else. You suffered much more than me...and you were just a victim of the world...that's why I approached you all those years ago. To bring color to your world! I did that...but you never repaid me...now did you. No...you took me for granted…" Rin closed her eyes and dug her fingernails into her palms, almost to the point where they bled, "Just like everything else that comes at you in life…"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Yugo snapped, his vision getting blurry and his eyes becoming moist with emotions, "Don't you _ever_ accuse me for taking Rin for granted! I don't care who you are, you're not the Rin I loved with all of my heart! "

Yugo slammed his hand on his Deck, before drawing his Card with a ferocious roar.

"Battle! High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama, attack and destroy Winter Bell!" In response to Yugo's order, the Synchro Monster charged a shot meant for the declared Monster.

Rin smirked, as she revealed her set Card, "Quick-Play, activate! Call of the Windwitch! During either player's Battle Phase, I can target a Windwitch Monster I control and Special Summon a Monster from my Hand whose level is equal to or lower than the selected Monster! Embrace me, Parasite Fusioner!"

"Parasite... _Fusioner_?" Yugo growled out of anger. Not only had he never seen that Card before, but it had the word 'Fusion' in it. "Don't tell me…"

 **Parasite Fusioner: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

"If this Card is Special Summoned, I can Fusion Summon a Monster using Monsters in my Hand or on my Field as Materials! Of course, the Monsters will consist of Parasite Fusioner and Windwitch-Winter Bell! Sound of the wind running through a snowfield of midwinter. Become one with the inner voice, and give a more violent echo! Fusion Summon! Appear, bell of crystal echoing solemnly! Wind Witch - Crystal Bell!" Rin chanted as she brought her enclosed hands down, finishing the Summon.

 **Crystal Bell: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2400 Def**

The new Monster in Rin's possession was the only thing that Yugo could see. And it was the only thing that was of importance to see.

Rin immediately reacted to the aftermath of her Momster's Summoning, "Now, Parasite Fusioner is equipped to the Summoned Fusion Monster!"

On cue, a portal to the Graveyard opened and out came Parasite Fusioner. The insect stuck itself on Crystal Bell's left breast.

"Next, I use the effect of Crystal Bell herself! Once during either player's turn, I can target a Monster in one of the Graveyards and replace this effect with those Monster's original effects until the end of the turn! Of course, I pick Ice Bell! Now, please take another 500 damage hit to your life points!"

Snow began to rain down on Yugo like hail as the boy covered his face, suffering the full extent of the damage awaiting him.

 **Yugo: 2500-2000 LP**

The male Synchro Duelist held up his hand, signaling his Monster to halt his attack, which only result in him taking unnecessary damage.

And against Rin, unnecessary damage is the last thing Yugo needs.

"I end my turn." Yugo groaned out of frustration at the dire situation he was in, grabbing his tightly. He desperately scanned his Hand over and over, hoping that he was only seeing things and that there was actually something that could help him.

To his dismay, the Cards he kept seeing over and over again were reality. Those were what he had, and Yugo couldn't do anything about it.

Rin let out a long yawn as a means to taunt Yugo. To her joy, she got a growl of anger to erupt from the boy.

"It seems that I will have to put you out of your misery, _Yugo_." She spoke his name with her voice dripping with a cold desire to utterly crush him.

Rin moved her hand to her Deck, "My turn, draw! I set a Card and then enter my Battle Phase! Attack, my Monster!"

This time, Crystal Bell charged a light blue beam. The Monster continuously shifted its gaze around to get a lock on Magical Sword Dama.

Rin's Monster released the beam, which enveloped both Magical Sword Dama and the owner. Yugo let out a cry of pain as he stumbled backwards from the ensuing shockwaves.

 **Yugo: 2000-1900 LP**

"I am finished with my turn." Rin concluded, giving Yugo a confident grin, "Victory is in my grasp...as usual. Both of us know that you barely win any of our Duels."

"..."

"What's wrong, _Yugo-kun_? Did the cat get your tongue? Or are you just at a loss for words because of the way I put you down?" Rin questioned in a teasing manner.

"Just what the hell are you looking at?"

Rin lost her footing momentarily, before composing herself after hearing Yugo's voice. For some reason, the boy's voice sounded much more...dark and rash than usual. It displayed a hint of anger and hatred in the Speedroid user's demeanor.

"My turn...DRAW!" A gust of wind caused Rin to stamp her feet onto the ground, trying her best not to be blown off her feet. Yugo looked her straight in the eyes with a hard, vengeful gaze. "I activate the Magic Card Speed Rebirth! With this Card, I revive my High-Speedroid Magical Sword Dama!"

Yugo slowly shifted his eyes down to the Card of a Monster shaped like a dice. He grabbed the Card with two fingers and Summoned the Monster to his Field wordlessly.

Rin recognized the Card as Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice.

 **Red-Eyed Dice: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

Yugo thrusted his hand up into the air, tuning his two Monsters. Red-Eyed Dice turned into a single green ring while Magical Sword Dana's body disappeared, with six little bright stars taking its place. The stars flew into the ring…

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

A flash of light rushed through the rings and it blinded Rin's eyes. She heard a loud roar coming from a dragon she immediately recognized. But then…

She heard a low rumbling sound coming from Yugo's mouth out of all things. When her eyes adjusted and the light dissipated, she saw a very peculiar sight.

Her bracelet was blinking a bright green. And not long after it started, the crackling sound of lightning rushing across the sky played in everyone's ears. Everyone stopped their current Duel and, with the exception of Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri, looked up at the sky.

A dark hole began to form, and all of the clouds surrounding darkened severely. It looked very similar to the eye of a hurricane. Yet, there were two still a distinct difference between the two phenomenons.

1: Hurricanes don't form over land.

And 2: The only three who didn't look up at the sky began to chant one phrase over and over in unison…

" _The time has come...for us to become one…_ "

* * *

 **So, a little bit about this chapter. First of all, the Yugo and Rin Duel will reach a conclusion. I know it is definitely not a good idea to split this Duel into two chapters, but I have my reasons which will make me sound stupid if I were to list them out.**

 **Also, this chapter is mainly a benchmark for the other Duels. So, for example, the Duels with Yu-boy's will halt when they Summon their respective dragon.**

 **rgriffin8999: Because the Darkness in this fanfic isn't the one with the identity of Fubuki/Atticus. The Darkness in this fanfic is that of Fujiwara Yusuke from season 4 of Gx, who uses a Clear Deck. Plus, other people have done Darkness with the Red Eyes Deck, it is time to switch it up a bit.**

 **Bridgey: Since Kitedrake came out of nowhere and I could have had Yugo use him in any situation, I might not include the Card in this fic, unfortunately. And I don't want Kitedrake to be one of those Cards created out of thin air. I only want those Cards to be dimension dragon related from now on (unless it's for a Bracelet Girl of course).**

 **Neonecrodarkman: The bracelet DESPERATELY needed some kind of cool down mechanism. So, once of the bracelet powers are used, I'm going to have a temporary cool down timer for all of the bracelets, regardless on which bracelet uses the power. I'm sure you can get from the beginning what Ruri's bracelet did in her Duel with Yuto. Oh, and P.S: Recently we got f*cked up in the ass by a snow storm up here in the North (where I am at least), so it's not as good as you think lol.**

 **Skadi: I never said Barrett won't Duel if Serena doesn't Duel him. I said that if Serena Duels Yuri, then Ruri will Duel Barrett.**

 **DG: I don't know, maybe I will bring in more Cards from the manga. There are four in particular that I'm thinking about. I remember the last chapter, I facepalmed and laughed so hard when I saw Divine D/D/D Zero King Zero God Reiji along with the damn hair and the scarf jet pack. That thing is jacked as hell though.**

 **Alright! That's all for now guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	89. The Three V Three Fusion Feud

O'Brien was conflicted. He had wanted to reject Shiunin Sora's offer of trust. After all, with all that he's done, did he really deserve a chance at trust?

But both Yuto and Ruri vouched for him.

O'Brien didn't know if he should think of that as utterly stupid or utterly daring.

And it was the fact that _Yuto_ and _Ruri_ were the ones defending the Academia soldier. After all, he was part of the same group who attacked their homeland. Out of everyone affected by the war, the residents of the Xyz Dimension suffered the most.

Even though he hated it, he was going to accept Shiunin Sora's help. They were in a dire situation with the risk of Ruri, Serena, and Yuzu being captured. Not that he didn't doubt the three girls' ability to defend themselves. It's the fact that there were so many Academia soldiers.

They could easily deploy more soldiers and overwhelm the Lancers.

Where was Ryoga with the damn backup?

Regardless of all his doubts and troubles, he had to wash them aside for now and focus on the current battle. He, Reira, and Sora had to dispatch of their three Obelisk Force opponents quickly so they could assist the others.

Going into the Duel, he had fully expected the Obelisk Force to be the usual weaklings they always were. Doing the exact same moves as each, trying to burn down the enemy's life points.

Boy was he dead wrong…

The Obelisk Force went first. And it was decided that the turn order would be: Obelisk Force 1, Reira, Obelisk Force 2, O'Brien, Obelisk Force 3, and finally Sora.

No one except Sora was allowed to attack on their first turn. And also, each player had their own individual set of 4000 life points.

Last but not least, due to O'Brien and Reira's participation, there was an Action Field on. This meant that Action Cards were scattered around the area, and every few moments that passed would spawn another Action Card.

"My turn!" Obelisk Force 1 announced, placing a Monster onto his Duel Disk. "I Summon Ancient Gear Hound Dog!"

 **Hound Dog: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I use its effect! Once per turn, I am allowed to inflict 600 damage! So...Shiunin Sora…" The soldier gave a menacing glare to the traitor, "How does taking the first dose of damage sound to you?!"

As he spoke, the Monster in front of him flapped open its jaw, firing out a stream of fire that subsequently burned Sora. The boy grimaced, cracking the lollipop in his mouth with how hard he clenched his teeth.

 **Sora: 4000-3400 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Obelisk Force 1 finished, letting out a small cocky smirk as he looked at the small girl in front of him.

To his surprise however, Reira stood her ground and put up a commendable brave face. She drew her Card with a hint of conviction. A conviction to fight alongside her comrades and to protect them.

"From my Hand, I Summon Film Magician in Attack Position!" Reira declared, placing the Card upon her Duel Disk as her Monster flashed to life.

 **Film Magician: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

Unlike the usual Obelisk Force, who would taunt at the mere sight of Film Magician, these three made no such reaction. The only sign of movement seen from any of them was the owner of the Hound Dog arching his eyebrows slightly out of interest.

This silence prompted O'Brien to analyze their appearance.

He noticed the distinct light tint of purple as the color of the stone on their helmet. The closest to that color that he was back in Standard. Other than that, he has never seen a member of the Obelisk Force that didn't have a colored stone that wasn't green, yellow, or red.

These guys were like a much more mature and elite Obelisk Force. They not only gave that impression off from their straight body posture, but their faces were void of any emotion. Not even the usual sadistic and excitement for hunting was on their faces. All O'Brien could see was a will to win.

The only aspect of a mindless weapon.

Both O'Brien and Sora readied themselves when they heard Reira announce the setting of two Cards followed by the conclusion of her turn.

This was immediately followed by the sweeping sound of a Card being drawn.

Obelisk Force 2 eyed the Card he drew. He swiped it across his Duel Disk, a quick burst of light, a Monster revealing itself to be Ancient Gear Hound Dog.

Like his previous teammate, he used the effect and inflicted 600 damage to Sora once again.

The cyan-haired boy let out a wince of pain as he suffered from the damage.

 **Sora: 3400-2800 LP**

O'Brien furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the former Academia Duelist fighting alongside him. Obviously, the Obelisk Force was targeting Sora cause he _was_ the one who betrayed them. A defected member of a group shall not be allowed to remain any longer. That is the rule of war.

O'Brien and the others found themselves letting out gasps of shock when they heard the next thing that came out of Obelisk Force 2's mouth.

"I activate the Magic Fusion! I fuse the Hound Dog on my Field with the Ancient Gear Wyvern and Ancient Gear Golem in my Hand! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 9! Ancient Gear Megaton Golem!"

 **Megaton Golem: Level 9, 3300 Atk, 3300 Def**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Obelisk Force 2 stated with the swipe of his hand.

O'Brien placed a hand on the of his Deck, "My turn, draw! From my Hand, I Summon Volcanic Slicer!" A dinosaur like Monster rose to the Field, breathing out a ball of fire, which hit Obelisk Force 2 immediately in the stomach, much to his shock.

 **Slicer: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1200 Def**

"What the hell?" Obelisk Force 1 muttered under his breath with a hint of a puzzled tone.

"It's the effect of my Volcanic Slicer. It's very simple. Once per turn, I can deal 500 damage to my opponent. I chose you, of course!" O'Brien pointed his finger towards Obelisk Force 1, who winced as he felt a sudden burning pain coming from a wave of fire sent towards him by Volcanic Slicer.

 **Obelisk Force 1: 4000-3500 LP**

"Usually, this makes the Card unable to attack, but that doesn't matter now."

Austin held up another Card in his Hand and flipped it around for the Obelisk Force to see. It was a Card they all knew too well.

Fusion.

The brown-haired boy slid the Card into his gun-like Duel Disk, activating it.

"I fuse the Volcanic Slicer on my Field with the Volcanic Counter in my Hand! Two sparks of fire burn brightly! Now merge into one burst of flames that can never be put out! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Level 7! Volcanic Avenger!"

 **Avenger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 2300 Def**

"I activate Volcanic Avenger's effect! Once per turn, I can select a Fire Monster in my Graveyard! Then, I inflict damage to you equal to the Monster's level times 200! I pick the level 4 Volcanic Slicer! And I deal damage to you!" O'Brien jabbed a finger at Obelisk Force 1, who twitched his eyes out of irritation.

He threw his arms in front of himself as a fireball coming from Avenger collided with his body. He was sent skidding backwards, eventually coming to an abrupt halt.

 **Obelisk Force 1: 4000-3200 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I-"

"Not so fast! Trap activate, Draw Blast! When you draw a Card, I inflict 1000 damage to you!" This brief explanation of his Card's effect left Obelisk Force 3 on the ground, clutching his chest as he rasped heavily.

 **Obelisk Force 3: 4000-3000 LP**

Said member of the Obelisk Force rose to his feet and continued with his move.

Like the other two members, he Summoned Ancient Gear Hound Dog. However, this time, instead of Sora, he used the effect on Reira. The dog ran towards the girl and bit her in the leg, causing her to let out a cry of pain.

 **Reira: 4000-3400 LP**

"Reira, are you alright?" O'Brien unconsciously out of concern. Over time, the girl has began to grow on him for some reason. He didn't know why, as he barely interacted with the kid.

Maybe it was the fact that was Reira was just a kid…probably no older than ten.

"Yes, I'm fine." The adopted sister of Akaba Reiji assured her comrade after regaining her breath, rising up to her full height. She was not about to shrivel up and lose all of the confidence she has worked so hard to build up!

"Don't take your eyes off the enemy!" Sora warned the two, snapping their attention back to Obelisk Force 3, who had just revealed the Fusion Card in his Hand.

"Shit!" O'Brien berated himself for being so careless, looking around the surrounding area, in case he needed a backup plan. To his dismay, there was nothing that he could find.

Meanwhile, Obelisk Force 3 fused the Ancient Gear Hound Dog on his Field with the one in his Hand. Bringing down his enclosed his fists, a mechanical howl could be heard playing behind him.

And thus, Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog was brought to the Field.

 **Double Bite: Level 5, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Obelisk Force 3 finished with a hint of a smirk.

Sora shot his two teammates a glance. There was a hint of regret hidden in his eyes. However, due to the situation, Reira and O'Brien didn't see it.

Sora returned his attention to his enemies, _It's time...Time to set things right. For Yuya...and Yuzu...my first two friends. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but at least let me fight for your benefit!_

"My turn, draw! I can only activate this by sending a Card in my Hand along with two Death-Toy Monsters from my Extra Deck to the Grave! I send the Edge Imp Saw from my Hand and also Death-Toy Chain Sheep and Death-Toy Scissors Tiger from my Extra Deck in order to activate the Continuous Magic Card, Death-Toy Sanctuary!"

Like the others with the exception of Reira and Obelisk Force 1, Sora held up his own copy of Fusion, sliding it into his Duel Disk.

"I fuse the Edge Imp Scissors and Furnimal Bear in my Hand! Claws of the demon! Fangs of the beast! Become one and reveal a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Appear, horrifying beast that shreds everything! Death-Toy Scissors Bear!"

 **Scissors Bear: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1800 Def**

"Not so fast!" Obelisk Force 3 intervened, thrusting his hand out, "I activate the effect of Double Bite Hound Dog! Once during either player's turn, if a Monster is Normal or Special Summoned to your Field, I get to place a Gear Counter on that Monster."

Sora couldn't help but smile. _He fell for it…_

Sora held up the last Card he had, activating it. "I activate the Magic Card Death-Toy Fusion! By banishing Materials from my Field or Grave, I get to Fusion Summon a Death-Toy Monster from my Extra Deck! I fuse Scissors Bear with Scissors Tiger and Chain Sheep!"

Obelisk Force 3 made a sound of annoyance, before making a deduction with a sharpened gaze, "I see. So that Fusion Monster was only going to be use as Material fodder. And due to your knowledge of our Decks, you knew that we were going to exploit our effects without a minute's thought…"

No response.

But that was all the member of the Obelisk Force needed. The silence merely confirmed his suspicion.

Despite this, unlike other soldiers, he kept a calmed expression on his face. The only thing that betraying it was the drop of sweat rolling down his face along with his recent tone of voice.

"Damn it."

"Unusual plaything possessed by demons! Root out and destroy the plebeians who dare rebel against you! Fusion Summon! Come forth and appear, chimeric fusion of all toys! Death-Toy Mad Chimera!" Sora chanted, bringing his hands down as his Monster rose to the Field behind its owner.

 **Mad Chimera: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2000 Def**

"The Gear Counter is gone. And your Double Bite Hound Dog can only use its effect once per turn. Am I wrong?" Sora asked with a proud smirk.

Despite getting no response, he already knew the answer.

"And now I ge to battle! Mad Chimera, attack Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog! When Mad Chimera attacks or is attacked, you cannot activate Magic or Traps until the end of the Battle Phase!" Mad Chimera released multiple missiles towards its enemy. The mechanical dog let out a whimper before being eradicated by the weapons of destruction.

"AUGH!" Obelisk Force 3 cried out in pain, stumbling backwards with a seething glare aimed towards Sora. "You little…"

 **Obelisk Force 3: 3000-1600 LP**

"Mad Chimera effect activates! When it destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Grave, I can Special Summon the destroyed Monster to my Field!" On Sora's command, Double Bite Hound Dog appeared out of a portal to the Graveyard. Immediately after the appearance of the Monster, Mad Chimera gained a yellow aura. "While a Monster Special Summoned this way is on my Field, Mad Chimera gains 300 Attack!"

 **Mad Chimera: 2800-3100 Atk**

The cyan-haired boy turned his attention to Obelisk Force 1, who was gritting his teeth and letting out sounds of frustration.

"Now that Double Bite serves me, I'll have him attack your regular Hound Dog." Sora stated with a calm and calculated look. Double Bite sprinted towards Hound Dog on all fours. The opposing dog ran away, prompting a chance between the two hounds.

This chase only lasted five seconds, and Double Bite pounced and began mauling the regular Hound Dog to pieces.

 **Obelisk Force 1: 3500-3100 LP**

"With this, my turn is finished." Sora concluded.

"To think, that after coming this far, you would betray us. Explain yourself, Shiunin Sora!" Obelisk Force 2 demanded.

Sora gave a conflicted gaze towards O'Brien and Reira, before glaring at the enemies. "I've made my decision. I don't want to live like a tool of destruction anymore. I want to feel and breathe the same way Yuya and Yuzu can! I want to connect to them as they have connected to me! Now...that, to me...will be an ideal world. To be accepted into the world and live a normal life. That's all I ask for now. And I won't let you guys or your plan ruin this chance to prove my worth!"

Obelisk Force 1 made a 'tch' sound, placing a hand on the top of his Deck. "To think that you would grow so soft and fall so low."

"You're wrong."

"Huh?"

"Thanks to those who did believe in me, I have opened my eyes to reality."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The Obelisk Force was left speechless.

 _Shiunin Sora..._ O'Brien thought to himself. Once again, he was proven wrong by an Academia soldier. It looks like some people from Academia had a heart after all...

"Very well. If that is how it is, then we shall end your wavering ideals right here and now. My turn, dr-"

" _The time has come...for us to become one…"_

The sound of three voices speaking in unison caused the six Duelists to freeze. They all turned their heads in a certain direction to one of the three voices.

Reira looked up…

To see a hole in the sky.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

"THE TIME IS NOW!"

"WE SHALL NOT STAND FOR THIS DISCRIMINATION AND DISRESPECT ANY LONGER!"

"TODAY! THE TOPS FALL!"

These comments, along with many others, erupted from the voices of many rioting Commons. Not only was there an invasion from Academia, but a civil war of sorts was beginning in the City.

Out of nowhere, Commons who weren't being attacked and Carded by members of Academia began to hunt for the Tops, trashing people's properties and grabbing any weapon they could find.

There was a specific crowd lead by Shinji, which was by far the largest group of Commons.

Overseeing all of this peril was Jack Atlas and Akaba Reiji, who were currently formulating a plan.

Akaba Reiji looked up to see a hole forming in the sky.

The prodigy Duelist didn't believe in omens, premonitions, or other things of the sort. He didn't believe in fate whatsoever. He believed that anyone can grasp their wn destiny if they forge a path for themselves. Just like had had.

However...this _one_ time. Reiji has a feeling…

Something bad was going to happen. This was the perfect time to launch the plan.

"And you are sure this will unite the Tops and Commons?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, questioning Reiji's intentions.

"At least temporarily." Reiji answered, adjusting his glasses with a fixated glance on the King. "If there is one thing my father has right in his life, it is how to rule with an iron fist. An establishment will go nowhere if it doesn't have the people as the foundation. Without them, forget rulers. What is a ruler without anything to rule? The same goes for the people, without a strong-willed ruler, is there even an establishment to live in? As far as I'm concerned, the people will become mere hermits, walking the land in hopes of prosperity."

Jack narrowed his eyes, "You suggest leading through fear, don't you?"

A light wind blew through the area, making Reiji's scarf blow in front of Jack's face. The bi-speckled man turned around to face Jack, revealing a rare smile.

"Exactly. However, while it is my plan, you are the one who needs to carry it out, Jack Atlas."

 **HOLY CRAP! HAS IT BEEN A WHILE!**

 **Sorry for the long absence. I'm gonna be honest, I don't think I should write any more Obelisk Force Duels. I was originally going to have this as a double Duel chapter, but after writing this Obelisk Force Duel, I just feel like barfing.**

 **It's not that I have a problem with Sora and O'Brien, I like both of them. It's Reira and the Obelisk Force. First off, the Obelisk Force...well...since they're fodder characters, they literally have no personality except being cruel and sadistic. I tried to change that with this batch of Obelisk Force.**

 **These guys are still sardonic and cynical like the Obelisk Force previously shown in this fic and the anime, but these guys take their job as soldiers more seriously and they don't get cocky as much. Actually, if you paid attention, I didn't have any of the Obelisk Force looking down on any Cards or effects. Maybe like once or twice, but I used to do it at least five times I think. So, hopefully I improved the Obelisk Force. But tbh, these guys are literally draining the fun out of writing. I only do these Duels to give other characters like Sora time to shine.**

 **I don't know why, but with my Naruto fic, writing fights with fodder is still fun. That's probably because each fodder character can have different moves and tactics.**

 **And I cannot just change the Decks of the Obelisk Force, they are supposed to have synergy or some shit like that which I haven't portrayed in this fic at all.**

 **One more thing, I'm VERY sorry that this chapter is so short. I did not have the energy to finish off this chapter thanks to the Obelisk Force.**

 **Alright, rant is done!**

 **Thetiger39: To prove that no Card is evil even if created by the hands of someone evil and that it can be used for good. If I had her create her own Card out of thin air, it wouldn't prove that.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: Literally no aside from Yuya (getting depressed all the time?), Yuzu (for the first 50 episodes), Shun (meh, got fucked over in the ending episodes), Reira (...), and...Sawatari and his respect for Yuya? Kaito? Oh wait, he's a legacy character. Yeah, not that many people got development. The only person I think got proper development was Serena and Yuzu, and they got shafted. Ironic how the most developed characters get fucked over the most.**

 **Bridgey: No comment. Yes, I can do this.**

 **Ethan Kironus: Jack has stated in this fic that he tried to stand up and have a voice, but he was rejected.**

 **DG: Well, there was only three Yu-boys in the area. Yuri was on Darkness' side, so he obviously wouldn't attack him at** _ **that**_ **moment. Rin wanted to fight Yugo and vice versa, and that left Darkness with Yuto. Thanks for the offer btw.**

 **Heart of the mem: Sorry for the late update, just no that I don't plan on quitting no matter how long I take. I** _ **WILL**_ **finish this fic at the very least.**

 **Pls make Yuka: A couple of things. 1. I do not have plans to make an OC (Although I guess you could consider this version of Darkness an OC since I'm going to play around with him a lot, he will play a big part in the story most likely). 2. I don't know what dimension heroes are.**

 **Whew! Well, now since that's over with, I can go back into my half-a-month long hibernation (joking).**

 **Take care until then, goodbye guys.**


	90. Venom

During her time at Academia, Serena was taught to surprise her feelings. Thus, she had long forgotten true happiness, anger, and other such things.

This is the main reason for why she was so confused at the weird feeling in her chest.

She just didn't know how to describe. Seeing her old friend, standing in front of her, completely different from how she remembered 3 years ago.

Actually, she hasn't once interacted with Yuri since their separation.

No matter how hard she tried to find him, it was like he disappeared off the face of the planet. Serena actually began to think that Yuri was Carded or actually dead.

Yet here he was.

If the grin of a madman smeared across his face didn't give it away, it was the manner in which he was staring at her.

An intent to hurt. To defeat. To top.

"This Duel will be nothing like the ones in the past." Yuri said, breaking the Moonlight user out of her thoughts.

She couldn't help but ask, "Why? Why are you doing all of this?! What caused this sudden change in you, Yuri? What happened to your goal?! To reach the top! To have your strength and existences be acknowledged and admired! You would really throw away that dream for Academia's goal?"

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" Yuri waved his finger in a teasing manner, "Oh, Serena- _chan_. It seems you've misunderstood. I could care less about Academia's goal. And my goal is still the same. By siding with Academia, I get to go to other dimensions and fight MANY strong Duelists of different styles and Decks. Isn't that _fun_?! Eradicating others! Proving that you are the strongest in the world!"

Serena held her disgust as Yuri licked his lips. And it didn't help that he added the _chan_ honorific, something he used to do once in a while in a playful manner. But now...it was _definitely_ not the same.

"You're committing mass genocide!" She said.

"Am I? Or am I just getting rid of the pests that wouldn't matter anyway? And besides, don't deny that you once believed in Academia's goals as well. You would be _just_ like me if it weren't for the Lancers."

"All of this...just for acknowledgment?" Serena narrowed her eyes, feeling something boiling in her chest. "You would really go so far for something so selfish?!"

Yuri grinned, "Don't act as if you understand. I was naive back then. Academia helped me realize my many flaws. I realized that I truly am a monster. And guess what...I'm _proud_ of it!"

Surprisingly, the purple-haired boy got a serious expression.

"How could you possibly understand how I felt all those years? Never knew my parents. Ostracized by my own peers at both Academia and the orphanage. My only friend abandoned me and left me to realize and feel the cruel reality of the world for myself, with no one to back up on."

Yuri closed his eyes, feeling his hand beginning to twitch. Movements Serena noted.

"I was put through a strict training regime. No breaks at all, constant Dueling, training, and disciplining. If I didn't obey, I was beaten. Treated like a dog. An animal. A mere flower that everyone stepped on, not caring for its hidden beauty. Merely as just scum of the earth. I was all alone. Had nothing to live for. There was no purpose in my life."

Although he spoke with an stoic and almost emotionless tone, Serena could sense the small bit of vulnerability in his voice.

"However, I found something. A purpose. Something to make my existence worthwhile. I needed to win. No matter what. Become strong. Become feared. Carding others with no remorse...I would never be forgotten! I would be hailed as the best and strongest! Yes! _That_ will be my true acknowledgment. When every living person knows the name…"

He paused, letting the wind blow by as if to build tension between him and her female enemy. The Predator Plants user showed a wide smile as the next words spoken escaped his lips.

"Yuri of the Cold-Hearted Smile."

Immediately, there was a transition. What little pain he showed was now gone, and the bit of the old Yuri that Serena knew hid himself from her once again.

"You...You would really want to be hated and feared for the rest of your life?! Your goal in life was for people _not_ to view you that way!"

"Mere pipe dreams, Serena. Mere pipe dreams. And everybody knows, worthless pipe dreams fall hard. And they hurt like a bitch too. Overcoming my weakness opened my eyes. I can trust no one. The one who took me in, the Professor. I don't really care what he does. I only side with him to show what little gratitude I have towards for him for taking me in when you left me for _dust_! Soon, I'm sure our alliance will break, and he will try to kill he like he has attempted in the past. As I've said, trust isn't an option. And being kind only makes one weak! That's all that I have been taught for the past couple of years."

The purple-haired girl narrowed her eyes at this bit of information. The Professor had attempted to kill Yuri? When? How many times? And why was Yuri showing gratitude to a guy who was apparently wanted him dead.

Before she could ask anymore questions, Yuri yawned and began to speak.

"All of this talking is boring. Come on, Serena! Give me a good Duel before I take you back." Yuri stated, his Duel Disk switching on in the blink of an eye.

His opponent said nothing as she activated her own Duel Disk as well.

" **DUEL!** "

Due to Serena's membership in the Lancers, the Action Field Crossover activated, and a group of Action Cards were scattered around the area.

"I'll be the first to strike!" The purple-haired boy declared, drawing his starting Hand and taking a long gaze at his Cards. A VERY long gaze.

Yuri didn't even make a move for a minute.

Most people would be confused. After all, if a turn player takes too long to even make a move, their turn is automatically skipped.

Obviously, Serena prided herself in not being most people.

And she already knew what Yuri was doing. He was just fucking around with her.

The constant giggles and sounds coming from said boy only proved her point. The guy wasn't deciding on what to do at all. He was just trying to make her wait.

And it infuriated her. The humiliation she felt at not being worth his time.

It was clear he wanted her to feel this way. To cloud her judgement, perhaps? No, Yuri was too fucked up in the head now to play games like that. It was something else…

Finally, Yuri began to make his move, snapping Serena out of her thoughts.

"Come and serve me, Predator Plants Moray Nepenthes!"

 **Moray Nepenthes: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I set a Card and activate the Continuous Magic Rapid Seed Cannon Fire!" Yuri spoke, sliding his Card into Duel Disk. "I activate its effect! Once per turn, I can send a level 4 or lower Predator Plants Monster from my Deck to my Graveyard and inflict 300 damage to you. I send Predator Plants Fly Hell to the Grave!"

Once said Monster entered the Grave, a plant-like cannon appeared next to Yuri. He thrusted his hand towards Serena with a grin. A long purple seed bursted out of the cannon, headed right for the girl.

It hit her hard in the stomach, expelling her breath and causing her to double over. She glared at Yuri with a single eye open, breathing heavily as she did so.

 **Serena: 4000-3700 LP**

Yuri tuned and mentioned that normally his Card would also decrease the Attack of all Monsters on Serena's Field by 600. But since she controlled nothing at the moment, that didn't matter. It was at this moment when Yuri noticed just how much Serena was struggling to catch her breath.

"Eh? Out of breath, already? It seems your time in Standard over time has dulled your battle sense." The Predator Plants user gave his opponent a triumphant smirk.

"Shut up!" Serena swatted her hand, "I'm not going to let you get to me!"

She knew this act. Yuri had done it many times in the past. He would make nefarious and annoying remarks about her, either insulting her skills or just flat out trying to distract her.

Yuri knew about her short temper, and he used to be able to take advantage of that to make Serena perform reckless decisions and screw up.

But things were different now. And Serena wasn't so gullible and short-tempered anymore.

"I suppose this is the end of my turn." Yuri sighed, disappointed that he couldn't do more in his turn. However, the disappointed look was immediately replaced by an intimidating look directed towards Serena. "Now, come and face me, Serena! Show me how you've improved over the years!"

The tone he used displayed excitement, but it oozed with an unhealthy desire. A desire to wreak havoc and let loose.

 _Now let's see. Just how strong are you, Serena? Hopefully you'll be stronger than your other counterparts. The bigger challenge, the more fun._ Yuri silently licked his lips, yearning to defeat his former rival and friend.

"My turn, draw!" Serena ripped the top Card off her Deck, slamming said Card onto her Duel Disk, "I Summon Moonlight Black Sheep in Attack Position!"

 **Black Sheep: Level 2, 100 Atk, 600 Def**

"Next, I activate the Magic Card Fusion! I fuse the Black Sheep on my Field with the Moonlight Crimson Fox In my Hand! The beast lurking in jet-black darkness! The fox burning with tails of crimson fire! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power!"

Serena's Monsters flew towards each other in a vortex-like fashion. A flash of light emitted from behind her, as the girl brought down her enclosed hands.

"Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Caf Dancer!"

 **Cat Dancer: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Cat Danced, huh? Seems you're still as feisty as ever."

Serena ignored Yuri's remark and continued with her turn. She fiercely thrusted her hand to the ground.

"I activate the effect of Moonlight Black Sheep, and I chain the effect of Moonlight Crimson Fox to it as well. Since Crimson Fox was sent to the Grave by a Card effect, I can target a Monster you control and decrease its Attack down to 0 until the end of the turn!"

Obviously, since Yuri's only Monster was Moray Nepenthes, that was the Monster that fell victim to Serena's effect. A literal ring of encircled Moray Nepenthes, causing the plant to lose strength.

It noticeably began to wilt.

 **Moray Nepenthes: 1600-0 Atk**

"Following that is Black Sheep's effect! Since this Card I controlled was sent to the Graveyard as Fusion Material, I can return this Card to my Hand!" Serena's voice rang through Yuri's ears. He merely looked on as the girl took the Monster Card out of her Graveyard slot.

With no hesitation whatsoever, Serena thrusted her hand forward, declaring her attack on Yuri's weak Monster.

The feline Monster jumped into the air, performing a flip before dishing out two slashes to the plant in Yuri's possession, destroying the Monster immediately.

Yuri threw a single arm in front of himself to shield his eyes from the ensuing smoke.

 **Yuri: 4000-1600 LP**

"Impressive. Still as feisty as ever I see." Yuri said with a playful tone, not fazed by the fact that he had lost more than half of his life points.

Once again, this comment fell upon deaf ears, and Serena continued with her move.

"I set these two Cards and end my turn."

"Then, it's my turn!" Yuri began by drawing his Card. "I use the effect of a Rapid Seed Cannon Fire once again! From my Deck I send Predator Plants Sundew Kingii to the Grave! Take another dose of 300 damage!"

This time, Serena managed to dodge the shot coming towards her. It didn't protect her from the damage however.

 **Serena: 3700-3400 LP**

As a result, Cat Dancer lost Attack, much to Serena's annoyance.

 **Cat Dancer: 2400-1800 Atk**

"Next. I activate the Trap Card Predator Plants Reborn! Using this Card, I Special Summon Predator Plants Fly Hell!"

The Monster appeared in front of Yuri in Attack Position.

 **Fly Hell: Level 2, 400 Atk, 800 Def**

Serena let out a grunt, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight of the Monster.

"Judging by your reaction, I assume you remember what this little critter does. Of course, I use its effect! Once per turn, I get to target a face-up Monster you control and place a Predator Counter on it. Then, if it is a level 2 or higher, it becomes a level 1 Monster as long as it has the Counter."

A swirl of leaves erupted around Fly Hell, before twisting over to Cat Dancer.

Serena narrowed her eyes. Things went slow as she peered down at her Graveyard slot, _I could protect my Monster with Crimson Fox, however...that's exactly what he wants..._

 **Cat Dancer: Level 7-2, Predator Counter 0-1**

"Battle! Go, Fly Hell! Attack Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Yuri grinned, with his Monster extending, making its way to Serena's Monster. "As you should know, when Fly Hell battles a Monster with an equal or lower level, it is destroyed!"

Receiving the signal, Fly Hell bit Cat Dancer, causing the Fusion Monster to shatter with a scream.

"I activate the Trap Card Moonlight Reincarnation Dance!" Serena chained, throwing her fist out forward. "When a Moonlight Fusion Monster I control is destroyed, I can add two Moonlight Monsters to my Hand. I add Moonlight Yellow Marten and Moonlight Tiger!"'

"Moonlight Tiger?" Yuri repeated the name of the Monster. "It seems you've gotten yourself some new toys."

Serena gave an insistent nod, "Of course. I must strive to become stronger than how I used to be. And to become a better person while doing it. That's another reason for why I sided with the Lancers."

Serena took her gaze off of Yuri, looking over to where Yuzu was. She was currently Dueling Sergey, but at the moment there was nothing she could do to help her counterpart.

Even still, a wave of gratitude filled Serena when her eyes saw Yuzu's figure.

Yuri followed Serena's gaze and came to a stop at Hiragi Yuzu, one of the three needed targets.

"I see. That girl…"

Serena returned a glare directed towards Yuri, "Yes! That girl, named Hiragi Yuzu showed me what it truly means to be strong! What you've been taught up until now is wrong. One can be both strong _and_ kind!"

For some reason, that sparked a reaction out of Yuri.

"Shut up!" Although it barely showed, Serena could see the anger on Yuri's mug. His eyebrows threatening to betray the wavering blank expression on his face simply by narrowing. "I've tried to be kind and strong! And I _know_ it doesn't work! Eventually, you'll just end up in a dead end, all alone with nobody to go to! And then, you'll just end up like me."

She didn't know why Yuri got so worked up about that, but she didn't know what to make of it, or how to follow that up. She was making progress, damn it! This was her one chance to learn more on why Yuri is how he is now. But she fucked it all up!

Once fully composing himself, Yuri continued with his turn, "Fly Hell's level is increased by the original level of the destroyed Monster. Cat Dancer's Level is 7, so Fly Hell's level…"

"Rises up to 9…" Serena finished for the boy, taking a long gaze at him.

 **Fly Hell: Level 2-9**

"I set yet another Card facedown and end my turn." Yuri concluded as a Card materialized in front of him.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Card Moon Light Perfume! Using this Card, I revive Cat Dancer from my Graveyard!" Serena announced as her Monster danced back onto the Field from a purple portal opening from the ground. "I Summon Moonlight Tiger in Attack Position!" In a burst of light, Serena's Pendulum Monster rose to the Field.

 **Tiger: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 800 Def**

"When Moonlight Tiger is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a Fusion Card from my Grave, back into my Hand." Serena explained as her Monster glowed yellow momentarily while she grabbed Fusion from the Graveyard. She immediately slid into her Duel Disk, activating the Card.

From her Hand, she fused Moonlight Yellow Marten with the Cat Dancer on her Field, beginning a chant as her Monster swirled into a vortex.

"The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight! Marten with yellow-cloaked fur! Swarm in the vortex of moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Elegant beast dancing in the moonlit wilderness! Moonlight Panther Dancer!"

 **Panther Dancer: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2500 Def**

"I activate Yellow Marten's effect, and then chain a Continuous Trap Card! It's name is Moonlight Serenade Dance! When a Fusion Monster is Fusion Summoned to my Field, I can Special a Summon a Moonlight Token to your Field, _and_ have my Monster gain 500 Attack for each Monster in your possession!"

As she spoke, a bright yellow moon appeared right next to Fly Hell. The sentient plant let out a low growl in response to the sudden intruder's appearance.

 **Moonlight Token: Beast-Warrior, Dark, Level 4, 2000 Atk, 2000 Def**

Once the token appeared, a yellow aura surrounded Panther Dancer, signifying her increase in power.

 **Panther Dancer: 2800-3800 Atk**

"Back to my Yellow Marten, since she was sent to the Graveyard by a Card effect, I get to add a Moonlight Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my Hand! I choose the Magic Card Moonlight Fusion!" Serena spoke, grabbing an ejected Card from her Deck and placing it with the rest of the Cards she was holding.

Yuri narrowed his eyes after hearing the name of Serena's desired Card.

"Moonlight Fusion? How original." He spoke sarcastically, before shifting his eyes over to set Card. He released a grin, his eyes widening before slitting like a serpent. He jabbed his finger at the facedown Card, "Unfortunately I'll have to stop you there, Serena- _chan_! Right now, you're going to have a look into _my_ Hell! Trap Card, activate! Ridicule World!"

At that moment, the surrounding area was filled with purple dark wisps with evil, wicked grins of red flying around Serena's Monsters in particular.

Serena quickly brought her arms to her ears as she heard a loud, chilling laugh that sounded like it was right next to her. There was a truckload of malice clearly evident within each laugh and all of the wisps seemed to be taunting her, trying to make her break down with their laughs of torture.

"Stop…"

It all came hitting her like she was ran over by a truck. Flashbacks. Flashbacks from the past. Not from her own. But from Yuri's.

She saw the docks of Academia, before finding herself in the courtyard. She saw many students. Of Osiris Red. Ra Yellow. And of course Obelisk Blue.

Many people, talking. Laughing. Pranking. Studying. Unaware of the weapons that they would soon become.

And unaware of that one kid.

That one kid who always sits by himself. On the bench. In a secluded area. Not secluded for reasons such as boredom. No. It was secluded because of a boy.

A single boy crying his eyes out by himself. He looked so small that he would be about 5, if one were to guess.

But that was because he was crunched up in a fetal position, letting darkness cover his eyes. Darkness. His only friend now.

Everywhere he went, he was met with looks of contempt. Hate. And worst of all...Fear.

Fear of what he might become. Fear of how bad he was now.

The boy was strong on the outside. A tank. A well-oiled machine that plowed through anything in its bad. So rough that it would beat those to severe injury or harm.

But on the inside, he was as small as dust.

His self-confidence being crumbled down to recent events. His only friend other than darkness, had left him.

And then there were the insults and warnings from one student to another.

" _Stay away from him! He's just a Monster!"_

" _STAY AWAY YOU...YOU FREAK!"_

" _Why don't you just go and die, you brainless hog!"_

Every time he approached people, they would back off and run away. Away like cowards. Blinded from what they saw at first glance. Not bothering to look deeper for the Violet's true nature.

" _What's the point...What's the point of me living? Why do I exist?"_

The boy would constantly ask himself this question everyday. Even when he when he had a friend. He would ask himself this.

Was he just a weapon for destruction? Is that all he was? Was he even _something_ at all? What made him so different from the rest? Why was _he_ the one left alone?

Serena found herself at a blue dorm. It was humongous. It could have fit and accommodated for about fifty people.

Once again, she found the violet-haired boy fast-walking towards the dorm. Head down. Paying no heed to where he was going. His head slammed dead into the door knob.

" _Ow!"_

The boy rubbed the place of impact. He shrugged it off immediately and opened the door to the dorm.

A wave of jealousy filled Serena's heart at that moment. What did he call it? _Hell_?! Sure, he had no friends from the other dorms. But he had everything he could have dreamed of! He was in a high-ranking position.

 _Creak!_

The door opened. The boy took a few hesitant steps in. He looked around the dorm to see his fellow Obelisk Blue students conversing with each other or chowing down.

Most heard the opening of the door and looked at the person who had just entered.

Silence had filled the room.

Moments later, the lone boy found himself on the ground, pushed down by the ensuing crowd of cries and fear as practically the entirety of the dorm's residents dashed out the door one by one.

Once again, the boy was alone.

He rose from the floor and looked around. Unfinished food on the ground due to being spit out at his arrival. Dropped cans of soda and juice. Overall, the place was a mess.

He let out a sad sigh, feeling a certain substance fill his vision as he stomped over to his room. The Obelisk Blue Dorm was so big that it had remaining rooms that were vacant.

There were rooms for four, for three, for two, and of course, for one.

There were very little occupied rooms that were for one person. Most of the rooms for groups were already filled.

It took no genius to figure out who one of the only solo rooms belonged to.

The socially-deprived boy dropped down into the bed in his room. He cried so much on that bed that the sheets looked like they were going to dissolve.

Serena let out a long gasp of air as she found herself back in the real world. She looked down at her Duel Disk to see…

 **Panther Dancer: 3800-3900 Atk**

And…

 **Tiger: 1200-1300 Atk**

"Now, any Monster who has an Attack greater than their original amount cannot declare battle." Yuri tuned in, looking at Serena with a wicked grin resembling those of the wisps that had surrounded her Field and were now gone.

"You…" Serena started. But she didn't know how to finish. What she had just saw left her speechless. So much so that she didn't even know if she could believe it or not.

Her mouth thought differently however.

"Liar! Don't try and make me believe that all of that just now was real!"

" _Liar_? Oh no, you are highly mistaken. That all happened. For every day of my life in Academia, and my life before you appeared in the orphanage."

Unconsciously and unintentionally, Serena let a bit of guilt appear in her eyes. A sight that pleased Yuri to say the least.

"Don't feel bad, Serena. It's not your fault. After all, it's not like you were the only friend I had..."

The tone he used was so normal that it stabbed Serena in the heart. And the facial expression he wore didn't help either.

He looked...happy. He bore a smile on his face. But anyone could tell that it was a fake smile, used only to taunt her. Make her feel guilty.

"Now, just end your turn so I can introduce you to the only one who was there for all of those years."

It was at this moment when Serena actually took a good look at Yuri's face. She looked closer. What she was the glowing violet eyes of her opponent, with a dark aura surrounding him. Pushing off his body like fire.

She then felt a cold air surround her, followed by a serious 'killing' (more like Carding) intent.

"I-I set a Card and end my turn."

Serena's body jerked immediately after she heard the stutter in her own voice.

 _Am I...afraid?_

Due to the end of the turn passing, Ridicule World's effect ends.

 **Panther Dancer: 3900-3800 Atk**

 **Tiger: 1300-1200 Atk**

Yuri placed his hand on the top of his Deck, "My turn, draw!"

Serena turned to her wrist to see her bracelet emitting a dim purple light. Blinking repeatedly like a star.

 _It's blinking again?!_ Serena thought to herself as she looked at her surroundings. She saw Yugo and Rin Dueling, with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon on the former's Field.

Serena could just make barely out a dark aura surrounding Yugo. She tried to search for Yuto and his opponent, only to find that they were gone. Where they should have been Dueling was replaced by a sphere of darkness, preventing any outsiders from seeing inside.

She returned her attention to Yuri, who held a Magic Card in his Hand. "I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! I'll be making good use of that Token you gave me. I fuse the Moonlight Token and the Predator Plants Fly Hell on my Field!"

Serena readied herself. She knew all too well what was going to come out of that vortex. Overhead, she could see a large circle beginning to form in the sky with lightning shooting out of it in random directions.

She heard Yuri's chilling voice and looked back at him.

He wore an eccentric grin while having his hands lifted up to the sky as if he was making an offering to God.

"Become one, my servants! And from the hell beneath your shadows, give birth to a new terror!" Yuri chanted, bringing his arms together with a loud clap.

He brought his hands down in front of him, yelling "FUSION SUMMON! APPEAR! POISONOUS DRAGON WITH HUNGRY FANGS!"

Out of the vortex behind him, a tail sprouted, followed by the body of a three-mouthed dragon with a purple and green design. The dragon let out a ferocious roar, marking its appearance.

"LEVEL 8! STARVE VENOM FUSION DRAGON!"

* * *

 **HOLY FUCK! ITS ONE DAY AWAY FROM A MONTH SINCE I LAST UPDATED THIS STORY!**

 **FEAR NOT, I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS FIC!**

 **Honestly, I don't even want to remember what the fuck I was doing for all of this time. I only remembered this…**

 **I spent the first week debating on which pair should Duel next.**

 **Yeah, a fucking week. At first I decided on Yuzu and Sergey, and I got some of that chapter done, but I decided not to do that one and instead have Yuri and Serena Duel here. Next chapter most likely will be Yuzu vs Sergey.**

 **Unlike with what I've done for the past three chapters now, I'll be trying to cram in Ruri vs Barrett along with Yuto vs Darkness along with the conclusion of the other Duels all in one chapter. I think however that I'll give Yuzu vs Sergey a one chapter Duel.**

 **Honestly, I don't know if splitting up the Duels into different chapters was a good idea, but I wanted to stop at the point where the four boys go berserk.**

 **Now about Yuri's little childhood segment. When I try to piece together what little exposition we got for Yuri in the anime, I compare to Gaara of the Desert from the Naruto series. From what we've seen, both are lonely individuals who had no one and only had one person who saw them for a person. And in the end they lost that person.**

 **Obviously, Gaara changed his ways and became a much better person eventually, but both Yuri and the old him resemble each other in many ways. They are both ruthless, cruel beings who wish to be the strongest and to get rid of anyone else to prove have their existence never be forgotten. Let me know if you compare Yuri to a character from another series, or hell, maybe even a real life person.**

 **Just a side note, when writing Yuri's backstory segment, I had to fight back the urge to play the Naruto Shippuden OST-Nostalgia while writing. It was so unbearable…(Yeah, I play music when I write sometimes, SO?! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT, PUNK!)**

 **Now, if you noticed, I changed the chant for Starve Venom slightly. This chant will always be used when Yuri Fusion Summons Starve Venom when one of the Materials isn't a Plant-Type Monster.**

 **Also, we'll be going back to Reiji soon...**

 **Now that that's over with…**

 **Guest: I'll think about the Cadd you suggested. Also, about the twins, I don't think I'll be adding any more legacy characters. At least, no more major ones. Maybe I'll have a legacy character return for a one-shot Duel like I did for Hunter Pace/Mukuro Enjo against Yuya. But otherwise, sorry, the twins won't be appearing.**

 **Bridgey: Yeah, sorry for making you confused about that. I was kind of hesitant when I was deciding how to go about these Duels with the 'Become One' shut coming up. Had no other Duel been going on, I would have finished Yugo vs Rin during that chapter and not split it into two like I will be doing. Don't worry about making me mad or anything. Criticism is always appreciated in order to help improve.**

 **DG: IMO, Sonic 06 sucked ass as a game, but in terms of music it was amazing. Shadow was pretty cool too I guess.**

 **Skadi: From what I have planned out so far, O'Brien has I think two big Duels coming up (one will be in the next arc though), so you can look forward to that.**

 **Whew! That's all for now guys. I'm truly sorry for the long 'hiatus' if you'd call it that. I'd call it laziness if you ask me but whatever.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this revival chapter.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	91. For My Friends

If Hiragi Yuzu would have been told at the time of the Miami Championship that she was going to Duel a machine who brutally beat Gongenzaka to near death, she would merely scoff and call it nonsense.

Now...scoffing would not be such a good idea.

She already knew his reason for being here. Roget wanted her, Serena, and Ruri. The other two were occupied and there was no way Academia was going to let Yuzu's counterparts be captured right in front of their eyes.

Yuzu herself was the unfortunate counterpart, and had to Duel Sergey.

The pink-haired girl gulped, putting on a brave face in front of the mindless android, holding up her Duel Disk. This action prompted Sergey to do the same.

As things were now, if he tried to flat out try and capture her, she would just keep dodging. And eventually, reinforcements of Academia would come and try to defeat him, jeopardizing his mission. Recklessness and failure were the two things that were not an option.

"Please give me a beautiful Duel. Just like the big man and entertainer."

Yuzu's lips parted, shivering slightly as the image of Gongenzaka and Tokumatsu's bodies appeared in her head. She activated her Duel Disk. If she was going to end up like that along with being captured, then she should at least go out fighting!

" **DUEL!** " The female and the machine yelled in unison.

"It's my turn first!" Yuzu declared immediately, claiming the first turn as she drew five Cards from her Deck. "I Summon Melodious Diva Canon from my Hand!"

 **Canon: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I use Canon's special effect! Once per turn, I can change her Battle Position! I switch her from Attack Position to Defense Position." The Melodious user adjusted her Card so it was facing horizontally, with Canon following the action by taking a defensive stance. "I then set three Cards and end my turn."

Yuzu has never once seen an expression on Sergey's face other than one of sadism before. He was always so emotionless.

Which was why she was shocked when she saw Sergey give a disappointed glare towards her, sending a chill down her spine just by staring at him.

"That was a most pitiful performance." Sergey actually insulted his opponent, another thing that never happened in his two other Duels.

 _He's trying to make me lose focus by catching me off guard with his sudden banter and emotions. I'm not falling for it though!_ Yuzu thought to herself, returning the glare Sergey had glued to his face.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Field Magic Card Earthbound Tundra!" Upon the activation of the Card, a purple gleaming light erupted from the ground, enclosing itself around Sergey and Yuzu, secluding them from the outside.

Yuzu attempted to run out, but was too late to react. At this point, she could not run even though she wanted to.

She was aware that even without an Action Field, Duelists of the Synchro Dimension could make their Cards and Monsters do actual damage. That also meant that in this case, Yuzu could actually feel the hedges. And thus, could not escape, as there was no space big enough for the Hiragi to fit in.

"With this, neither of us can Summon a Monster in Defense Position and Attack Position Monsters can't change their battle position! Next, if there is a Card in my Field Zone, I am allowed to Special Summon this Card! Appear, Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper!" Sergey slammed the Card onto his Duel Disk with emotion spewing out from the very sound.

 **Stone Sweeper: Level 5, 1600 Atk, 1600 Def**

"Next, I Summon the Tuner Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker!"

 **Line Walker: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1100 Def**

"A Tuner…" Yuzu whispered, quickly taking a glance at her set Card, hoping that the Monster Sergey was Summoning wasn't going to be too strong.

"I tune the level 5 Stone Sweeper with the level 3 Tuner Monster Line Walker! Revive from the depths of the earth. Gigantic beast with wings of punishment! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon!"

 **Geo Gryphon: Level 8, 2500 Atk, 1500 Def**

"It's the same Synchro Monster from that one match…" Yuzu murmured, looking at the unusual grin that Sergey was wearing at the moment.

"Beautiful." Was all he said before declaring battle, "Geo Gryphon! Attack Melodious Diva Canon!"

Yuzu had no choice but to watch as her Monster was blown to bits of by an energy blast formed by Geo Gryphon.

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Sergey finished, setting his dead eyes into Yuzu's soul.

The girl did her best to ignore this blank look and gazed down at her Deck. She made a silent prayer that her Cards would respond to her calls and drew a Card. She let out whatever bit of a smile she could muster under the current situation and played her drawn Card.

"Dance to the stage, Melodious Songstress Soprano!"

 **Soprano: Level 4, 1400 Atk, 1400 Def**

"I activate her Monster effect! Using this Card and other Cards either on my Field or in the Hand, I can perform a Fusion Summon! I fuse Soprano with Melodious Diva Opera!" Yuzu thrusted her hand into the air as she began to recite a chant. "Supreme prodigy! Noble resonance! The flutter of angel wings! By the guidance of the baton, assemble your power. Fusion Summon! Now on stage, the song of passion! Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima!"

 **Bloom Prima: Level 7, 1900 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yuzu stepped forward, confidently throwing her hand to her Monster as it gained a yellow aura.

"Bloom Prima on its Summon gains 300 Attack for each Monster used as Material! There were two! So, Bloom Prima gains 600 Attack!"

 **Bloom Prima: 1900-2500 Atk**

The two Monsters were now on even ground. The eyes of the winged animal met the eyes of Yuzu's Monster. Neither backed down and made sure to display their boldness, attempting to outdo each other.

These attempts made no significance at all other than to show that the Monsters were currently equal.

Yuzu sent flares of anger towards Sergey through the tight staring contest their eyes engaged them subconsciously.

Yuzu didn't forget how Gongenzaka looked after being defeated. It was the worst state she had ever seen someone be in. And she did _not_ want to go through her life going forward knowing that she couldn't beat the scumbag that beat one of her best friends ruthlessly.

"I'll get a good hit in for you, Gongenzaka." Yuzu proclaimed quietly, looking down at the ground, eyes closed. She then spoke with a higher volume, "I end my turn."

What followed next was a long wave of silence between the two Duelists. This sudden pause in pace left Yuzu very perplexed. She took a good look at Sergey and saw that he saw just standing there, looking up in the sky.

Her eyes were so fixed on his head that she didn't notice the violent trembling in his right hand.

"Not beautiful…" He mused quietly. "Why...Why must you ruin the beauty of this Duel with your...your...incompetence and hesitation? I…"

He brought his head down, eyes level with Yuzu's, focusing deeper. As if he was trying to peer into her soul and read her thoughts and feelings.

The very sight of it was enough to send chills up and down the Melodious user's spine.

"I must rid the world of such an unsightly weakness as the one that you show me right now. It is my turn now. I draw! Battle!"

"What?! You're declaring battle?!" Yuzu cried out of shock, expecting Sergey to end his turn or at least bring something else to the Field.

"A world cannot be complete and beautiful with conquest, war, and battle. Simple peace and harmony cannot exist without a dose of bloodshed. Try and tell me different! After all, I've been to Hell and back." The Android said cryptically, spreading his fingers out as he continued, "Geo Gryphon, attack her Monster!"

Sergey's Monster let out a roar as a light green ball formed in its mouth. On the other side of the Field, Bloom Prima merely began to sing her heart out.

Reacting quickly, Yuzu revealed one of her facedown Cards, "Quick-Play, activate! De-Fusion! I return Bloom Prima to the Extra Deck and Special Summon her Materials!" She let out a sigh of relief. Now she had at least had protection on her side.

Unfortunately, Sergey had other plans for Bloom Prima.

He clicked a button on his Duel Disk, revealing a set Card of his own. "Counter Trap, Earthbound Spell Sealer! If you activate a Magic Card while I control a face-up Field Magic Card, I can negate the activation of your Card an destroy it!"

Yuzu could only watch in horror as her activated Card turned a dull gray before crumbling to pieces, prompting both attacks to continue.

The ensuing shockwaves from Bloom Prima's voice colliding with the beam of green light from Geo Gryphon destroyed both Monsters.

Before Yuzu could process what had just happened, Sergey played his second facedown right after both Monsters were vanquished.

"Trap Card, Earthbound Reincarnation! This Card has two effects that work under two different situations. I'll be using the first! If an Earthbound Servant Synchro Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon it's Materials from the Graveyard!"

Yuzu grunted in response. She watched with sharp eyes as Earthbound Prisoners Line Walker and Stone Sweeper were brought back to the Field in Defense Position.

"Now here comes the next part of my Card! If I am able, I can Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck with its effects negated using the Special Summoned Monsters as Materials!"

The image of a purple-lined, black bodied behemoth popped into Yuzu's mind. It was going to be the same Monster that was summoned against that Tokumatsu guy.

Sure, Sergey could have just been Summoning a different Fusion Monster. But Yuzu had a hunch. A hunch that she fully believed to be true.

From Sergey's chant, Yuzu got her answer.

"Prisoner that crawls across the earth. Become one with the prisoner that walks the path of execution and become a gigantic beast that delivers out punishment! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken!"

A wave of discomfort flowed through Yuzu's body as erupting from the ground, the same Fusion Monster that played a huge role in Tokumatsu's defeat towered over Yuzu.

A loud moaning sound could be heard from the creature, looking down on the pink-haired girl as if she was an ant, and _it_ , was a God.

 **Geo Kraken: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Now! My beautiful beast, attack her directly!" Sergey called out to his Monster as one of its big tentacles flew right for Yuzu, who in a rush, activated her Trap.

"I activate Fusion Cycle! I get to Special Summon a Monster from your Grave that was used as Fusion Material this turn in Attack Position! Furthermore, the Summoned Monster cannot be destroyed by battle for this turn as well. I revive the Tuner Monster Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker!"

A portal opened in front of Sergey. Line Walker floated out and teleported to Yuzu's Field, taking an immediate battle position. Only for it to. Get smacked by one of Geo Kraken's tentacles.

A gust of wind blew at Yuzu's body as she let out a scream. She sunk her feet into the ground in order to not fall to the ground. She was strong, and she wasn't going to just drop dead to the floor and make herself look weak!

 **Yuzu: 4000-2000 LP**

 _Alright...I managed to avoid some damage. And now I've got a Tuner Monster on my Field. Now, I just need to draw the right Monster…_ Yuzu thought to herself, looking down at her Deck.

"Interesting...using my own Monster as a means to survive. Very interesting indeed. It seems I _can_ learn something from this Duel after all." Sergey lips curved into a wide, malicious smirk. "I end my turn. Now, come at me, Hiragi Yuzu!"

Yuzu formed a fist with her hand, "I'm not letting myself be thrown aside anymore! I _will_ defeat you! My turn, draw!" She gave her drawn Card a hard glance...before releasing a smile of gratitude.

 _Thank you, my Deck!_

She directed her attention to Sergey, showing him a determined expression. She placed her drawn Card onto her Duel Disk. A bright white flash of light later and a new Monster joined Line Walker on Yuzu's Field.

"I Summon Melodious Diva Sonata!"

 **Sonata: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I tune the level 3 Sonata with your Line Walker! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 6! Melodious Floral Saint Cadence!" Yuzu threw her hand into the air as her Monster appeared in a brilliant flash of green light.

 **Floral Saint Cadence: Level 6, 2000 Atk, 1500 Def**

Suddenly, Yuzu took a glance at the sky. She didn't know why, but she just did. Something inside her told her to do so.

In the sky, she saw pitch black clouds settling in along with a hole beginning to form.

Yuzu looked down at her wrist to see her bracelet glowing. She paled immediately. Now something was _definitely_ wrong. The bracelet only glowed when it something big was happening. And that big thing always seemed to involve Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo.

And now that she thought about it, perhaps that Yuri guy was involved as well, seeing that he had the same face as the other three boys she befriended over this entire adventure.

No matter what was happening, she had to finish this quick!

A sudden anticipation and fear grew inside Yuzu at that moment. No. There was another reason why she wanted to finish this. She just had a feeling. Maybe Yuya was…

She shoved those thoughts to the side, returning her attention to her Monster.

"Battle! Floral Saint Cadence, attack Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken!" Yuzu's Monster charged, followed by an explanation of her effect. "Cadence's effect activates! When she attacks a Monster, her attack rises by half the amount of the attacked Monster until the end of the turn!"

Sergey narrowed his eyes. "Geo Kraken holds 2800 Attack in its possession…"

"Thus, Cadence gains 1400 Attack!" Yuzu finished for her enemy.

 **Floral Saint Cadence: 2000-3400 Atk**

"The attack continues!" Yuzu declared as her Monster opened her mouth, releasing multiple high notes that shattered the Earthbound Servant into pieces.

"Kgh!" Sergey grunted as he received damage. However, a grin was plastered on his face while he took said damage.

 **Sergey: 4000-3400 LP**

"I end my turn." Yuzu concluded with a small smile, slightly more confident now. "At this moment, Cadence's battle effect ends, and her attack returns to normal."

 **Floral Saint Cadence: 3400-2000 Atk**

As the Duel went on, Roget, who was watching the Duel from Sergey's perspective thanks to a device he planted inside him, seethed with rage.

He gripped his fist, having a strong desire to bring someone to his office just so he could punch them in the face and put them through every horrific method of torture in his mind.

At the rate this was going Sergey was going to lose.

The blond dictator narrowed his eyes, "There's only one way for Sergey to have a chance at winning at this point."

Using his ultimate Card would potentially cause severe damage to Sergey, but Roget didn't care anymore. Sergey would survive. And he could always be repaired.

At this point, all he needed was Hiragi Yuzu captive to be used as a bargaining chip.

"Sergey!" The furious man screamed at the top of his lungs, his heart racing to the finish line out of fear for its safety. "USE THE CARD NOW! I DON'T CARE IF IT MAKES YOU VANISH FROM EXISTENCE! JUST USE IT!"

The voice was so loud that Yuzu could actually hear it from Sergey's faintly.

"Yes...Roget-sama." Was all Sergey said in response. It's all he could say. Roget was his master. And as a result, he had to obey. Disrespecting him could lead to serious consequences.

Yuzu could see through this like glass. _So that's it…_

"All for my master, Roget-sama! I will defeat you here and now!" Sergey bellowed, putting in more emotion than ever before. "My turn, draw!"

Sergey's red eye glowed brightly. So brightly it reflected off Yuzu's eyes like the sun.

"I can only activate this Card by paying 1000 life points! By paying this cost, I activate the Magic Card Earthbound Grave Fusion!" Sergey let out a loud groan of pain, as if the cost was actually burning him as if he touched fire.

 **Sergey: 3400-2400 LP**

"With this Card, I can banish Fusion Materials from my Graveyard in order to Fusion Summon a Monster to my Field!"

Yuzu let out a gasp as she saw the images of Sergey's Synchro and Fusion Monster rise and disappear in the span of five seconds.

"Gigantic beast with wings of punishment! Gigantic beast that deals out punishment! Become one and rise from the depths of the underground! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Earthbound Servant Geo Glasya-Labolas!"

Sergey's voice echoed through the air as his body began burn with a red tint, steam flowing out of his body as he slammed the Fusion Monster onto his Duel Disk.

 _CRASH!_

Erupting from the ground in a cloud of dark smoke was a dark purple winged-beast with red markings on its body, devil horns, and red nails.

 **Geo Glasya-Labolas: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 1800 Def**

Sergey froze. His body began to shake violently as he let out an ear-piercing scream.

He clutched his head as dropped to his knees. Yuzu could only watch with a horrified expression on her face as she saw the man writhe in pain. Despite being her enemy, Yuzu actually felt bad for her opponent a little bit.

Once again, the loud voice of Roget rang in Sergey's ear. "HURRY UP, SERGEY! BEFORE YOU BLOW YOUR FUSE!"

Electricity crackled around Sergey's body as the screaming came to an abrupt halt. The Android let go of his head, planting a foot hard into the ground, slowly beginning to rise to his feet.

"Beautiful…" He muttered. "This Monster...so beautiful…" He made direct eye contact with Yuzu, letting the girl see bloodshot eyes, causing her to freeze in place out of fear. " **BATTLE!** NOW, GO! GEO GLASYA-LABOLAS, ATTACK HER MONSTER AND FINISH THIS!"

Yuzu paused as Sergey's Monster charged, "And finish this?"

Her confusion was wiped away when she heard Sergey's voice again.

"WHEN GEO GLASYA-LABOLAS BATTLES A FUSION OR SYNCHRO MONSTER WHILE THERE IS A CARD FACE UP IN THE FIELD ZONE, THEN I CAN REDUCE THAT MONSTER'S ATTACK TO 0!"

"No way!" Yuzu lost her breath in that moment, glancing at her Monster who slumped down from a drainage of strength.

 **Floral Saint Cadence: 2000-0 Atk**

Yuzu snapped out of her stupor, clicking her Duel Disk one last time to reveal her final facedown Card.

"I activate the Trap Card, Melodious Backup Duet! First off, if a Melodious Monster I control would be destroyed by battle, I can halve the damage I take!"

As she spoke, Sergey's ultimate Monster slammed right into Cadence, destroying her. The ensuing shock wave threw Yuzu off her feet.

"KYAAAAAH!" She screamed as she fell to the ground with a loud thud.

 **Yuzu: 2000-500 LP**

"Such persistence…" Sergey began before clenching his fist as he winced, "Is unsightly! Just lie down and let me have a beautiful ending already!"

"..."

No sudden movement came from Yuzu.

Sergey scowled, "ARE YOU GIVING UP?! GET UP! GIVE ME SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR! SOMETHING TO ENJOY!" With the way he was screaming, one could assume that Sergey had lost his mind.

Finally, a small cough escaped Yuzu's lips. And then, movement. First her right foot hit the ground to support herself, followed by her hands pushing her off the ground and making her rise.

Despite the pain in her back, she was not going to let up.

"I'm not done just yet…" She stood up, slightly hunched over with an eye shut as she stared Sergey down. "I'm not going to go back on my word...I _will_ find my friend. And until I do…" She opened her eye, sharpening her gaze while yelling, "I can't allow myself to fall!"

Sergey raised an eyebrow of utter confusion. This concept was completely foreign to him. To resolve oneself based on the good fortune of others. Up until now, he has only fought for himself. Sure, he served Roget, but the things he did wasn't for _Roget_.

It was just for him, Sergey Volkov.

Needless to say, the white-haired man was intrigued. However, this only brought more confusion. And this confusion only brought more anger.

Sergey's vitals began to go off the charts. From Roget's point of view, Sergey could burst at any moment.

Intrigued further by his opponents persistence, he probed her for a question, "Why?"

Yuzu was confused, and for good reason.

"Why what?"

"Why do you fight so hard? And for the sake of another at that. What is that keeps you going, that keeps you fighting for that person?" Sergey questioned the girl with a blank, flat tone.

The first couple of seconds following that was filled with dead silence. So much so that Sergey thought he would never get an answer, especially since he was asking his enemy of all people.

Until…

"I fight for others...because it's the right thing to do. Supporting each other through the darkest times, that's what humans do. My friend, Sakaki Yuya...for all of my life he's been walking forward, while I looked at his back. Now, I fear that his path has been twisted. I...I don't want his dreams to die! So this time, I'll _with_ him! Holding his hand, and guiding him back to where he needs to be! That's why I fight for him, because he's one of my precious friends!"

Sergey's arms were left hanging at his side as he grit his teeth. No. This only confused him even more.

Why? _Why_ was this concept so hard to grasp?!

His anger only began to rise more, as he was subject to Yuzu talking even more.

"The same goes for Gongenzaka. You mercilessly beat him...seeing that happen...I cannot forgive you for what happened to him! That's why I WILL win! So I can find Yuya, and help regain Gongenzaka's honor!"

She thrusted her hand out, "The next effect of Melodious Backup Duet! When the Monster targeted for an attack is destroyed, I get to add 2 Melodious Monsters from my Deck to my Hand!"

Yuzu removed her Deck from her Disk in order to manually search through it. She scanned through, trying to find any Cards that could help her out.

She scanned again and again, and was starting to lose hope until she realized something…

There were some new Cards in her Deck. And her ace Monster Mozart had been redesigned. These Cards had a split of an orange and green color, with a blue and red diamond with a number below. She immediately recognized the Cards…

 _These are Pendulum Cards. But why do I have them?_ Yuzu wondered. She shook her head vigorously. Now was not the time to lose focus! She had a chance, and here was the time to take it. _These two shall suffice…_

"I add Melodious Maestra Beethoven and Melodious Diva Viola to my Hand!"

"Pendulum?" Sergey muttered under his breath before speaking up, "I was underneath impression that you could do no such thing. How is it that you are able to now?"

"It's a blessing from Yuya!" Was all that Yuzu replied with.

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sergey concluded, choosing not to press on with how Yuzu got Pendulum at the moment.

"My turn…" Yuzu placed her hand on her Deck and closed her eyes.

 _I know I keep asking this of you…but please, Deck! Heed my calls! For Yuya and a Gongenzaka!_

"I draw!" Yuzu eyed her drawn Card and let out a small gasp of happiness. She examined the changed Card closer to see its effects. After a couple of seconds she nodded and sent Sergey a look of victory. "It seems I've won."

"Tch!" Sergey grunted, clutching his head as he felt a wave of pain rush through him. He ignored it however, and kept going on. "Incredible…" He let out a smirk of satisfaction, "Out of all my opponents thus far, you seem to be the strongest. For that, I congratulate you. However, my beauty in this Duel with prevail and shine!"

"Let's do this." Yuzu encouraged herself before holding up two of the Pendulum Cards, "I set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 2 Melodious Maestra Beethoven and the Scale 9 Melodious Diva Viola!"

The newly invigorated girl swiped the two Cards on each end of her Duel Disk. The word 'Pendulum' played across her Disk as her new Monsters rose to the top of two blue columns.

"With this, I can Special Summon Monsters with levels from 3 to 8! Swing! Pendulum of my soul! Carve an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monster! Melodious Pendulum Maestra Prodigy Mozart!"

The redesigned version of Yuzu's ace Monster appeared. In appearance, the Monster looked nearly identical to the original, with a few small differences. The biggest being the yellow on Mozart's dress now being a slightly dark shade of blue, topping it off with silver lining her wings instead of yellow.

 **Pendulum Maestra Prodigy Mozart: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 2000 Def**

"I activate the effect of Prodigy Mozart! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Melodious Monster from my Hand, Deck, or Graveyard! I bring back my Floral Saint Cadence!" Yuzu exclaimed, flipping her hair as she gazed at Sergey with a focused and determined look on her mug.

Mozart held her baton to an empty space next to her. After a small twinkle, Cadence reappeared in mint condition as if it was never destroyed.

"I activate the Pendulum effect of Melodious Maestra Beethoven!" Yuzu continued, "Once per turn, I can target a Monster I control! The targeted Monster can attack as many times as the amount of Monsters I control! On the down side, none of the other Monsters currently on my Field can attack when I use this effect. The Monster I choose is Prodigy Mozart!"

As she spoke, Sergey directed his gaze to his facedown Card. He then looked at Prodigy Mozart and said, "That Monster is not strong enough to fight with the likes my Geo Glasya-Labolas!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Yuzu said before declaring battle. "I attack with Melodious Pendulum Maestra Prodigy Mozart!" Her Monster flew into the air, pointing her baton at Geo Glasya-Labolas. "Prodigy Mozart's additional effect! Once per turn, if she battles with a Monster you control, I can increase her Attack by the level of another Melodious Monster I control times 200 until the end of the Damage Step!"

The only other Melodious Monster Yuzu had was Cadence. Cadence's level was 6. As a result, Prodigy Mozart gains 1200 Attack.

 **Prodigy Mozart: 2600-3800 Atk**

"Continue your attack, Prodigy Mozart! Graceful Wave Burst!"

Green shockwaves were released from Mozart's baton. They enveloped Sergey's Monster and easily destroyed it. The man was also hit by the shockwaves and let out a grunt of pain as a result.

 **Sergey: 2400-1600 LP**

Sergey widened his eyes before beginning to scream in pain, an action that caught Yuzu completely off guard.

From his office, Roget slammed his fist on his leg. He let out an angry hiss. Not from the pain, but from Sergey's condition.

"He's reaching critical mass! If this goes on any longer, he'll die!" He clicked a button in order to reach out to Sergey. "Sergey! Retreat from this Duel immediately!"

His response was in the form of more screaming. And after a few moments, Roget's patience ran out. He slammed his finger onto another button, activating a chip in Sergey, and controlling him temporarily.

"If you won't leave by yourself, I'll make you!"

Back with the two Duelists, Yuzu thrusted her hand forward while shouting, "Prodigy Mozart, attack Sergey directly and end this Duel!"

Sergey would have used his facedown to survive, but thanks to Roget's interference, that's not what happened. What happened was that Roget made Sergey Immediately take out his Deck from his Duel Disk.

He forcefully left the Duel and proceeded to dodge Prodigy Mozart's second attack.

Crouching down, Sergey thrusted himself off the ground with great force, successfully fleeing from the Duel and ending it in a No Result.

Yuzu watched in awe as the towering menace named Sergey Volkov, fled as fast as he could.

She shook her head. No, now was not the time to be daydreaming! Yuzu looked around at everyone else's Duels.

This wasn't over yet…

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **I will put in the Cards later. Frankly, I'm too fucking lazy to do it right now, so check back in here in a chapter or two if you're interested in the effects of the new** **Cards.**

* * *

 **Alright people! I decided to give a treat and not contradict a previous statement, something which I am very infamous for. I said Yuzu vs Sergey would only be one chapter and I intended to keep my word on that.**

 **I changed Prodigy Mozart to a Pendulum Monster for the record because for Yuzu's original boss Monster before she learned Fusion, it was heavily underwhelming and it was really only good as a 2600 beater. So I decided to buff it a little bit. (Hey If Odd Eyes Dragon can turn from the worst 2500 Attack protagonist ace Monster to a fucking somewhat viable Pendulum Card then Yuzu can do this too).**

 **Now, the more I thought about it, while Yuzu does need a good win, and I badly wanted to make Sergey lose, having him lose** _ **here**_ **isn't the best idea. If Sergey's next Duel wasn't going to happen, I would** _ **definitely**_ **have Yuzu win here. And even then, Yuzu still would have won this Duel despite the fact that Sergey had a facedown to survive another turn.**

 **So hopefully, this Duel with Yuzu at least satisfied you people.**

 **Now at last, the final two Duels. Ruri vs Barrett and Yuto vs Darkness. The first Duel is going to be a bitch to do because it's fucking Barrett. One of those characters I'll have to brainstorm Cards out of my ass for barely having over 10 shown Cards.**

 **If I don't do these next two Duels in one chapter, Ruri vs Barrett will be next.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: But-But-But dude, y-y-you don't understand. I-It was a o-one month g-gap. Lol, but for the record, that comparison between Togashi and me is kind of insulting. Don't compare Togashi's work to this garbage heap lol.**

 **Heart of the mem: About the calendar thing, I don't have a schedule when writing. I just write when I feel like/when I have time.**

 **Bridgey: To be fair, Yuri was not only feared like Aki was, but he used dark evil not-so-stellar plants as well. And yes, from now on, I'm gonna try to stop those stopping a Duel and fully completing it...unless I want to do a cliffhanger or something.**

 **Skadi: I said at some point that the Cards in this fic will have their anime effects unless 1. I change/alter their effect to the real life version, 2. A Card has no anime counterpart, so I** _ **have**_ **to use the real life version. Other than that, every Card will have their anime effect and conditions unless I see fit to change it. The anime condition for Summoning Starve Venom does not have the Token restriction that the real life version has.**

 **Guest: Like I said with Skadi, I'm using the anime version of the effects. And Black Sheep's return effect only works if it's used as a Fusion Material while on the Field in the anime version. If I was using the real life version of Black Sheep, then yes, you would be correct.**

 **DG: You could just post them in the review, but then again, that could be annoying. I don't really have any other ways to think of. But just keep in mind, I might not use the Cards you post. I'll take them into consideration, yes, but the chances of me using them aren't 100%.**

 **Funny, this chapter felt much longer than it actually was.**

 **Anyways, with that done, it's time to close out this chapter.**

 **I hope you all have a nice day or night, depending on where you are from and when you're reading this.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	92. For The Sake Of Peace

**First off. I'd like to apologize deeply for the near 2 month hiatus this fanfic has gone under. I just have been stumped for quite a while and haven't been able to think straight.**

 **And now, to make things worse. Not long ago, Desmond Amofah (or you may know him as Etika or TR1Iceman) has been confirmed to be dead after being found in New York City.**

 **I wasn't a big follower of Etika or anything, but I watched a few of his reaction videos and I always loved over the top, larger than life personality. It's still hard to digest the fact that the man is dead. Whenever someone you know dies, it's so much harder to believe that they're dead compared to someone you've never seen once in your life.**

 **You'll continue to live on in our hearts. Thanks for the good times.**

 **Rest In Peace: Etika.**

 **...**

* * *

As she stared down her opponent from Academia, there were only three things on Kurosaki Ruri's mind at the moment.

One: Winning.

Two: Making sure that Yuto is okay.

Three: Finding her brother and making sure _he_ is okay.

She let out an exhausted sigh. All of this was too much to take in, and the pressure was starting to take its toll on the Kurosaki. So much was at stake here.

And if she got captured, Yuto and Shun would both be devastated. She had noticed Yuto's damaged composure despite the boy's best efforts to hide it. He was breaking, and who knows when he'd snap.

As for Shun...Ruri had a feeling he _already_ snapped. And if not, he was on thin ice, and his flames of hatred were just waiting to burn the ground beneath him.

Still, Ruri had faith in herself and her comrades that they would make it out alive. And she would not go back on that faith. Not when it matters most.

She touched the section of her arm above elbow. She felt the soft silk of the red scarf fastened tightly around her limb. Her worries eased slightly as she remembered what it meant baring this scarf.

"Due to your likelihood to Serena-sama," Her enemy, Barrett, began to speak. She directed her attention towards the stern and stoic man. "I will give you this one chance. Surrender now and I'll spare the others."

"Huh?" Ruri eyes shot open as she could as sworn that she heard things. A Duelist from Academia opting to spare her comrades? This was underheard of. And it left Ruri with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. "You must be joking."

"Trust me, girl. I make no jokes." Barrett informed Ruri with no reluctance at all, as if he was proud by that fact.

"Does this offer extend to Serena and Hiragi Yuzu?"

Barrett closed his eyes and smirked, "I take it you're no fool. Obviously, due to their importance to our goal, Serena and Hiragi Yuzu must be captured. However, I will spare the others, as I said. I may be your enemy, but I am a man of my word."

With that, Barrett solemnly pumped a fist to his chest, standing to his full height with no tremble of conviction whatsoever.

 _No._ Ruri thought to herself almost immediately after the proposal.

"I refuse." Ruri stated with a look of resolution on her mug.

"You...refuse?" Barrett narrowed at his eyes, perplexed that Ruri would refuse such an ultimatum. Did she show care nor compassion for her comrades? "It seems you Lancers and Xyz Duelists are more lowly and heartless than I took you for, willing to abandon your comrades like that."

That struck Ruri the wrong way.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she formed a fist, "Us? Heartless? Lowly? What are you on about?! That's not how it is at all! You've got it completely wrong! I mean...have you _seen_ how _your_ men are?!"

"Yes, I have." Barrett spoke with a nod. "It is unfortunate. That such a promising generation had to fall victim to such selfishness, gluttony and corruption. That is one of the only things I dislike about Academia. Sometimes I feel like the only one to respect my comrades. But my views on comradery matter not. What does matter is your ultimatum! Do you still refuse? Because if so, me and my comrades will show _no_ hesitation in eradicating each and every single one of your comrades!"

"Either way, it wouldn't matter." Ruri murmured before speaking up. "The more of us girls you capture, the more of our precious comrades you attract to get us back. Thus, more fighting will ensue. And should us girls get free, we'll be hunted down once again. It is an endless cycle."

Ruri dug her fingers into the scarf on her arm.

"Plus...I have people I need to protect. Furthermore, I am a member of the Resistance! And we of the Resistance don't back down! I'm willing to carry the name of the Resistance and continue to support my comrades! For those reasons, I will not lie down and let myself get captured. If you want to get me, you'll have to beat me to an inch of my life to do so!" She threw her arm out, switching on her Duel Disk.

"If that be your decision," Barrett let out a sigh of disappointment, as if he didn't want to Duel at all. "Then I have no choice...but to defeat you. As I have my own reason for following Academia! And I have no intention of going back on the Professor!" His Duel Disk activated as well.

" **DUEL!** "

In a flash, before Ruri could even open her mouth to continue, Barrett had already slammed a Card down onto his Duel Disk.

"First to strike wins! I Summon Carrier Sentinel from my Hand!" A green war-like machine made its way to the Field, causing the ground to shake with a loud rumbling noise to boot.

 **Carrier Sentinel: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1600 Def**

Barrett thrusted his hand forward with conviction, "I activate this Monster's effect! When it's Summoned, I can add a Beast-Warrior Type Monster from my Deck to my Hand! I add Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf!"

Ruri's sharp gaze weakened slightly out of confusion. Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf? She hasn't seen anyone use a Card like that before, mostly because it didn't have much synergy with any Deck…

In her dimension at least.

"Why the wavering look on your face? Have you already started to cower in my presence?! Such weakness is detrimental in the harsh battlefield. You of all people should know." Barrett yelled out of irritation. He didn't why, but he couldn't help but yell this out. Perhaps it was his pride as a soldier.

At this point in his life, he was an experienced veteran of war, one of the reasons of why he was sought out by Akaba Leo in the first place.

But in all of his victories, Barrett never once saw a soldier drop down, cry, and beg for mercy when at Death's door. And he wasn't going to allow himself to ever see that sight. Because in his eyes…

The true mark of a soldier is to fight and die with honor for what you believe is right. To ever waver is considered blasphemy. And at that point onc shouldn't even be _considered_ a soldier at all.

"You are a member of the Resistance, no? Then how come I don't see that fire the rest of your comrades do? The fire to keep on fighting until the end. The same fire that Serena-sama had!"

Ruri couldn't find the words to respond to that. Truth be told, she wasn't a fighter. Like many in the Resistance, she wasn't ready to fight for survival. However, unlike the others, she couldn't adapt. Nothing compared to those like Yuto, Shun, Kaito, and Ryoga.

But still…

Even if she hated fighting more than anything else…

If she had to do it to protect her comrades, she would do it! And she'll do it right now!

Ruri decided to remain silent, keeping a phlegmatic expression on her face. Yes, she had her fears and doubts on the inside. However, she wasn't going to show her weakness in front of an enemy. That's what Shun would do. He would fight first and mope later.

"No response? Very well, then. I shall continue with this Magic Card!" Barrett took out a Card from his Hand and revealed it to his opponent.

Fusion.

Not that it surprised Ruri. The shock and anger from seeing that Card had dwindled away some time ago.

"I fuse the newly added Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf with the Carrier Sentinel standing on the frontlines!" Barrett raised his hand into the air. The Monster he added to his Hand appeared as a ghostly image as it and Carrier Sentinel swirled in a vortex fashion, fusing together while the war veteran began a chant.

"Wolf of the battlefield that bares its fangs, unite as one with the veteran sentinel to give rise to a new bestial hero! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Level 6, Beastborg Wolf Kampfer!"

 **Wolf Kampfer: Level 6, 2200 Atk, 1500 Def**

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Barrett concluded with a focused tone, not keeping his eyes away from the target.

Ruri's fingertips touched her Deck as she flicked off the top Card. "Here we go! It's my turn, draw! If I control no Monsters, then I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand! Appear, Lyrilusc-Silver Robin!"

 **Silver Robin: Level 1, 300 Atk, 100 Def**

"When Summoned, this Card allows me to add a Lyrilusc Card from my Deck to my Hand: I add Lyrilusc-Black Canary! Next, if I control a Lyrilusc Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrilusc-Sapphire Swallow along with another level 1 Lyrilusc Monster from my Hand!"

Rising from a burst of light, Sapphire Swallow along with Lyrilusc-Bronze Bee-Eater flew to the Field.

 **Sapphire Swallow: Level 1, 100 Atk, 0 Def**

 **Bronze Bee-Eater: Level 1, 200 Atk, 0 Def**

"Finally, I'll bring out Black Canary!" Ruri exclaimed as she slammed the Card down.

 **Black Canary: Level 1, 0 Atk, 200 Def**

"Using these four level 1 Monsters, I construct the overlay network!" Ruri declared as a portal formed in front of her. The Monsters turned into purple orbs as they flew into the portal with a purple trail; the portal imploded as Ruri began a chant.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilusc-Assembly Nightingale!"

Due to her effect and four overlay units, Assembly Nightingale gained 400 Attack.

 **Assembly Nightingale: Rank 1, 0-400 Atk, 0 Def**

Barrett immediately made his move.

"I activate the Continuous Trap: Beastborg Medal of the Iron Chain!

Ruri let out a frown, something that broke the stone-faced expression she wore at the moment. Despite this, she chained an effect without hesitation, "Black Canary's effect, when she is used as Xyz Material, I am allowed to inflict 500 points of damage to your life points!"

Said Monster appeared as a ghostly image, letting out an ear-piercing shriek. Barrett screamed, feeling his eardrums pop mere seconds after the terrible sound enter his ears.

 **Barrett: 4000-3500 LP**

Unfortunately that damage wasn't going to stop Barrett's ongoing effect.

Straightening his composure in a flash, Barrett continued to explain his Card's effect. "If a Monster is Special Summoned to your Field, then I can bind that Monster to the ground!"

In that moment, black chains materialized, already wrapped around Assembly Nightingale's waist and chaining her arms to her sides.

"Nightingale!" Ruri called out in concern, her heart aching due to seeing her Monster in such a restrained state.

"Now, your Monster cannot be destroyed by battle. However, there is always a cost for success. Your Monster is now stripped of her ability to attack and change battle position."

"What?!" Ruri's tight gaze weakened as her plan to the path of victory was shackled in chains, unable to come to fruition. She clenched her teeth as her eyebrows furrowed out of frustration. She grabbed two and Cards and laid them down, "I set these two Cards and end my turn."

After moments of dead, uncomfortable silence, Barrett spoke. "Those chains...are one of the many medals I have earned as a proud soldier of war."

"A proud soldier of war?" Ruri repeated with slight disgust. "You must be joking." How can committing mass genocide make one a proud soldier? That made no sense in Ruri's eyes whatsoever.

But it did to Barrett.

"I assure you, I do not jest. Back at Academia, I am renowned for my numerous victories, medals, and strict code of honor."

"Honor?" Ruri seethed as she formed a fist, "What sort of _honor_ is there to hurt people?! To cause others pain and make them suffer?!"

Barrett shook his head, closing his only eye. "You do not understand. Some sacrifices must be made for the greater good."

"The greater good?! We of the Xyz Dimension did _nothing_ to you! And neither did the people of this one! Yet, here you are, attacking us out of the blue!" Ruri exclaimed with venom dripping from her voice.

"...Foolish."

"What?"

"I said you were foolish." Barrett repeated. "Think about it, if Academia didn't act, how long did you think it would take for the people of Xyz or Synchro to develop technology to travel between the dimensions in the same manner as is of the Fusion? Not very long, considering some of your own teleported to Standard with scrap as materials. In order to complete our goal, we took advantage of the opportunity brought to us and we striked. That's all there is to it. There is no 'fair' in war."

Barrett looked up at the sky, as if he was remembering something.

"Yes, all for the sake of that goal. The goal of creating a perfect utopia. A world of peace. A world where no more wars will have to be waged."

"But everything was peaceful before you guys came along!" Ruri argued with furrowed eyebrows. "If you didn't attack us, _none_ of this would have happened! We...we wouldn't need to be putting our lives on the line like this!" She had lost all composure at this point. She was infuriated by how straightforward this man could be how harming others.

"As I've said, one of the other dimensions weren't far behind in dimensional technology. Who knows, maybe even your home would have done the same thing as us at some point should the circumstances arise. Besides…"

Barrett let out a chilling smile. One that definitely did not fit on a man like him.

"One all the worlds are united, everything will be undone. There will be peace. Unbreakable peace. Soon, you will all learn to accept that this reality is torn with war and blood. There is no end to it! As a war veteran, I have seen many close to me, friends...family... _die_ in many battles. Some deaths were even in my blame completely."

Barrett closed his eye, currently mourning the loss of the friends and family that he used to have and remembering what he was fighting for.

* * *

 **3 Years Ago-Fusion Dimension-Graveyard Site**

The hulking body of Barrett stood in front of multiple large stones positioned to form a circle. The center of a single section of the graveyard site made solely for those who fell in the line of battle.

There were multiple tombstones for those whose bodies were managed to be retrieved. However, for the bodies that weren't lucky, they were written on the stones Barrett was looking at.

As far as he was concerned, he knew most of the people whose names were etched into a tombstone or the big lumbering stones in the dead center.

" _Despite what you might think, I hate fighting. I have gone through much more than you have, Kurosaki Ruri. I have been to Hell and back...multiple times. I know what it's like to put your life on the line for the thing that you fight for. And to have something you fight for...there is nothing wrong with that."_

He had just come back from his most recent battle. As usual, he emerged victorious, but once again, the cost was just too high. Too many of his comrades were killed.

Just many more souls that will continue to haunt Barrett for the rest of his life.

Barrett raised his head. Someone was next to him. He seemed as if he wanted to talk. Turning his attention to the unknown man, he gave a blank stare, something that the man returned.

Barrett could see that the man was bald, with purple clothes and a red cape hanging on his back. All in all, he seemed like the leader of some organization or something.

"Good morning." The man nodded with a small tone of respect in an otherwise emotionless voice.

Barrett's eye left the man as he continued to run through the many names listed on the stone in front of him. He was looking for a certain name...Akio. Akio was his best friend, and like his name suggests, he was a brave man. In Barrett's eyes (or eye), he was a hero and a much better man than he would ever be.

A wave of regret filled his insides being reminded at the fact that he was the cause of his death.

"Is there anyone in particular that you are visiting?"

Barrett sighed. This man was obviously not going to leave him alone. So, he'd best answer his questions. Without even looking at the man, he spoke.

"A lot of people. I come here every day that I'm not on the battlefield."

"The battlefield? Ah, I see. You are a soldier who fights to keep peace in our city." The bald man pressed forward with the hint of a smirk on his face. "Judging from your...battle scar, I assume you have been through much in your career."

Barrett closed his eye and placed his fingers on the eyepatch that he wore.

"Yes. I lost my eye about five years ago. Most of my friends passed on that day as well."

He could remember it clearly. Barrett was the leader, which meant that he had to step up and take point. He made a huge miscalculation...and it sprung a trap set up by the enemy. The scarred warrior would have died that day if it weren't for Akio and some others sacrificing themselves for him to go on.

He still remembered Akio's final words to him before he died.

" _The platoon cannot act without a leader. Find peace, Barrett. Whatever it takes!"_

"And you?" Barrett asked.

"Hmm?"

"Clearly you are here for a specific reason. And that reason is not to look at some stone holding ghosts of the past."

The purple-clothed man looked up at the sky. "You're very perceptive...Iron-Hearted Killer Barrett."

Ahh, that blasted title that Barrett was named over his years as a soldier. He had a cold exterior to most, and all they saw in him was a ruthless killer with no compassion for others. However, only those closest to him knew the truth.

This was the complete opposite. He fought for peace. For what was right. For his home, friends, and family. That's all he fought for. Yes, while the fame and medals were nice, that's not the reason why he fights.

"Who are you?" Barrett interrogated, standing up to his full height and turned his body to face his unusual companion.

"Who am I? Well...for now you may refer to me as Professor."

"Well then, _Professor_ , to what do I owe this visit?" Barrett's gaze deepened, knowing what the man wanted.

"You, despite your war name, desire eternal peace throughout the world. Am I wrong?"

Barrett would have been lying if he didn't nod.

So he nodded.

"Well then, if that be your desire...come with me. I will teach you about a plan with the best chance of that dream coming to fruition." The Professor told Barrett.

The war-hardened soldier knew just how the world was, so he was skeptical. He narrowed his eye with a doubtful expression on his face.

"And why should I trust you? You are just some random stranger."

The bald man smirked, "Not trusting many people, eh? A wise policy. It is true that I have nothing to prove my worth to you. However, whether or not you believe my idea of achieving peace is up to you. If you do trust me, then come with me."

Barrett took a good look into the man's eyes. A really _good_ look at his confines. They carried a hint of truth and a little bit of hope as well. However, other than that was nothing.

Barrett had to give this 'Professor' credit where credit was due, he was good at masking his emotions for the most part.

Had he said anything else, Barrett would have just left the graveyard site without another word. But...what that man said…

 _Peace._

He had to take a chance. If what this man was saying is true, then the lifelong dream he has been trying to achieve will be right within his grasp.

Barrett kept an emotionless expression on his face as he rose to his feet. He looked at the grave, and then to the Professor. Back to the stone. Back to the Professor.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Later-Academia-Fusion Dimension**

Immediately when he stood and looked around Academia's soil, all he could see were civilians with no backbone. The students here were no soldiers. He had seen a purple-haired boy defeat someone in a Duel.

The victor tried to approach the loser, only for the latter and the surrounding people to back off and run away, much to the boy's sadness.

Barrett narrowed his eyes as he continued to follow the Professor, who was leading the way to...somewhere.

Eventually, they made their way to a locked door with a retinal scanner. The Professor stuck his hand on the device, followed by a scan of his eyes. He was easily recognized and he was allowed into the room behind the door.

"Come with me." He assured Barrett, prompting both of them to walk into the room.

They entered a throne room of sorts. A purple carpet ran from the door all the way to a throne with a large green machine behind it, blocked off by a wall of glass.

Barrett could only gawk at the sight. "What is that?"

"Our way to find peace." Was all the Professor said as they continued to walk forward.

"This is the way you're going to get peace? How will you do such a thing?"

"All of the details will be explained later. However, I will spare some things you should know before even considering joining me. The first is, that we are not the only world that exists."

This information shook Barrett to the core.

"What?! You say that there is another world with people like us out there?!"

"In a way. Not a world...more like a dimension. There are four dimensions. Standard, Xyz, Synchro, and finally this world, which we call Fusion."

"Fusion?" Barrett repeated the word. "Like the summoning method?"

"Yes. The people of this dimension use mostly Fusion Summoning, while some use Ritual. Two of the other dimensions, Xyz and Synchro, use summoning methods of the same name while also having Duelists that use Ritual Summoning. The last dimension...Standard, is a bit different. That dimension can use all of the summoning methods, but their strength pales in comparison to the other three."

The Professor went on to explain how that technology was being developed to transport large groups of people to the other dimensions. The plan was to attack the other dimensions and seal many people into Cards.

Barrett immediately lashed out saying that more fighting would bring them even farther from peace than before, especially since they were dealing with inter dimensional problems.

However, the Professor, Akaba Leo, countered his statement by saying that later down the line the other dimensions could travel to the other dimensions and somehow start a war that way in order to gain control.

After Barrett's anger calmed, Leo explained that Carding people would power the machine in front of them, which was being dubbed ARC-V. Once fueled with enough power and another condition has been met, they will be able to activate the machine.

All four dimensions would fuse together and a united world of great peace and possibilities would be born.

To say that Barrett was entranced was an understatement.

Despite the horrendous acts and bloodshed that he would have to go through, it would be worth it if peace came out of it.

"Obviously, a task like this requires a strong force. And with your experience in the military, you can train our soldiers to be strong men loyal to the cause. A world of peace coming to fruition is set on your shoulders. Without you, such a world will never come to be."

Barrett stared aimlessly at the reactor, slowly getting more enthralled as the seconds went by. If this succeeded…

No more fighting...

No more death...

No more pain.

Barrett was a soldier. He was required to carry out the mission, even at the cost of his own life. So, if he took on this task, that rule would apply here once again.

But this wasn't for the safety of loved ones...Barrett lost all of those already.

This was for peace.

And if it were for peace, the better for all people, then doing these things would not matter in the end. If people got to enjoy peace, why would they hold resentment towards the ones who granted them that peace.

"Now, make your choice!" Akaba Leo raised his voice with confidence, walking to the throne before turning around to face Barrett. "If you choose to join me, come over here. Take my hand and pledge your allegiance to our cause."

If it led towards prosperity, then doing horrible things could be excused

Akaba Leo smiled as he saw Barrett begin to walk towards him. "Yes, this way...you are a soldier of Academia!"

Barrett reached out his hand, taking step after step with no hesitance. He had made up his mind. He would do this even if he had to sell his soul.

And he would do it because…

"As of today…"

It was for…

"You are one of the many saviors of the four dimensions."

It was for the sake of the world. For the sake of what his comrades fighter for, and the wishes that they entrusted _him_ with.

Barrett grabbed the hand tightly, matching his grip with Akaba Leo's tight hold.

"I, Iron-Hearted Barrett, make this pledge to stand by Academia and their noble cause no matter what I will have to go through."

And if it was for the sake of the world, then nothing was wrong.

* * *

 **Now**

Ruri sharpened her gaze at the mentally wounded soldier in front of her. This man...he was similar to Yuto in some ways. Both had to adapt to the harsh circumstances thrown at them, despite their reluctance to do so. They both wish for peace and hate fighting as well.

 _They are so similar...yet so different at the same time..._ Ruri thought to herself with a blank stare meeting her opponents confines.

"My purpose...the thing I fight for...is the Professor. He saved me from my Hell and promised me Heaven in the form of Academia's goal! He wishes for nothing but peace through this goal! And for that _and_ saving me I pledged my complete allegiance to him. I fight for him in order to attain that dream we _both_ seek."

At that moment, Ruri's eyes could pick up...the smallest trace of a smile. A genuine, happy smile on the war veteran's face. It was as if the very thought of peace was a form of catharsis for Barrett.

The existence of Barrett's smile was wiped away in the next moment. He slammed his hand into his Deck as he glared at her.

"For my honor! My goal! And the one I fight for! I make this soldier's pledge to win! Breaking this self-rule is unforgivable! Draw! I activate this Magic Card! It's name is Departure to the Frontlines! Now, when I control a Fusion Monster, a level four or lower Monster will risk their life from the Deck and be placed immediately onto the battlefield! I Special Summon Fusion Sentinel!"

 **Fusion Sentinel: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Don't even think I'm done!" Barrett shouted as he pumped out his fist with extreme force, "If the Materials of the Fusion Monster on the Field are in the Grave, then I can Special Summon them in Attack Position! March to the Field, Carrier Sentinel! Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf!

 **Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 600 Def**

"I activate the effect of Fusion Sentinel! I can conduct a Fusion Summon using this Card and other Monsters in my control or in my Hand! I use this Card along with Warwolf and Carrier Sentinel! Fusion Summon! Appear! The beastial warrior formed from the strength of three soldiers! Level 8! Beastborg Warwolf Sentinel!"

 **Warwolf Sentinel: Level 8, 2600 Atk, 2300 Def**

"Battle! Beastborg Wolf Kampfer, attack Lyrilusc-Assembly Nightingale!" Barrett boomed with an assertive tone. Following his command, the robotic beast made a mad dash, throwing out its claws in order to pounce on its prey.

Ruri reacted in a flash. "I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! By detaching an overlay unit, I take no battle damage and my Monster's destruction is stopped!"

Wolf Kampfer sliced its claws against its enemy's shoulder, causing her to let out a cry of pain as she endured the attack. Barrett's Monster retreated just as fast as it attacked.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 400-300 Atk**

"In that case, Warwolf Sentinel!" Barrett called out to his Monster. Immediately, the Monster also threw out its own attack. Ruri detached another overlay unit to protect her and Nightingale.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 300-200 Atk**

"I'm not done just yet! As long as you control a Monster, Warwolf Sentinel can attack as many times as the amount of Fusion Materials used for his summon! Three Fusion Materials! That makes three attacks in total. Now for the second attack!"

Once again, the same sequence of moves repeated. And Assembly Nightingale still remained on the Field.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 200-100 Atk**

"The final attack!"

Ruri used the effect again, but now she would be out of overlay units.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 100-0 Atk**

"I end my turn. However," Barrett yelled with serious energy, "During the End Phase, Warwolf Sentinel can inflict damage to you equal to half the Attack of the weakest Fusion Material. The lowest Attack is 1000! So, I inflict 500 damage to you!"

Warwolf Sentinel held out its weapon, a blue beam of light shot from the tip. It rushed past Assembly Nightingale and went straight for Ruri. The blast enveloped her as the girl found herself letting out a cry of agony as she endured what felt like a thousand blades being thrusted into her body.

 **Ruri: 4000-3500 LP**

After the blast, Ruri dropped to her knees, her body steaming as she struggled to remain focused.

Barrett remained silently, and waited patiently for his opponent rise to her feet. Ruri simply drew her Card without a sound and began her turn.

"I activate my set Card. It's called Rank-Up-Magic Whole Step Force! Using this Card and a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster I target, I can Special Summon a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck with a Rank one higher than the targeted Monster!" The Magic Card in front of Ruri turned into a yellow orb along with Assembly Nightingale.

Both yellow orbs flew into the air before descending into a portal that opened in front of Ruri. The portal imploded and the sister of Kurosaki Shun began a chant.

"Bird with wondrous and beautiful wings! Evolve into a new bird and go on the path of victory! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Fly onto the Field before us, Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale!"

 **Evolved Nightingale: Rank 2, 0 Atk, 100 Def**

"Evolved Nightingale gains 200 Attack for each overlay unit she has. Currently, two are attached to her. Therefore, Evolved Nightingale gains…"

"400 Attack." Barrett muttered under his breath.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 0-400 Atk**

 _Just like the last one, this Monster is incredibly weak. What is she planning?_ Barrett thought to himself, peering down at his facedown Card.

"Evolved Nightingale can jump over your Monsters and attack you directly. However, when she attacks like this, the damage you take is halved! Attack him directly!"

With a mere flap of her wings, Evolved Nightingale appeared right in front of Barrett. She gave him a kick to the chin. The Academia soldier let out a grunt of pain as he took a few steps back from the blow.

 **Barrett: 3500-3300 LP**

Ruri couldn't help but smile as she explained the next effect. "When Evolved Nightingale deals damage to you from a direct attack, I can detach an overlay unit in order to destroy a Monster on the Field and inflict damage to you equal to the destroyed Monster's Attack! Say goodbye to Warwolf Sentinel!"

A shockwave erupted from Evolved Nightingale's mouth. Barrett's machine-like beast covered its ears and cried out in pain before shattering into little particles. The shockwaves that killed his Monster went on to harm Barrett himself as well.

The one-eyed man stumbled backwards, planting a hand on the ground to support himself.

 **Barrett: 3300-700 LP**

Immediately after the shockwaves disappeared, Barrett revealed his final facedown Card.

It was a Continuous Trap Card named Beastborg Medal of Comradery.

"Once during either player's turn, when a Monster I control is destroyed by any means, I can place a Medal Counter on this Card. Following that, I chain the effect If Warwolf Sentinel on destruction! If Warwolf Sentinel's Materials are in the Grave, then I can Special Summon two of them to the Field with their Attack reduced to 0!"

At that moment, Warwolf Warrior and Fusion Sentinel appeared from a purple portal to the Graveyard. They faced their opponent with only a lust for battle in their soulless eyes. Albeit, a purple aura surrounded them, depowering them instantly.

 **Warwolf Warrior: 1600-0 Atk**

 **Fusion Sentinel: 1000-0 Atk**

Since Evolved Nightingale had detached an overlay unit, she loses 200 Attack.

 **Evolved Nightingale: 400-200 Atk**

"My turn is done." Ruri said, the smile on her face disappearing completely. She did not want her enemy to see such an expression on her face any longer.

Barrett looked down at the ground. And for the first time, Ruri saw a look of distraught cross his face for a few brief moments. The expression on his mug was wiped away in order to mask his worries.

However, while his facial expression did well to hide it, his thoughts and body language could speak otherwise.

The man's arms were trembling very heavily. Barrett kept curling his fingers into a balled fist before straightening them out into a flat palm once again. He'd look down at the ground as words of Akaba Leo ran through his mind.

" _A world of peace coming to fruition is set on your shoulders. Without you, such a world will never come to be."_

"For…"

" _Yes, this way...you are a soldier of Academia!"_

"For the sake of…"

" _As of today…"_

"The Professor's goal. _My_ goal..."

" _You are one of the many saviors of the four dimensions."_

"I will carry out my mission without fail! To do so would put a stain on my honor as both a subordinate _and_ a soldier. I have fought all my life for the sake of peace in the entire world! I will not let all of the losses and suffering I have experienced go wasted! I will carry out the mission at all costs!" Barrett inched his head up to see a confident Ruri staring at him with her pink confines.

The commander normally didn't lose his cool like this. And Barrett acting this angry is most likely a result of his dream being on the line.

Barrett placed his hand on the top of his Deck, tuning back into reality. He drew the Card with ferocity and determination.

"Draw! I activate Fusion Sentinel's effect! As Materials for a Fusion Summon, I use Fusion Sentinel and Warwolf Warrior! O ferocious wolf of war, merge together with the watchman of Fusion, and raise a new war cry! Fusion Summon! Come forth and appear! Beastborg Panther Predator!"

A cybernetic Panther Predator appeared to the Field, drawing it's sword and glaring at Ruri's Monster.

 **Panther Predator: Level 6, 1600 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Now, let us commence battle! Beastborg Wolf Kampfer, attack Lyrilusc-Evolved Nightingale!"

Ruri made a motion to her Monster, "I activate another one of Evolved Nightingale's effects! When a Lyrilusc Monster would be destroyed, I can detach an overlay unit from this Card instead."

"Your Monster won't be destroyed, yes! However, you are still not safe from battle damage!" Barrett reminded Ruri with a smirk on his face.

Wolf Kampfer made a mad dash for Ruri's Nightingale, firing missiles from its shoulders. Due to Nightingale's effect, the Monster survived, but the ensuing explosions and shockwaves from the attack knocked Ruri down to the ground.

As her back hit the ground, Ruri found drops of blood and spittle shooting out of her mouth.

 **Ruri: 3500-1500 LP**

 **Evolved Nightingale: 200-0 Atk**

An aching pain soon entered different parts of Ruri's body as she found it hard to rise up from the ground.

She rose to her feet regardless of the pain.

After seeing his opponent recover, Barrett then pointed at his Monster, who held out its blade, hoisted towards the collapsed Ruri. "Wolf Kampfer's effect activates! When you take battle damage, you get hit with 300 points of damage!"

Wolf Kampfer dashed right past Evolved Nightingale. The open slots on its shoulders closed as the Monster came closer and closer to Ruri by the second. The Monster cocked back its metallic hand and formed a fist, shooting it forwards as Ruri braced herself.

The closed fist caught her in the stomach. Ruri crumpled around the hand, gasping and wheezing, trying to get back the air that was blown out of her mouth.

The Monster pulled back its fist and went back to Barrett's side. Once Kampfer's fist retracted itself from her abdomen, Ruri wrapped an arm around her body protectively, still breathing heavily from the blow.

 **Ruri: 1500-1200 LP**

"Panther Predator, attack Evolved Nightingale and end this bout!" Barrett's Monster rushed forward, thrusting it's blade forward in order to clip the bird of her wings.

Luckily for Ruri, she had a facedown at hand.

"I activate my Reverse Card: Rank-Down-Magic Lyrilusc Fall! When a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster is targeted for an attack, I can negate the attack!'

As she said this, Panther Predator stopped dead in its tracks, leaping backwards back to its master.

"Then, using Evolved Nightingale and this Card, I get to Special Summon a Lyrilusc Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck or Grave as long as that Monster is 1 Rank lower!"

An explosion occurred in front of Ruri. Evolved Nightingale disappeared, and out of the smoke came Assembly Nightingale with two overlay units orbiting her.

Due to the two overlay units she had, Assembly Nightingale gained 200 Attack immediately.

 **Assembly Nightingale: 0-200 Atk**

"I can do this all day!" Barrett yelled with ferocity as he jabbed a finger toward his Monster. "I activate the special effect of Panther Predator! Once per turn, I can deal damage to you equal to half this Card's Attack!"

"Your Monster has 1600 Attack...so that means…"

"800 points of damage." Barrett finished for the Xyz Duelist as his Monster dashed forward with it's blade.

Ruri widened her eyes as she saw a red energy glowing at the tip of the sword. In a quick and effortless fashion, the red energy ejected itself from the blade.

The ball struck Ruri in her midsection, exploding on impact and blowing Ruri down to the stone ground as a result. The girl let out a loud cry, wrapping her hands around her stomach.

She rose to her feet, keeping a hand on her abdomen, which was now left with a burning, unbearable pain.

 **Ruri: 1200-400 LP**

"I set this Card face down. That's the end of my turn." Barrett stated, watching as Ruri took the time to regain her breath.

 _Just a little more. A little more and my mission will be a success! I will not return empty-handed!_ Barrett thought to himself with a resolved gaze.

Ruri turned her head to look around at the others. She still saw the dark sphere that blocked Yuto and Darkness from the outside world. She quickly returned her attention to Barrett, suddenly remembering what was at stake here.

Freedom.

If she lost, she would be taken back to Academia and separated from Yuto, her brother, and stripped of the chance of seeing her other comrades once again.

Not only that, but it would help Academia succeed in whatever nasty plan they were cooking up. She could not under any circumstances let herself be captured for those reasons.

 _Yuto, Ryoga, Kaito, brother and the rest never gave up once! So why should I?_ Ruri thought to herself as confidence returned to fuel her body.

Taking deep breaths, Ruri's mouth opened to speak, "We of the Resistance never fall! No matter how hard we're beaten we'll always rise up again to defeat our enemy! I am Kurosaki Ruri! Sister of Kurosaki Shun and resident of the Xyz Dimension! And _I_ am also part of the Resistance! So now _I_ too will rise up to defeat my foe!"

"...Impressive resolve. However, such words are riddled with empty meaning without taking action." Barrett said with a straight face, unfazed with the girl's determination.

He had already seen many others stand up like this in the past. And most of them fell again. And in the end…

They never got back up again.

So what makes _this_ any different?

"My turn, draw!" Ruri glanced at the Card and widened her eyes. She brought in front of her pupils to take a good look at it.

No…

This Card was never in her Deck to begin with. It was a Lyrilusc Card...but it was one she had never seen before once in her life.

She looked down at her right wrist to see her bracelet shining. Twinkling with a rhythmic pattern.

 _Blink_

 _Blink_

 _Blink_

 _Blink_

Ruri narrowed her eyes, _Could it be that…?_

She shook her head. No, now was not the time to think about theories and preconceptions. She'll have to learn more about the bracelet later.

Ruri closed her eyes. She didn't like the fact that this new Card was her only way of winning. This Card would Force to do something dreaded among those of the Resistance.

However…

She was willing to move on. To become stronger, she must move on.

To protect those she cared about, she would move on.

Ruri placed the new Card in the Monster Zone on Assembly Nightingale's right.

"Lyrilusc-Crystal Crow, I Summon you to the Field!"

A black-haired girl dressed in a crow costume flew to the Field with a childlike smile, leaving a dark trail behind her.

Ruri motioned to her Monster, explaining her effect. "Once per turn, I can target other Monsters on the Field or in my Hand. And using this Card and the targeted Monsters, I can conduct a Fusion Summon!"

"What?! A Fusion Summon?!" For the first time this Duel, Barrett was genuinely shocked. He would never expect a member for the Resistance to use a Fusion, the summoning method of Academia.

"I target Assembly Nightingale! So, I'm using Nightingale and Crystal Crow as Materials for a Fusion Summon!" Ruri explained as her Monsters levitated in the air, swirling in a vortex formation.

"What Monster could she be...?" Barrett mused as Ruri began to recite a chant.

"Twitter of the songbird that resounds in the dark night. Become one with the dark crow and cry more intensely! Fusion Summon! Fly down! Noble isolated night bird! Lyrilusc-Independent Nightingale!"

The Fusion Monster given to Ruri by Academia was Summoned to the Field. It let out a laugh, but it wasn't filled with malice. It was more graceful, clear, and elegant.

"That Fusion Monster...is the same one the Doktor gave her." Barrett muttered under his breath, still confused on why Ruri was Fusion Summoning in the first place.

 **Independent Nightingale: Level 1, 1000 Atk, 0 Def**

"I want to fight alongside my comrades! And if that means using the weapon of enemy, then so be it! I will show no shame in using Fusion, as Fusion is not what did wrong to Heartland. It is those of Academia, who use Fusion as a weapon. _They_ are the ones who did wrong to us."

Barrett froze. His hand tightened, his nails digging into his skin and leaving imprints of where they were. He threw his arm to the side out of rage, an ignited fire in his eyes.

"Did wrong? Us?! _We_ of Academia are trying to bring peace to the world! Eternal peace in the form of a united world! Instead of rejecting it, you should be _embracing_ the noble goal of the Professor! The same man who will lead us to stability in the united world! You call _us_ evil?! Don't make me laugh! _We're_ the ones trying to create balance! All of you are the ones trying to resist it! And for those who try to resist such balance, you are the ones that are _truly_ evil!"

"Peace? Balance? By committing genocide?! What good is a so-called peaceful world if it is created out of blood and hatred?!"

"It seems you still do not get it. Very well, if you insist on being so difficult, then there is no need to say anymore." Barrett responded with closed eyes.

"Indeed." Ruri replied acceptantly. "Then I shall end this now! I activate the effect of Independent Nightingale! On her Summon, her level is increased by the number of overlay units Assembly Nightingale had!"

Assembly Nightingale had two overlay units. So, Independent Nightingale's level increased by two.

 **Independent Nightingale: Level 1-3**

"Next, Independent Nightingale gains 500 Attack for every level it has! She has three levels. So, Independent Nightingale gains 1500 Attack!"

 **Independent Nightingale: 1000-2500 Atk**

"However, I won't be needing this Attack increase because I activate another once of Independent Nightingale's effects! Once per turn, I can dish out damage to you equal to this Card's level times 500! My Monster's level is 3. So, take 1500 points of damage!"

Independent Nightingale released a red ball of energy from her wings, which she cross together in an x formation. The ball flew towards Barrett, who reacted immediately with his face up Trap Card.

"I activate the second effect of the Trap Card Beastborg Medal of Comradery! By sending this Card to the Grave, I gain 1000 life points for each Counter on the Card!"

The Card disappeared from Barrett's Field as the cyclops gained a green aura, signifying his increasing life points.

 **Barrett: 700-1700 LP**

This increase in life points did not stop the effect damage unfortunately.

Barrett was blown back by the ball, letting out a cry of pain as he tumbled backwards, just barely managing to stay on his feet.

 **Barrett: 1700-200 LP**

"It ends here! Lyrilusc-Independent Nightingale, attack and destroy Beastborg Wolf Kampfer!"

Ruri's Monster jumped into the air, and with a whip of her wings, multiple sharp quills shot down of her wings. They flew towards Kampfer, who rose its sword as a means of defense.

Time seemed to slow down for Barrett. The words Akaba Leo said to him played in his head like loud alarms.

" _A world of peace coming to fruition is set on your shoulders. Without you, such a world will never come to be."_

" _Without you, such a world will never come to be."_

" _Without you, such a world will never come to be."_

" _Without. You. Such. A. World. Will. Never. Come. To. Be."_

"No! I will not let myself be dishonored like this! If I cannot win, then I will fall with my honor intact! You are coming to Academia no matter what! Trap Card, activate! Beastborg Medal of Honor! When a Beastborg Fusion Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can target that Monster and destroy it!"

"Destroy it?" Ruri questioned as Wolf Kampfer scattered into multiple particles. "Just what are you…"

Barrett thrusted his hand forward, prompting the continuation of his explanation. "If they are still in the Grave, I can now Special Summon the Fusion Materials of the Monster I just destroyed! Return to the battlefield, Carrier Sentinel and Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf!"

Both of the previously deceased Monsters returned with a vengeance, with Warrior Warwolf wearing a sinister gleam in its eyes.

Merely looking at it sent chills down Ruri's spine. She did not have a good feeling about this.

"Now, damage is inflicted to both of us equal to the combined Attack of the Special Summoned Monsters! This damage totals up to 2600!" Barrett grinned, "At least now, I can fall with my honor intact, and my objective complete."

A small gasp escaped Ruri's lips. It was clear that Barrett was trained for any sort of situation, including this one. If this were to end in a draw, the ensuing shockwaves would temporarily incapacitate her.

Barrett, with his heavily trained body would not be as affected compared to Ruri's weak one. This, on top of his strong will, would allow Barrett to move even after a draw. Meaning that this would end in Ruri's loss whether it was a draw or Barrett's win.

Good thing she had a backup.

"From my Hand I activate the effect of Lyrilusc-Feldspar Fulmar! When a Magic or Trap is activated, I can Special Summon this Card to the Field and negate that effect and destroy the Card!"

A girl dressed in a white-clothed suit with black and gray linings at the tail danced to the Field with a smile.

 **Feldspar Fulmar: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

Immediately after she was Summoned, Barrett's Trap Card grayed out before shattering into multiple pieces. Barrett looked on with a stunned and defeated face as Ruri motioned for her Monster to continue.

Also, Carrier Sentinel and Pitch-Black Warrior Warwolf disappeared, with Wolf Kampfer returning to take their place due to the negation of Barrett's Trap.

"Independent Nightingale, continue your attack and end this Duel!"

A burst of lightning erupted from Independent Nightingale, darting towards Wolf Kampfer and zapping. The mechanic wolf let out a pained howl, sparks of electricity shooting out of its body, eventually exploding due to overloading.

Barrett let out a yell as he was blown back from the ensuing shockwaves.

Time once again slowed for Barrett as he looked up to the sky.

His body made contact with the ground, the sound of a loud thud resounding throughout the night sky.

Barrett's eye closed, with only one thing going through his head.

 _I have failed, Professor…_

 **Barrett: 200-0 LP**

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **I will fill this in at a later time. I crammed a good portion of this chapter all in one day, and that topped with Etika's death made me unable to write this portion.**

* * *

 **So, I'm sorry if I keep acting like a little bitch to you guys about this. But, when a guy you didn't know all that well, but you still liked quite a bit dies, it hits you in a weird way that you cannot understand.**

 **I'll try to write this portion out the best way I can though.**

 **So, the reason for my long absence. I...honestly can't think of a good excuse this time. My bad, and I'm not making any promises of a lightning fast update for compensation.**

 **Ethan Kironus: It's been a while since I've read a fanfic of any sort, but I think one fic did something similar to that.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: Haha, looks like I fucked up again, my friend. Now you truly can call me the Togashi of Arc-V fanfics…**

 **Heart of the mem: My bad for not responding to that. I don't think I'll be doing a Starve Venom and Parasite Fusioner thing. Mostly because the thing with Yuri is that having him use a Card associated with mind control wouldn't fit his character. He's so insane and twisted that mind control is a no no for him. Everything he does is of his own will and his will alone.**

 **Skadi: Don't worry, despite what's implied here, Barrett will appear again. And if you're wondering what happen to Barrett after Synchro...I cannot tell you. You literally get no mention of him again. Like Roget, you can assume that he's dead or something since he never made another appearance. So, that's my head canon, Barrett died from his injuries after the Sergey incident.**

 **DivadX: Don't worry, we'll be seeing Aki soon.**

 **Bridgey: Hopefully, I don't fuck up the buildup with all of the Duels like the anime did. And also, don't let how I'm acting now make you critic this chapter differently. I'm already over Etika's death and while I cannot forget the news, I can move on and stuff.**

 **Alright, that's settled that hassle. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. And feel free to leave any suggestions for improvement for anything you guys didn't like.**

 **Take care, goodbye.**

 **And one more time…**

 **Rest In Peace, Etika. You were a great guy who put a lot of smiles on people's faces with your entertainment and larger than life personality.**


	93. Darkness

"Ruri!" Yuto shouted the name of his friend, the love of his life, as he saw her worried eyes get blocked by a wall of darkness. He stared at the wall with wide eyes. While seething, he said quietly, "What'd you do…?" He turned to his enemy, raising his voice, rage and venom evident in his tone as he yelled out, "WHAT'D YOU DO?!"

Darkness couldn't help but chuckle from the boy's outburst. "I would worry about your own safety rather than hers. I have merely created a small field for the both of us where we can't be interrupted. Don't fret, no matter what happens your girlfriend will be fine. _You_ , on the other hand…"

Yuto shivered—his anger completely washed away—as the air began to feel cold and dense. It felt like the temperature had dropped at least fifty degrees.

"What the Hell is this place?!" Yuto questioned the masked man.

Darkness' face bore a wide smirk in response, "This? Oh, it's nothing special. You'll learn more about this place as we Duel."

Yuto narrowed his eyes at the cryptic answer. Now, switching gears to another topic, he asked, "Why me? Why did you choose me out of all the people there as your opponent."

"Well, it was either you or the other who kid with the same face as you. And that kid was occupied with his own problems. You, on the other hand, weren't."

Yuto's tight gaze loosened, surprised by the answer. However, the tone in his voice as he spoke made it seem like he wasn't affected at all, "So you were going to Duel Yugo or I no matter what happened. You didn't care about capturing the girls at all."

"No. That's not true."

"What?" Yuto spoke with confusion riddling his face.

"Obviously, my comrades have the girls already taken care of. While I could have tagged with them and assured, my interest in you and that Yugo kid kept itching at me."

 _First Academia is after people who look like Ruri. Now, this guy is interested in people who look like me. What is the connection? Why is this guy so intrigued with us?_ Yuto thought to himself with a frustrated look reflecting off of his eyes.

Now there was another piece that just jumbled the entire puzzle up. Before now, none of the Academia soldiers showed any interest in him. They just treated him like any Duelist other than Yuzu, Serena, and Ruri. But now, this guy was giving him special treatment.

Just what was going on here?

Yuto rapidly blinked his eyes multiple times, snapping out of his thoughts. "Now is not the time to dwell on these things. If you want a Duel, then you'll get one! Just don't expect to be the one standing afterwards!"

He threw out his hand, forming a fist as his Duel Disk activated, a long black blade with purple linings appearing as he inserted his Deck and proceeded to draw five Cards.

He did not activate an Action Field because that could provide Darkness with an advantage as well. As of right now, he had to Duel with his own Cards with stakes like these.

"Hmph! I was just about to say the same thing!" Darkness said as he ran through the same procedure as his enemy, ending with five Cards in his hand and an activated Duel Disk, ready for a fight.

" **DUEL!** " Both Duelists exclaimed in unison.

"I'm sorry to say this but I just can't let you live any longer! When you're on the ground defeated, it will be over for you… _permanently_. Once this is over, all you will be seeing...is Darkness!" The agent from Academia spoke with malice in his voice.

Yuto froze on his tracks for just a split second. The interval was so short that if one blinked one would miss the hesitance from the boy easily.

He quickly composed himself too late however, as by the time he focused his gaze to his Hand, Darkness had already begun.

"I'll be taking the first move!" The agent from Academia declared with confidence. "My turn! Let's start with the activation of this Magic Card, Hand Destruction! With this, both of us must throw all Cards in our Hand to the Graveyard! Then, we draw from our Deck the same amount of we discarded."

Yuto grunted in response, bringing his Cards together and inserting them into his Graveyard slot. Darkness performed the same action. However, unlike Yuto, who drew five Cards, Darkness only drew four.

The Cards Yuto sent to the Grave consisted of Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves, Phantom Knights Dusty Robe, Booby Trap E, and Entermate Drago Remora.

Meanwhile, Darkness discarded Clear Cube, Clear Phantom, Clear Rage Golem, and Attribute Change-Attribute Chameleon.

As Yuto looked at his Cards, he eyed his opponent, who bore a smile of content as he viewed his own Hand.

 _That triumphant smile...what is so much better in that batch of Cards than his last one?_

Darkness lifted a single Card and inserted it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. A hologram of a Magic Card named Clear Fusion appeared for the member of the Resistance to see.

The picture of the Card depicted two random Monsters surrounded by transparent crystals swirling around in a vortex formation that was typically associated with Fusion Summoning.

"This Card—Clear Fusion—allows me to conduct a Fusion Summon by banishing Fusion Materials from my Graveyard! I banish Clear Phantom and Clear Rage Golem! Clear souls residing in the darkness! Accept each other's darkness and hatred and spread onward! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!"

"WOAH!" Yuto cried out, stumbling backwards due to shock from sudden shockwaves ensuing from the Monster's Summon. He dug his feet into the ground, trying to stay on his feet as he fought against the shockwaves.

 _What the Hell?! This man...the shockwaves he is producing...it's...it's stronger than anyone I've ever faced before!_ Yuto thought to himself, letting a look of caution appear on his face, drops of sweat forming at his temples, daring to roll down and make their presence known.

 **Slithering Serpent: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yuto looked at Darkness' Field again to see a dark green, scaly serpent with bright yellow eyes staring directly at him. To complete the look, the Monster had the usual crystal surrounding it that Clear Monsters usually had.

"I set this Card facedown. That is the end of my turn." Darkness crossed his arms, his body as stiff as stone.

Yuto could immediately read that posture. He was crossing his arms out of expectancy. Darkness _expected_ Yuto to put on a good show for him. He _wanted_ Yuto to put on a good show for him.

He wasn't worried about losing at all. In fact, it seemed like he was worried about _winning_...in an easy manner, to be precise. This guy was bored. So bored it was as if he saw no meaning in life.

What Darkness said next only proved this point.

"I would advise withdrawing right now. No matter what you do, you cannot win. There is no point in trying to move forward. It is all meaningless in the end. Your own Darkness will catch up to you eventually...to erase the small flickering Light."

"Your wrong! My 'Light' will never die! It will keep shining forward. And even if _I_ die, my friends will keep going on to continue carrying that Light forward!"

Darkness' lips formed a thin line, suddenly reminiscing about something for a moment. He shook his head and responded, "Meaningless. It will all prove fruitless. The history of the human race is one filled with meaningless dreams and expanding Darkness. It is all one huge cycle. Your friends will soon forget your shared 'Light'. Your efforts will eventually prove to be worthless. They will be undone and forgotten, never to see the light of day again. Your foolishness shall be what causes you to lose this Duel."

"That's where your wrong. I don't plan on losing. I _will_ win! My turn, draw!" Yuto glanced at his new Hand, picking up a Card and shifting his gaze over to his Graveyard while placing said Card in his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "I activate a Magic Card from my Hand! It's called Phantom Xyz! With it, I can Special Summon two Monsters with the same level from my Graveyard and proceed to conduct an Xyz Summon with them! Come to the Field, Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves and Phantom Knights Dusty Robe!"

The two ghostlike knights appeared to the Field, both located on Yuto's sides while taking a defensive position. Slithering Serpent glared down at the two Monsters, who stared merelt back blankly, seemingly unfazed by the Monster's gaze of death.

 **Ragged Gloves: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def**

 **Dusty Robe: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Here I go." Yuto raised a fist as his Monsters turned into purple orbs, "I overlay both the level 3 Ragged Gloves and Dusty Robe! With these two Monsters I construct the overlay network! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 3! Phantom Knights Break Sword!"

 **Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"When Ragged Gloves is used as an overlay unit, the Monster he's attached to gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Yuto said as a purple aura surrounded his Monster. The large blade-wielding Monster held out its spear, ready for battle.

 **Break Sword: 2000-3000 Atk**

"Battle! Go, Break Sword, attack and destroy his Slithering Serpent!" The purple and black-haired Duelist declared, his Monster galloping forward on command.

Darkness uncrossed his arms and jabbed a finger at his Fusion Monster, "I activate Slithering Serpent's effect! When it battles with a Light or Dark Attribute Monster, I can use its effect to negate the attack and destroy the other Monster!"

Slithering Serpent shot forward. To Yuto's surprise, Break Sword's attack went right through the crystal. Then, inside the crystal, Darkness' Monster wrapped itself around Break Sword, squeezing hard on both the steed and the Knight. The Monster shattered into multiple pieces due to getting brutally strangled.

Yuto shot his hand forward, "I activate Break Sword's effect upon destruction! I can Special Summon his Materials as level 4 Monsters!"

Two blue flames lit up where Break Sword was destroyed. In their place, Phantom Knights Dusty Robe and Ragged Gloves reappeared in Defense Position with their levels increased by 1 each.

 **Dusty Robe: Level 3-4**

 **Ragged Gloves: Level 3-4**

"I set two Cards facedown. I end my turn." As he spoke, two set Card materialized in front of Yuto.

"Oh? No Xyz Summon? Are you holding back on me? Let me tell you this...holding back on me is the worst thing you could ever do in life. Of course, that shouldn't matter, as when you sink into Darkness, you will be relieved of all of your regrets and misfortunes...and you will learn to accept them."

Yuto ignored his words. It's true that not Xyz Summoning could have been a sign of holding back, maybe even hesitation. However, he had to do this for the plan he was coming up with.

"It's my turn now, I draw! Battle! Now, Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent, attack his Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!" Slithering Serpent darted forward, making its way towards the knight.

Yuto immediately revealed his facedown, "I activate the Trap Card Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace! I can target a Monster you control! It loses 600 Attack and I can Special Summon this Card as a level 2 Dark Attribute Monster! Appear!"

On Yuto's command, a piece of armor with a blue ghostly yet flamelike appearance eerily appeared to the Field.

 **Slithering Serpent: 2400-1800 Atk**

The owner of the new arrival smiled, "During the turn Lost Vambrace is Summoned, Phantom Knights Monsters cannot be destroyed in battle!"

As Slithering Serpent froze in midair, currently awaiting for its owner to relay the battle, call it off, or find another target to attack.

Before making his call, Darkness smirked, "You said 'cannot be destroyed in battle'. You never said anything about effects! I will not let you Xyz Summon next turn! Slithering Serpent, continue your assault against Ragged Gloves!"

The Clear Monster resumed its charge forward, the Monster inside the crystal peeking its head out and opening its mouth.

"I use Slithering Serpent's effect! I can negate a battle against a Light or Dark Monster and destroy them!" Darkness shouted, prompting his Monster to freeze once again, using its open mouth to spew out a venom-like substance.

Ragged Gloves was drenched in the liquid. The Phantom Knights Monster's figure began to dissolve and distort, leading to a very disarrayed appearance.

Yuto's Monster began to writhe and squirm, stretching out parts of its body in an attempt to ease the pain. But to no avail, the burning pain of being dissolved stayed with the valiant knight.

 _CRACK!_

Yuto watched in horror as his Monster's body began to fracture a few more times, before completely shattering into multiple particles.

"I end my turn." Darkness said emotionlessly, unfazed by the brutal manner in which Dusty Robe was destroyed.

"Kgh! My turn, draw!" Yuto's hand slipped off his Deck, taking the Card with him. He glanced at it and let out a small gasp. He grinned.

Wherever he was, it looked like _he_ was still looking out for him.

Yuto glared at Darkness with an intent to win burning in his eyes. He placed a hand on another one of his Cards.

Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Now, I'll show the combined strength between Sakaki Yuya and I!" He showed the two he grabbed to Darkness, who raised an eyebrow, now interested and invested in the Duel all of a sudden.

"So, it is true…"

"Using the Scale 3 Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade and the Scale 8 Xiangsheng Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto swiped his Hand across the blade of his Duel Disk, dropping his a Card on each edge.

PENDULUM was spelled out across Yuto's Duel Disk as the two Monsters raised, surrounded by a light blue column with a Pendulum swinging in between.

"With this I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters with levels from 4 to 7! Deceased Comrade's Pendulum effect is that when Pendulum Summoning, one of the Monsters can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard!" Yuto explained.

"What?" Darkness mused, slightly surprised for the first time in this Duel. While he examined the appearance of the Pendulum Scales, the Scale numbers, and the swinging Pendulum, Yuto recited a chant.

"Swing! Pendulum of my Soul! Carve an arc of Hope across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!"

Above Yuto, a light blue portal opened below the Pendulum. Rushing out of the portal were two beams of light.

"First, from my Hand, is Entermate Mammosplash! Lastly, returning from the Graveyard, the dragon with wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

 **Mammosplash: Level 4, 1900 Atk, 2300 Def**

 **Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yuto raised his Hand to his Scale 8 Pendulum Monster, "Xiangsheng Magician's Pendulum effect: once a turn, I can give a Monster on the Field the same level as he one of another Monster!"

As Yuto spoke, Xiangsheng Magician shot an arrow from her bow. The arrow was blue-tipped. The arrow hit the ground between Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace and Dusty Robe, enveloping them with a light blue light.

"I give Phantom Knights Dusty Robe the same level as Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace, 2!"

 **Dusty Robe: Level 4-2**

Darkness clicked his tongue out of annoyance at the sight. "Two level 2 Monsters. How troublesome…"

"Here we go! I, using the level 2 Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace and Dusty Robe, overlay!" A yellowish-blackish portal opened in front of the Xyz Duelist as his Monsters turned into purple orbs, flying into the portal and converging, immediately imploding on contact.

"Piercing through ten thousand warriors, the cursed spear of rebellion entombed in darkness, descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!"

 **Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def**

"I activate the effect of Entermate Mammosplash! By using Monsters on my Hand or on my Field as Materials, I can conduct a Fusion Summon! I fuse Mammosplash with Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Dual-colored eyed dragon! Become one with the blizzard behemoth, and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Ferocious dragon with luminous feral eyes! Level 8! Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

 **Beast Eyes: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"Oh!" Darkness voiced with a grin on his face, "A member of the Resistance who uses both Xyz _and_ Fusion? Along with this new Pendulum method, eh? How times have changed so quickly. So, by using our prestigious method, you admit defeat and that Xyz Duelists are worthless without using the weapons of their enemy?"

"Shut up!" Yuto blurted out with sudden furiosity. "Using the enemy's weapon is a factor that comes with war. It is what every smart tactician must do. They just give up their hatred for the enemy's weapon. It's not the weapon you people call Fusion spreading the hate! It's the _people_ of Academia who use that weapon. _They_ are the ones who are _truly_ spreading all of the hate! If I keep that ideal in my heart, then I see no reason _not_ to use Fusion. The weapon of my enemy can be used as _my_ weapon as well."

Darkness' grin subsided, and it was soon replaced by a thin line formed by his lips, no readable emotion on his face whatsoever.

"An interesting ideology, I'll give you that. Hell, I'd even say it's a damn smart one. It's too bad you will have to be lost to the Darkness soon enough." He said.

"Listen up, because I'm only going to say it once. I'm not giving up, and I'm not going to lose!" Yuto resolved, standing confidently to his full height as he thrusted his hand outward. "I detach an overlay unit from Cursed Javelin in order to use his effect!"

Immediately after he finished, one of the overlay units orbiting Cursed Javelin disappeared, with Cursed Javelin's weapon beginning to glow with a bright purple flame.

"Once per turn, I can target a Monster you control! That Monster's Attack becomes 0 and its effects are also negated. Of course, I choose Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!"

Cursed Javelin pointed the glowing edge of its weapon towards Slithering Serpent. A purple beam of energy was released and sent towards Darkness

 **Slithering Serpent: 1800-0 Atk**

"With your Monster's Attack 0 and your effect negated, I don't have to worry about anything getting in my way! Battle! Finish this, Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent! Hell Dive Burst!" Beast Eyes leaped into the air, opening its jaw to release a stream of fire hurling towards Slithering Serpent.

The blast connected, and an explosion occurred. A large cloud of smoke enveloped here views of both Yuto and Darkness.

The purple and black-haired Duelist squinted his eyes, trying to see through the smoke to see his enemy. "Did I get him?"

The resident of the Xyz Dimension widened his eyes as he saw Slithering Serpent gone, and Darkness laid out on the ground. He let out a smile of relief as he saw Darkness' life points drop.

 **Darkness: 4000-1000 LP**

"No…" Darkness muttered as he got to his knees, scowling at Yuto with a piece of his mask broken off, revealing a red iris with a black pupil. "NO! IMPOSSIBLE! I CANNOT LOSE! I CAN'T!" His eye widened as red veins could be seen appearing at the edges of his eye.

Yuto punched his fist forward with determination, "This will end it! When Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon destroys a Monster in battle, I am allowed to inflict damage to you equal to the Attack of the Beast-Type Monster used for this Fusion Summon!"

"WHAT?!" Darkness gasped, completely at a loss for words.

"Entermate Mammosplash has an Attack of 1900! So, you'll be taking a dose of 1900 points of damage!"

"NO! PLEASE! STOP! SPARE ME!"

"Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, finish this!"

Yuto pointed forward, his dragon obeying orders immediately. The Monster crashed down to the ground, creating a shockwave and a crater that blew Darkness back. He opened his mouth as an image of Mammosplash appeared alongside him. Another burst of fire was spewed out, burning Darkness and prompting a painful ear-screeching scream to escape the man's mouth.

"AUUUUUUUUUUUGH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…!"

As the flames dissipated, the screaming eventually came to a dead halt. When Yuto looked to Darkness' body, he blinked. When light returned to his vision, he saw that Darkness' body was gone.

"What?" Yuto gaped, shocked at the body's sudden disappearance. There wasn't a trace left. Not a pile of ash. No leftover burnt body parts. Nothing. It was as if nothing was there at all.

It then dawned on Yuto how far he went with his opponent. However, before he could dwell on this, the dark sphere around him began to crack, eventually shattering into multiple dark shards that disintegrated while in the air.

Yuto's lips curved into a triumphant smile.

"Yuto!"

His ears perked up. And the next thing he knew, his entire world went white around him.

He looked to the source of the voice…

There, right in front of him, stood his father. Next to him was his mother, and finally his two brothers.

A warm feeling filled his heart. His family...they were here. They were safe. Happy, even.

"Hey, don't tell me you forgot about us!"

Yuto jerked his head up at the voice. The familiar deep, gruff voice of his best friend rang through his voice multiple times as he looked behind his family.

"Shun…"

Tears began to form in his eyes as he saw Shun with a genuine happy smile on his face. There was no sign of the currently war-torn Shun. Only the Shun that had been before.

The one that had been buried away in the ruins of Heartland.

Alongside him was Kaito, Rio, Ryoga, Allen, Sayaka, and finally…

"Ruri…"

The name rolled off his tongue. He had said the name so many times. Yet this time, _this_ was the most special times of them all.

"Guys...you're all...well." Yuto walked forward, reaching his hand out. To his surprise, at that moment, everyone else began to walk as well. He closed his eyes as a bright smile appeared on his face. One that had disappeared long ago…

"I'm...home."

 _Whoosh!_

Yuto let out a gasp as he felt his body pass through something, with no connection to the tight and strong hands of his father, nor the gentle ones of his mother _or_ the small ones of his brothers.

He stumbled as he felt himself pass through many more things with a resounding shock that scared him to death. He dared himself to slowly look up.

And up.

And up.

And up.

Until he saw nothing in front of him. No friends and family.

Nothing.

He looked behind himself...only to see everyone walking forward.

"No." Yuto mumbled as he began to run towards them, trying not to lose sight of them.

No matter how fast he went, he didn't feel like he was getting any closer. In fact, it was as if he was getting farther and farther from his loved ones as he went along.

"NO! PLEASE! STOP! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

He then found himself stuck to the ground. Frozen in place as stiff as a statue.

Darkness began to spread around his surroundings. Quickly and rapidly erasing all traces of the white light that he saw…

And of his loved ones.

"No...This isn't happening! What's going on?!"

Yuto felt the air leave his lungs as he began to wheeze uncontrollably, suddenly out of breath as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach.

He shut his eyes for a good couple of moments as the light was fully removed from his vision...and the Darkness took over.

He shot open his eyes, only to see a cloud of smoke, the sound of a cackling Darkness resounding from right in front of him.

"Hihihihihi...hihihihi...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

The cold laughs was a gut punch to Yuto in every sense of the word. He suddenly lost all ability to comprehend what was happening. He couldn't compose himself. He didn't what was going on anymore!

He didn't know anything anymore!

What was real?!

"Real…" The word dripped out of Yuto's mouth like running blood. "That...that's what it was…"

"False. Fabricated. Unreal. _That_ is what you just saw. The Darkness in your heart has clouded you, and it has blinded you in your perception of what is reality. We are all bound by what we think is right, just, and true. This is a fact! However, we all are blinded by a rejection of Darkness. A reality without any Darkness at all is merely an illusion. One cannot have Light without Darkness. No matter how much you fear and run from it...Darkness will always be around the corner."

The cloud of smoke cleared, and to Yuto's shock stood Darkness with a Trap Card revealed, his mask repaired, and…

 **Darkness: 4000 LP**

His life points intact.

"Yuto...the Darkness in your heart, I know what it is. You fear being abandoned. Left alone to fend for yourself with none of your loved ones to support you. Trying to reject the possibility of this, you created a false reality free of Darkness. One that blinded you to the truth. A...mirage, if you will."

Yuto widened his eyes, "That Trap Card…"

Darkness smirked, "I activated the Trap Card Clear Mirage. When a Clear Monster I control is destroyed, I can make all damage that would be dealt to me this turn 0."

Yuto's hands fell to his side, "No way…he's...going to defeat me...I…"

Darkness relished the defeated look in the boy's eyes as he took a Card out of his Graveyard slot. "Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent's destruction effect! When this Monster is destroyed, I get permission to Special Summon a Clear Monster from my Hand or Grave except Slithering Serpent itself!"

The eyes on Darkness' mask gleamed as he slammed his chosen Card onto his middle Monster Zone.

"Come forth! Clear Vice Dragon!"

Erupting from the ground came a silver-plated dragon lying inside of a giant crystal. The dragon glared at Yuto, as if it was angry at him for killing its fellow Clear Monster.

 **Clear Vice Dragon: Level 8, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

Yuto's eyebrows raised out of interest. _A level 8 Monster? But it has no Attack! Just what is he planning?_

"From the Graveyard, I activate the effect of Clear Fusion! By banishing this Card, I can Special Summon a Clear Fusion Monster by returning banished Clear Monsters to my Hand as Fusion Materials! I return Clear Phantom and Clear Rage Golem. Return, Slithering Serpent"

Slithering Serpent bursted out of the Grave, a lust for revenge in its eyes as it stared down Yuto alongside Clear Vice Dragon.

Said boy looked down at the ground, a look of discomfort and sadness driven onto his face.

It wasn't fair! It just wasn't!

Was it _too_ much to ask for _one_ good thing to happen?

Why in the Hell was Academia haunting him in his journey at every turn? Are they just destined to fight?! Is there no other way to avoid it?

...

No.

There isn't.

The only way is to fight.

Win!

"Win. That's all I have to do now. Win."

" **Win...at all costs. No matter what the cost. Even if it costs you your soul, you MUST win! Do** _ **not**_ **hold back AT ALL COSTS!"** A voice spoke in Yuto's head, causing him to tense.

Sweat began to pour down Yuto's face as he began to breathe heavily in and out, his heart suddenly beginning to race faster than ever before.

"I…" He struggled to get the words out of his mouth, "...end my turn."

"My turn, draw!

"Not so fast! Once again, I use Cursed Javelin's effect by detaching an overlay unit while targeting Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!" Yuto interjected hastily with a raspy voice.

Like last time, Slithering Serpent was hit by a beam of purple energy from Cursed Javelin. It went gray, having lost both its effect and all of its Attack.

 **Slithering Serpent: 2400-0 Atk**

Darkness looked up with a small frown at his Monster. However, his frown was immediately swapped with a wide smile stretching from ear to ear when he saw his opponent.

A faint, dark aura began to surround Yuto. It was fluctuating calmly, but there was a distinct feeling of anger hidden within it.

"Hahaha! This is what I was waiting for. It seems things are going to get much more interesting." He spoke as the sound of Yuto's hand slapping his forehead echoed throughout the endless field of darkness. "I'm not surprised though. You do look like _him_ after all."

"Him?" Yuto repeated out of confusion, wincing from the enveloping dark aura. "You mean...that guy from Academia that looks like me."

"You're thinking about Yuri. Unfortunately...that is farthest from the truth."

"What?! Then you must be talking Yuya or Yugo!" Yuto rebutted, only for Darkness to shake his head, leaving the Xyz Duelist dumbstruck. "No way...so that means...that there's a fifth person who looks like us?!"

"In a way, yes." Darkness replied. "But, the one I'm speaking of is much more... _special_ you, Yuri, and the other two."

For a moment, an odd look seemed to cross Darkness' face when talking about this mysterious person. Even behind the mask, there seemed to be some sort of...familiarity between Darkness and the man he spoke of.

The dark-clothed man shook his head, "Look at me getting carried away with myself. I let myself ramble for too long. Hmph! It seems that you're in so much of a rush that you acted recklessly. And that will cost you! You didn't actually think that Slithering Serpent was the Monster I could use against you, right?"

Yuto grunted, preparing himself for Darkness' oncoming assault as well as adjusting to the oncoming rage and darkness in his own head.

Throwing his hand out forward with a single Card lying in between his fingers, he spoke. "I activate the Magic Card Clear Draw of Destruction! I can destroy a Clear Monster in my Hand or on my Field to the Grave and then draw two Cards because of it! My Slithering Serpent will go rest in the Graveyard."

As his Monster disappeared from the Field, Darkness swiped two Cards from his Deck. He glanced at the Cards and smirked.

"I activate Slithering Serpent's effect! When it is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Clear Monster in my Hand or Grave! Join us, Clear Sad Lizard!"

A clear crystal sprouted to the Field. And inside it was a lizard with a blue tone to its skin.

 **Sad Lizard: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Clear Fusion! By banishing this Card from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Clear Fusion Monster in my Grave by returning two banished Clear Monsters to my Hand! Of course, these two Monsters I'm receiving will be Clear Rage Golem and Clear Phantom. And in return, Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent will return to the Field!"

Darkness added the two Monsters back to his Hand as his Fusion Monster erupted from the Grave with its original Attack and effect returned.

The member of Academia gazed at Clear Sad Lizard. "It's time to show what I've been hiding from you. I activate the effect of Clear Sad Lizard! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Clear Monster from my Hand. Appear, Clear Rage Golem!"

A rocky-like Monster encased by crystal with glowing yellow eyes rose to the Field.

 **Rage Golem: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1800 Def**

" _Oh_ , this is going to feel _good_! I…" He paused for dramatic effect.

And it worked, as Yuto began to shake more and more as the silence drew on.

He grinned.

"I overlay my two level 4 Monsters!"

"What?! An Xyz Summon?!" Yuto's jaw dropped out of shock as he saw Darkness' two Monsters enter a portal that spawned in front of him, imploding on entry

"Two nihilistic souls enter the gateway of Darkness! Now accept that Darkness and converge into a greater being! Xyz Summon!" Darkness shouted as a flash of blue shot upwards from behind him. "Come before us! Rank 4! Clear Darkness: Acrimonious Lion!"

 **Acrimonious Lion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2100 Def**

A golden-furred, black-maned lion with red eyes of hatred inside of a crystal like other Clear Monsters appeared to the Field. The animal was clawing towards Yuto with its sharp, pitch-black nails and growling with sharp teeth showing.

The boy didn't care about this way of intimidation however.

What he was more concerned about was…

"Why? Why can you use Xyz Summoning?!"

"Why can I use Xyz Summoning? Oh please don't act as if those of the Xyz and Standard Dimensions have birthrights to Xyz Summoning. Anyone can use it. As long as they can get their hands on the method. Unfortunately for you, it seems that the weapon of my enemy...can be _my_ weapon too…" Darkness said with a chilling smile.

 _If this man is capable of utilizing Xyz Summoning...then does that mean…?_

"Next!"

"Kgh!" Yuto grunted, snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of Darkness' voice.

"I Summon this Monster to the Field. Its name is Clear Receiver Demon!"

A Monster resembling the Card Honest in design appeared to the Field. With differences being dark-colored wings and the replacement of all light colors with black and obviously the crystal cube that came with being a Clear Monster.

Despite its resemblance, this Card has no affiliation or connection to Honest whatsoever.

 **Receiver Demon: Level 4, 600 Atk, 0 Def**

Darkness grabbed another Card from his Hand, "When Receiver Demon is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Clear Monster to join it! So, come assist me, Clear Phantom!"

 **Clear Phantom: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 800 Def**

"Hihihihihi! This is where it gets good!" Darkness said with an amused smirk, unable to hide his excitement for his opponent's reaction to his next move. "You see what I didn't tell you...is that Clear Receiver Demon...is a _Tuner_!"

"A Tuner?! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! That's the last thing I need right now…" Yuto whispered to himself as the dark aura around him flared for a moment, causing him to take a small hiss of pain.

Darkness raised his hand, "I tune the level 3 Clear Phantom with the level 4 Tuner Monster Clear Receiver Demon! Dark soul that lurks to the shadows! Howl to the devil's chime and offer yourself for a new form of Darkness!" A flash of light rushed past Darkness as he let out, "Synchro Summon! Come! Level 7! Clear Darkness: Lustful Tiger!"

A tiger with red stripes, brown fur, and glowing yellow eyes encased in a clear cube appeared.

 **Lustful Tiger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 1600 Def**

With its companions, it stared down Yuto, their eyes saying "You can't stop us now that we are here, so what are you going to do now?"

Yuto could only have a look of awe as he saw the Field. It was just like Akaba Reiji.

Fusion.

Synchro. And…

Xyz.

"Now you will understand the worthlessness of trying to run away from Darkness! I activate the effect of Acrimonious Lion!" Darkness said with the wave of his hand as an overlay unit was dispatched from his Monster. "Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target a Monster you control and change its Attribute to whatever I wish!"

A purple outline appeared around Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, signifying that the dual-colored dragon was Darkness' choice.

"Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, I change your Attribute from Earth to Dark."

 **Beast Eyes: Earth-Dark**

 _Changing Beast Eyes' Attribute? What is he planning to do with that?_ Yuto narrowed his eyes with caution marking every twitch in his body.

"The best part has yet to come. At this moment, I activate Acrimonious Lion's additional effect! This one needs no overlay unit to function. Now for the effect! Once per turn, I can once again declare an Attribute. This Monster can attack for every Monster on your side of the Field with the declared Attribute. Of course, my desired Attribute is Dark!"

Yuto inaudibly cursed under his breath, "There are two Dark Monsters on my Field. So that means Acrimonious Lion can attack twice!"

"Very perceptive! But that won't help when it doesn't do anything for you in the current situation. Now…" Darkness directed his gaze towards his Synchro Monster, "During the turn Lustful Lion is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy all Monsters on the Field with an Attribute I declare! Once again, I choose Dark!"

"What?" Yuto looked down at his Duel Disk, which displayed his Field and Darkness' Field.

It didn't display his opponent's Monster effects, but it still showed Attack, Defense, level, and Attribute. And from his Duel Disk, he could see that every single Monster Darkness possessed was Dark Attribute. So, he would only be nuking his entire Field as well!

Unfortunately for him, Darkness was one step ahead.

"I know what you're thinking. 'My Monsters will also be destroyed'. Again, wrong! The effect of my Monsters state that while faceup on the Field, they are not treated as Dark Monsters! Therefore, only your Monsters are destroyed by this effect!" Darkness thoroughly explained with a confident grin.

Yuto let out a gasp as he witnessed the eyes of Lustful Tiger twinkle for a split second. The feral animal floated into the air, popped its head out of the cube surrounding it, and released ear-piercing shockwaves that destroyed both of Yuto's Monsters easily, much to the boy's dismay.

"With this, you're wide open! Clear Darkness: Acrimonious Lion, attack this fool's life points directly!"

The Xyz Monster popped out of its cube and pounced forward towards Yuto, going on the attack.

However, with the click of a button, a Continuous Trap Card was lying face-up in front of Yuto. "I activate the Continuous Trap Entermate Pinch Helper! When a Monster you control declares a direct attack, I can negate the attack and Special Summon an Entermate Monster with 800 or less Attack from my Deck!"

Acrimonious Lion halted its attack, reeling back to its owner as a light silhouette appeared on Yuto's Field. Soon, the Monster revealed itself to be Entermate Amenboat in Attack Position.

 **Amenboat: Level 4, 500 Atk, 1600 Def**

"Then use your second attack to destroy Amenboat, Acrimonious Lion!" The beast bared it's teeth and once again darted in Yuto's direction.

"I activate Entermate Amenboat's effect! When this Attack Position Card is targeted for an attack, I can switch this Card to face-up Defense Position and negate the attack!" Amenboat was covered in a sheet of blue as the Monster took a defensive position. Like last time, Acrimonious Tiger backed off and jumped back into its cube.

"Your very persistent! However, that won't stop Slithering Serpent from destroying your Monster! Go!" Slithering Serpent slithered our of the cube and across the Field, wrapping around Amenboat and destroying him instantly, returning to the cube after the deed was done. "Finally! You have nothing to defend you now! Clear Darkness: Lustful Lion, attack him directly!"

Lustful Lion phased through its cube and unleashed many shockwaves just like last time. Due to the ensuing shockwaves, Yuto was knocked backwards with a cry of pain.

 **Yuto: 4000-1400 LP**

"And this is where I end my turn." Darkness spoke.

Yuto furrowed his eyebrows out of frustration. With the way things were, there was absolutely no way he would be able to turn things around.

He glanced at the only Card in his Hand and loosened his tight gaze.

On second thought…

Oh. Right...

There might be _one_ thing he could do.

He was _so_ stupid. How could he just forget about him. His own ace Monster...

"ACK!"

Yuto suddenly gripped his chest tightly after suffering from a sharp and excruciating pain. The dark aura around him began to radiate and fluctuate violently as his eyes began to flicker from their normal gray hue to a light blue.

 _The Darkness! It's overtaking me...like all the their times. I can…_

 _ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAR!_

 _I can hear the roar of Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion. Along with...Clear Wing Synchro Dragon? And...what is that...fourth…_

Yuto's thoughts drowned out as his eyes finally flashed to a light blue hue, his form bulging for a quick moment as he took a nasty glare at Darkness, who didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

Yuto placed a hand on his Deck, " **M** y **t** u **r** n **.**. **.** D **R** A **W**!"

 _WHOOSH!_

A gust of wind lashed out at Darkness. They were so strong that he actually had to brace himself out of surprise.

"Another dose of your power, eh Zarc?" Darkness said out loud, his smile fading into a more serious expression.

Yuto beamed viciously, confident of his victory now. "

"Now, I use the already set Pendulum Scale to Pendulum Summon! Appear before me! My Monster servants!"

Three beams bursted down to the Field right in front of Yuto with great light. The first Monster was from the Grave, it was Entermate Amenboat once again. The second Monster was returning from the Extra Deck, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon. The third one, came from the Hand. It was Phantom Knights Fragile Armor.

 **Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yuto's body recoiled as he let out a sadistic grin, " _ **Now...**_ is the _**time...**_ I overlay the level 4 Phantom Knights Fragile Armor and Entermate Amenboat! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Yuto's blue eyes glowed even brighter as his ace Monster descended. Also, the dark aura shot up even more.

 **Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

" _ **HAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"**_ A loud laughing sound boomed throughout the field of darkness as a dark purple dragon-like silhouette formed behind Yuto from his aura, looming over him with glowing red eyes...like the Devil.

" _ **Now...**_ **is the** _ **time**_ **...for** _ **us**_ **...to become** _ **one**_ **..."** Yuto mumbled under his breath. Outside the portal, Yugo and Yuri were reciting the chant along with Sakaki Yuya, who was not in the area at the moment.

" **NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO BECOME ONE!**

" _ **YES! YES! REVIVE ME! REVIVE YOUR GOD, THE SUPREME KING DRAGON Z-ARC!"**_

 _BOOM!_

An explosion occurred, so strong that it actually destroyed dark sphere that both Yuto and Darkness were Dueling in, revealing them to the real world for all to see.

Ruri and Yuzu could both be heard screaming at the sudden explosion, looking to the source in a panic, widening their eyes when they saw the two along with the silhouette.

"Yuto!"

Serena, who was still Dueling Yuri, looked back and forth between all three of the possessed boys. Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri as they both continued to chant the same exact thing with a deep, demonic voice.

The wind velocity in the area began to increase drastically, knocking down some trees, blowing over trash cans. Soon, loud sparks of lightning could be heard flashing across the sky with loud BOOMS of thunder to accompany them.

The hole in the sky began to sink like a tornado would when hitting ground. A funnel began to twist and churn at the city, destroying glass, blowing over cars and even catching some people as well, killing them.

More screams of terror filled the city in one sector as Tops, Commons, and even Academia soldiers fell victim to the tornado-like phenomenon.

People in farther places like the stadium, while they weren't suffering any casualties, were still receiving harsh winds. This caused much turmoil and panic in the audience, especially between the already fighting Tops and Commons.

"What's happening?!" Wondered Sora, who along with O'Brien and Reira, looked over at the vortex.

In other parts of the city, all members of the Lancers looked at the storm with wonder along with other citizens of the city and even members of Academia, who halted their assault.

Soon, a booming voice could be heard.

" _ **ACCEPT YOUR FATES, FOOLISH HUMANS! FOR NOTHING CAN PREPARE YOU FOR THE RETURN OF I, ZARC!"**_

"Zarc?" Ruri and her other counterparts including the mind-controlled Rin repeated. For some reason, the name seemed so familiar to them...

Darkness sharpened his gaze at the storm, "Under strict orders from the Professor and myself, I will not allow you to ever walk on human soil again, Zarc! The only way to stop this, is to kill you now!" He turned to Yuto, "And that is by killing him!"

" **No!"** Yuto boomed, " **I will not let you! I activate the Monster effect of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"** The dark dragon let out a hiss towards Darkness, " **By detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a Monster you control until the end of the turn. Then, Dark Rebellion** _ **gains**_ **the lost amount! Treason Discharge!"**

Lightning spewed from Dark Rebellion's now open wings, and upon contact weakened Clear Darkness: Lustful Tiger.

 **Lustful Tiger: 2600-1300 Atk**

 **Dark Rebellion: 2500-3800 Atk**

" **I'm not letting up until YOU DIE! DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON, ACTIVATE YOUR EFFECT AGAIN!"**

"No...No…" Ruri from the sidelines murmured with tears streaming down her face as Dark Rebellion sucked more Attack Points away from Lustful Tiger.

 **Lustful Tiger: 1300-650 Atk**

 **Dark Rebellion: 3800-4450 Atk**

"This isn't you...it isn't."

" **I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB** _ **JUST**_ **TO DESTROY YOU!"**

"Stop... _Please_ …"

" **NOW! ODD EYES PENDULUM DRAGON! ATTACK CLEAR DARKNESS: LUSTFUL TIGER! SPIRAL STRIKE BUR-!"**

"STOP! PLEASE!" Ruri screamed.

Yuto paused as his comrade made a mad dash for her friend, fighting through the strong gusts of wind that lashed out at her body.

"YOU FOOL!" Darkness shouted, "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM! HE'LL KILL YOU!"

Ruri ignored him and kept going. She managed to make it to Yuto's body and get a hard grip on his wrist. It must have been harder than she thought it was, because Yuto immediately began to let out anguished cries and howls.

Her bracelet was blinking brightly the entire time.

"Yuto, stop! Remember who you are. The boy who lost his world and true smile in a city filled with smiles. The boy who wanted to get his world and smile back from those who took it! For yourself...and for the others who also lost their world on that day..."

"I **a** m…" Yuto whispered, his voice distorting for a moment between his demonic one and his regular one as he still flinched from the throbbing pain.

"Yes! You are Yuto! You're not a Demon!" She exclaimed with a hopeful smile.

"No...I'm not. I'm not him…"

…

" **I'M JUST ZARC!"** He shouted with a wicked and triumphant grin, washing Ruri's hope away and replacing it with fear. Now, he wasn't even suffering from pain anymore. He was embracing it.

" **That's right. I'm Zarc!"** 'Yuto' said once again, his eyes changing color to a bright yellow, similarly to his counterparts. He cranking his head to look straight into Ruri's eyes, showing their glowing yellow features and demonic vibe. " **INSECTS LIKE YOU CANNOT STOP US, LITTLE GIRL! I WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW YOU WEAK YOU ARE COMPARED TO ME RIGHT HERE!"**

At that moment, by sheer strength alone, he forced his hand away from Ruri. The girl let out a yelp of surprise. Yuto grinned at her maliciously, placing inside his Deck holster for a moment to have both hands free.

Ruri stood her ground. She wasn't going to run away. NOT from her friend!

" **Oh? A brave one. The brave ones are always the foolish ones. Brave. But foolish as Hell. And always the best to** _ **break**_ **into pieces!"**

Ruri shivered in her place as Yuto caressed her face gently with the coldest of touches she's ever felt. Suddenly, with great speed, Yuto grabbed her hair with a tight grip. Ruri winced with a tiny groan signifying her discomfort.

"No matter what you do to me…" She whispered lightly, "I'm not giving up...on the real Yuto."

His hand quivered for a second, as if a moment of hesitation. As if that just for a moment, the old Yuto came back. But it was shoved aside immediately by an even tighter grip of Ruri's long hair and a yank as well, earning a loud scream from the girl.

" **Now...BEGONE INSECT!"** Yuto kicked Ruri hard in the side, sending her away with a cough and loss of air. She clutched her side as she was powerless to defend herself from a wave of darkness that Yuto sent at her, striking the stomach and blowing her away instantly.

"Ruri!" Yuzu squealed out of concern as the girl hit the ground nearly unconscious, the world going out of focus.

" **NOTHING WILL STOP US! WE WILL BECOME ONE AND REVIVE!"**

The words could be heard coming out of all three boys. But...for some reason, there was fourth booming in the area.

Hiragi Yuzu's heart skipped a beat.

" _ **WE WILL BECOME ONE AND REVIVE!"**_

She could hear it...just faintly, but it was there. That same familiar voice. She turned around, and, walking at a slow limping pace towards them, about quite a fair distance away and yelling at the top of his lungs, was…

"Yuya!"

She instinctively took small steps towards him.

No one stopped her, because no one could. Ruri was could barely move at the moment. Barrett right after his loss to Ruri was immediately sent back to Academia with a look of defeat and disappointment on his face. And everyone else was in a Duel.

" **Now, where was I."** Yuto muttered to himself, turning back to Darkness, who was seething at the fact that he let one of the people who was supposed to be captured get hurt, possibly injured...or worse.

" **Oh right, I remember. ODD EYES PENDULUM DRAGON, ATTACK LUSTFUL TIGER! SPIRAL STRIKE BURST!"** Odd Eyes let out a powerful screech of compliance, jumping into the air with orangish-red fire foaming at its mouth.

He reeled back his head as if he was taking a breath and blew hard, releasing a large stream of fire barreling towards Lustful Tiger.

" **When Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon battles a level 5 or higher Monster, I can double the battle damage! REACTION FORCE!"**

Odd Eyes put even more force and pressure into his attack, eventually overwhelming the Monster and overtaking Lustful Tiger.

Darkness smirked, "It's over! For the sake of myself and the Professor only, your revival shall not commence! I will put an end to this right now!" He thrusted his hand forward, his smirk disappearing, "Its been not nice seeing you again, Zarc, but I'm afraid we have to part ways again! Once per turn, when Clear Darkness: Lustful Tiger battles a Light or Dark Monster with higher Attack Points, the battle damage I would take is split in half between us!"

" **WHAT?! NO! YOU CAN'T!"**

"I. Just. Did. And remember, I still have 4000 life points. You? You only have 1400, fellow Demon. The damage shared between us is going to be...1850!"

" **NOOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!"**

"Goodbye, Zarc!" Darkness grinned as his Monster was finally destroy, causing a large explosion that caused powerful shockwaves that attacked both Yuto and Darkness.

"AHH!" Both yelled out in pain, being blown backwards.

 **Darkness: 4000-2150 LP**

 **Yuto: 1400-0 LP**

Darkness' Monsters disappeared as a result of the end of the Duel. But for some reason, on Yuto's Field, Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion remained.

" **No...My will. My will is stronger than all!"**

"I see. Those dragons. The only reason they're still here is because you're mustering what little power you have to keep them there. With them resting and powerless, you cannot resurrect. You are tenacious, Zarc. But it still ends here. ACK!"

Darkness widened his eyes, a sharp pain in his body as he moved to clutch his chest immediately. He breathed heavily, sweat dropping down his face. He glanced to his left to see more than half of his mask destroyed and split into multiple pieces.

"S-Shit! The mask! My...condition…ARGH!" Darkness fell forwards, trying to use his hands to support themselves, but this failed. As a result, he ended up lying on the ground with little energy to move much. "At this rate, _I'll_ be the one dying...need to get...treated!" With his revealed eye, he glared at the grounded Yuto, who still had a dark flaring around his body.

"Damn it! Well done, Yuto...or should I say, _Zarc_. It seems I will be unable to kill you this time. It seems it will have to wait for another encounter. Let's hope you will provide me with more entertainment next time around..."

Using his draining strength, he clicked a button on his Duel Disk. And soon, Darkness a.k.a Fujisawa Yusuke was transported out of the Synchro Dimension.

And back to Academia.

* * *

 **With Yugo and Rin**

Rin watched as Yuto and Darkness hit the ground. She could see a good portion of Darkness's mask fell off. And for some reason, while the man was able to get back to his feet, he was suddenly clutching his chest and letting out frustrated grunts. He collapsed to the ground and teleported back to Academia.

Whatever had happened in that Duel, something was wrong with him. She needed to get back to Academia quickly…

She took a long stare at the angry and possessed Yugo.

 _On second thought...maybe I should have some more fun...and finish him off._

"What's wrong, Yugo-kun? I thought you were going to beat the crap out of me and get me back. Just too much of a wimp to do it? You can't dare hurt a 'little girl' like me?" She taunted with a mocking chuckle.

" **Me? Scared to hurt a girl? Haha! You couldn't be more wrong. I'm not afraid of killing you, so why would I be afraid of hurting you?"** Yugo questioned with a cocky smirk.

The smile on Rin's face washed away. She gaped at the boy out of confusion. A minute ago he was a blubbering fool. Now...he was willing to do anything he wanted without remorse or hesitation.

 _Why the Hell are the weird things happening when I'm on the battlefield?_ The mind-controlled Rin thought to herself with slight disdain.

"You're bluffing."

" **Trust me, fool. My words are the closest thing to the truth you will ever hear in your worthless life."** Yugo replied scornfully. " **And my actions?** _ **They**_ **are more true, and will show you just how serious I really am."**

Currently, Yugo had Clear Wing on his Field, three Cards in his Hand and no set Cards.

On the other hand, Rin had Windwitch-Crystal Bell (which was equipped with Parasite Fusioner), no set Cards and two Cards currently in her Hand.

Right now, it was Yugo's turn.

 **Rin: 3500 LP**

 **Yugo: 1900 LP**

" **From my Hand, I'll be Summoning Speedroid Razorang from my Hand!"**

 **Razorang: Level 4, 2000 Atk, 0 Def**

" **I use Razorang's effect. Once per turn, I can target a Monster on the Field, by changing this Card to Defense Position, that Monster will lose 300 Attack!"** Yugo explained with a cold tone. " **I will pick Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! And then, I will activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! When a level 5 or higher Monster on the Field is targeted by a Monster effect, I can negate the activation and destroy the activated Monster! Dichroic Mirror!"**

Clear Wing's wings gleamed with green light as rays of light reflected off of them heading straight for Razorang. The Monster was struck by all rays and destroyed.

" **And now…"** Yugo began.

"Clear Wing will gain the Attack of the destroyed Monster until the end of the turn." Rin said with a bored face, having clashed with the effect to many times to count in the past. "You never change, Yugo."

 **Clear Wing: 2500-4500 Atk**

" **Well, I'm sure you won't recognize this,** _ **Rin**_ **! I activate the Magic Card Supreme King's! The targeted Monster—Clear Wing Synchro Dragon—is now allowed to attack twice this turn! Go, my dragon! Attack Windwitch-Crystal Bell! Whirlwind Helldiving Slasher!"** Yugo shouted as Clear Wing flew into the air at high speeds, spinning around and barreling down towards Crystal Bell.

"Hold on one second! If the Monster Parasite Fusioner is equipped to will be destroyed, then I can destroy Parasite Fusioner instead. AHH!" Rin cried out as she was blown back by the shockwaves of the connected attack.

 **Rin: 3500-1800 LP**

"My Crystal Bell will never break! It's going to keep ringing and ringing for all of time to hear! It is an eternal bell!" She declared, recovering from the sudden shock.

" **Have you forgotten? My Monster can attack twice."**

"...Shit!"

" **Clear Wing, attack again and shatter her so-called eternal bell!"**

Clear Wing repeated the same process of attack, ending up crashing into Crystal Bell and destroying her instantly.

Rin was sent back screaming, hitting the ground and making a loud scratching sound as her body slid across.

 **Rin: 1800-100 LP**

From the ground, Rin took the initiative and began speaking, fighting through the burning pain in her back and head. "I activate Crystal Bell's effect on destruction! I can target and Special Summon Windwitch-Winter Bell and a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster from my Graveyard! And since Crystal Bell is no longer on the Field, Clear Wing cannot negate this effect."

Yugo clicked his tongue as he witnessed Rin call out Winter Bell and Parasite Fusioner, the latter immediately creeping backwards at the sight of Yugo.

 **Winter Bell: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def**

 **Parasite Fusioner: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def**

" **I end my turn here. At this moment, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect ends, and her attack now returns to normal."** Yugo droned as Clear Wing let out a long groaning sound.

 **Clear Wing: 4500-2500 Atk**

"My turn, draw!" Rin glanced at her Card and grinned. "The preparations are set. From my Hand, I Summon a second copy of the Tuner Monster Windwitch-Snow Bell!"

 **Snow Bell: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def**

"Following that, I'll be tuning the level 7 Windwitch-Winter Bell with my Snow Bell! Witch of midwinter wind, glide through snow and bring forth a new storm! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Windwitch-Storm Bell!"

 **Storm Bell: Level 8, 2900 Atk, 2450 Def**

Yugo suddenly widened his eyes, " **Oh no! I don't anything left to defend Clear Wing or my life points!"**

"That's correct, Yugo-kun." Rin said with a mocking smile back on her face again. Now, she was back in control. She could go back to being cocky. There was nothing left he could do to delay the inevitable. With a single hand motion, she declared battle against Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, who welcomed the challenge.

The battle was short and merciless. As soon as Clear Wing charged, the dragon froze to death from Storm Bell's fearsome attack.

 **Yugo: 1900-1600 LP**

Yugo let out a cry of pain as his eyes blurred from the ensuing cloud of smoke from his Monster's death. The dark aura around Yugo faded slightly, his eyes dimming just a little bit.

The Synchro Duelist dropped to his knees panting, managing to let out a small, "Rin" between heavy breaths, signifying that he was back to normal for the most part.

"What the hell...huff...huff...just happened? Rin? Rin!" Yugo called out, realizing that he was still in the middle of a Duel. After the smoke cleared, he saw no Monster on his Field and two on Rin's. "Shit! Oh no no no no no no!"

"I activate Parasite Fusioner's effect! By substituting this Card as a Fusion Material, I can conduct a Fusion Summon between this Card and other Monsters. I substitute this Card for Windwitch-Winter Bell!"

"What?!" Yugo exclaimed out of shock. He looked at his Duel Disk and saw Rin's Graveyard, "Rin...you...you have another copy of that Fusion Monster?!"

"Sound of the wind running through a snowfield of midwinter. Become one with the inner voice, and give a more violent echo! Fusion Summon! Appear, bell of crystal echoing solemnly! Wind Witch-Crystal Bell!"

 **Crystal Bell: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2400 Def**

"Rin! No! Don't do it!" Yugo pleaded.

Rin raised her hand, "Windwitch-Crystal Bell…"

"RIN!" She stopped, giving him a look that said she was listening. Yugo's quick breathing halted. Taking one deep breath, he spoke with a soft tone. "Rin...remember who you're fighting. It's me...Yugo! The good for nothing loser you saved. Your kind heart reminded me what it means to be loved...so please, Rin...come back! I don't want to lose you again…"

"Crystal Bell…" She murmured, lowering her arm.

Yugo let out a small sigh of relief as silence once again filled the air.

Except...for three more words.

"Attack Yugo directly!"

Yugo froze as the gust of wind came his way. His entire world paused...completely frozen in orbit. Then suddenly, BOOM! His world was shaken out of orbit…

And he was left on the ground defeated, unable to get up and fight on…

 **Yugo: 1600-0 LP**

* * *

 **Earlier-With O'Brien, Sora, and Reira**

The Duel had started picking up again not long after the group saw the hole in the sky. The Duel concluded right before the sphere surrounding Yuto and Darkness exploded.

Obelisk Force 1 had only one set Card on the Field and three Cards in his Hand.

Reira had two set Cards, Film Magician, and three Cards in his Hand.

Obelisk Force 2 had Ancient Gear Megaton Golem and one set Card on his Field along with a single Card in his Hand.

O'Brien had Volcanic Avenger on his Field and two Cards in his Hand.

Obelisk Force 3 had only a set Card and two Cards in his Hand.

Finally, Sora had Death-Toy Mad Chimera, a stolen Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog, the Continuous Magic Death-Toy Sanctuary activated and finally one Card in his Hand.

Currently, it was Obelisk Force 1's turn.

 **Obelisk Force 1: 3100 LP**

 **Reira: 3400 LP**

 **Obelisk Force 2: 3200 LP**

 **O'Brien: 4000 LP**

 **Obelisk Force 3: 1600 LP**

 **Sora: 2800 LP**

"My turn, draw! Magic Card, activate! Foolish Burial!" Obelisk Force 1 activated his Card by inserting it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "With this, I can send a Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard! I send Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon to my Grave! Next, I activate the Continuous Trap Ancient Gear Reborn! Once per turn, if I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon an Ancient Gear Monster that was sent to the Graveyard this turn and increase its Attack by 200! Rise, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!"

A rumbling sound shook the earth as Ancient Reactor Dragon appeared out of the ground.

 **Reactor Dragon: Level 9: 3000-3200 Atk, 3000 Def**

"Next, from my Hand I'll Summon another copy of Ancient Gear Hound Dog!"

The mechanic dog appeared yet again just like the many others time it has been brought to the Field.

 **Hound Dog: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def**

"This Monster can 600 points of damage to my opponent! So, I will activate it's effect now! Shiunin Sora, take these 600 points of damage!"

The dog barked in response, throwing a fireball out of its mouth towards Sora. It hit him in the leg, causing him to drop to the ground with a grimace.

 **Sora: 2800-2200 LP**

"Time to battle! Go, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon! Attack Death-Toy Mad Chimera!" The mechanic dragon-like creature rushed over to Sora's Field, right for Mad Chimera.

Immediately, Reira came to Sora's rescue, clicking a button on her Duel Disk to reveal a Trap Card.

"I activate the Trap Card Redirect Shutter! When an opponent's Monster battles another Monster, I can change the attack target a Monster I control and they do battle instead!" Reira explained, causing Sora to let out a gasp of shock, prompting the lollipop in his mouth to almost fall out. "Your Monster will now be attacking my Film Magician!"

"Your Film Magician?" Obelisk Force 1 questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Yes. This is because...Film Magician cannot be destroyed in battle! And, when Film Magician battles with another Monster, I can have him gain Attack and Defense equal to the Monster he fights with!"

"Equal?!" The eyes of Obelisk Force 1 widened, "That means only my Monster will be destroyed!"

"Correct!"

 **Film Magician: 0-3200 Atk**

Film Magician clashed with Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon, both floating in one place for quite some time before Reactor Dragon eventually shattered into pieces.

"Nice one, Reira." O'Brien said with a proud smile. The girl had come a long way since they arrived to the Synchro Dimension.

Sora, meanwhile, was gaping with shock at Reira. _This is the same kid who had that boring match against Ayu-chan in the Miami Championship? Fighting in the dimensional war? I don't know what I missed but it seems like Akaba Reiji is one crazy dude._

"I end my turn." Obelisk Force 1 concluded, bringing Sora back to reality.

 _So, Akaba Reira...lets see how you do in your next turn._ Sora thought with an interested look on his face.

"My turn, draw!" Reira looked at the Card she drew, letting out a rare smile. "It's here. Here we go, from my Hand, I Summon C/C Critical Eye!"

 **Critical Eye: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def**

"Now, I'm throwing down the Continuous Magic Montage Fusion! And I use the effect! Once per turn, if the Materials of a Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck are on the Field, then I can Fusion Summon that Monster using those Monsters as Materials! The Materials required are Critical Eye and a single Earth Monster. So, the Monsters used will be C/C Critical Eye and your Ancient Gear Hound Dog!"

"What?!" Sora blurted out loud with slight anger in his voice.

O'Brien looked at Reira with a stern face, trying to analyze what he was doing. It wasn't a mistake, he had to have done that with a reason. There had to be a reason why he didn't choose Megaton Golem as the Material. It's not like he couldn't. Megaton was more powerful but it was still an Earth Monster like Hound Dog.

So why…

"Mechanic Hound! Dwell in this eye and give me your power! Fusion Summon! Level 6! C/C/C Rock Sword the Embodiment of Fused Arms!"

 **Rock Sword: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def**

"Let's battle! Rock Sword, please attack Ancient Gear Megaton Golem!"

"Attacking a higher Attack Monster? No, there has to be more to it." Obelisk Force 2 mumbled as he looked to Reira.

"I activate Rock Sword's effect! When it declares an attack, I can have it gain the total Attack of all other Earth Monsters in the Field until the end of the battle! The only other Earth Monsters here are Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog and _your_ Ancient Gear Megaton Golem!"

The combined Attack of Double Bite Hound Dog and Megaton Golem was 4700. So, Rock Sword will gain 4700 Attack.

 **Rock Sword: 2400-7100 Atk**

"7-7100 Attack!" All three members of the Obelisk Force sputtered out of awe.

The next thing the knew, Rock Sword was thrusted into Megaton Golem, and the Monster blew up as a result. Obelisk Force 2 was sent backwards with a cry, being sent back to Academia in midair, his body being gone right before he hit the ground.

 **Obelisk Force 2: 3200-0 LP**

Since the battle ended, Rock Sword's Attack returned to normal.

 **Rock Sword: 7100-2400 Atk**

Reira concluded her turn with a smile, proud that she was able to take one of the Obelisk Force out. She looked at O'Brien and Sora, the latter of which couldn't help but smile as well.

 _If this is what every member of the Lancers is like, then we definitely have a chance at defeating the majority of the chumps in Academia. With some luck, we could even beat the higher ups like the Doktor and the Professor._ Sora thought to himself as he saw O'Brien begin his turn due to the absence of Obelisk Force #2.

"You've done good, Reira. I'm sure Akaba Reiji would be proud of you." O'Brien assured the girl, knowing how she was like from her mannerisms and some information from Tsukikage. "Let me take it from here, okay? I'll make sure to take both of them out right here!"

"Oh? That's a bold claim, Austin O'Brien." Sora said with a smirk, causing O'Nrien to look at him with a momentary serious look.

However, his look faded, and his lips curved into a smirk.

"Just you watch, Shiunin Sora. I'm going to show you shouldn't cross my path. My turn, draw!" O'Brien ripped off the top Card of his Deck with unwavering conviction. "I activate Volcanic Avenger's effect! Once per turn, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal the level of a Fire Monster in my Grave times 200! I pick the level 4 Volcanic Slicer!" He jabbed a finger towards Obelisk Force 3, signifying that he was his target.

Obelisk Force 3 cried out in pain as he was struck by a fist of fire from Volcanic Avengers straight in the stomach, causing him to double over clutching his abdomen.

 **Obelisk Force 3: 1600-800 LP**

"Battle!" O'Brien looked to Obelisk Force 1, who flinched under his gaze, "My Volcanic Avenger will now attack you directly!"

Volcanic Avenger jumped over to Obelisk Force 1, giving him a hard gut punch as well, dropping him to the ground reeling from the pain.

 **Obelisk Force 2: 3100-600 LP**

"It's over. From my Hand, I activate De-Fusion. I return Volcanic Avenger to my Extra Deck in order to Special Summon his Fusion Materials! Ignite anew! Volcanic Slicer! Volcanic Counter!" O'Brien called out the name of his Monsters as soon as they returned from small flames.

 **Slicer: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1200 Def**

 **Counter: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1300 Def**

O'Brien turned for the final time to face Obelisk Force 3, who was seething with anger at his own helplessness against the enemies.

"Volcanic Slicer, attack him directly!" On O'Brien's command, Volcanic Slicer let out a long breath of fire that burned the body of Obelisk Force 3 along with his life points.

 **Obelisk Force 3: 800-0 LP**

After the flames dissipated, the body could not be found. It was transported back to Academia already.

O'Brien spared his remaining Monster a look, "It seems Volcanic Counter cannot finish you off. Well, I guess I'll have Shiunin Sora do that honors." He closed his eyes, stepping back, ending his turn.

"Alright!" Sora bellowed with a mischievous grin, drawing his Card. He deserted Academia. That was correct. However, that didn't mean he couldn't take enjoyment out of his opponent's suffering, particularly the suffering of the Obelisk Force members and anyone else at Academia for that matter.

He took a step (with Mad Chimera mimicking his movements) towards Obelisk Force 1, who took a step back with a frustrated look on his face.

Sora's grin grew even wider as a snicker escaped his lips.

"I'm gonna have _so_ much fun finishing you off!"

* * *

 **With Yuri and Serena**

Like the other Duels, the bout between Yuri and Serena picked up again right after the sphere around Yuto and Darkness was destroyed.

Serena had Moonlight Panther Dancer with 3300 Attack, a set Card and a face up Continuous Trap called Moonlight Serenade Dance, and two Cards in her Hand.

On the other hand, Yuri had just Summoned Starve Venom Fusion Dragon with one set Card and two Cards in his Hand.

 **Serena: 3400 LP**

 **Yuri: 1600 LP**

It was currently Yuri's turn.

" **Let us carry on, shall we? So that once you're out of the way, we can finally become one!"**

Out of all of the counterparts, Yuri was the closest to his original personality under Berserk Mode. There were some slight changes, but they were so small that the only thing that weirder Serena was the eyes and the dark aura. Oh, and the chanting of becoming one as well.

" **I activate Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's effect! Once per turn, when this Card is Fusion Summoned using only Monsters on the Field, he gains the Attack of all Special Summoned Monsters that you currently control until the end of the turn."** Yuri explained with a smirk as a dark purple aura soon surrounded Starve Venom as well, the dragon letting out a ferocious roar to boot, making it all the more threatening.

 **Starve Venom: 2800-6100 Atk**

" **Now, I'll activate another one of Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's abilities! Once per turn, I can target a level 5 or higher Monster you control. That Monster will have its effects negated and this effect will be replaced with that effect until the end of the turn. Unfortunately, Panther Dancer's effects won't be negated due to her effect but...I still get them, because it doesn't negate** _**my**_ **effect, does it?"**

Starve Venom unleaded his tail, sailing right for Panther Dancer to suck out her effects for himself.

"Panther Dancer won't negate Starve Venom's effect. But this will!" Serena exclaimed as she removed a Card from her Graveyard, "I activate Moonlight Crimson Fox's effect! When a Card or effect is activated that targets a Moonlight Monster I control, I can banish this Card, negate the activation and give us both 1000 life points!"

As she spoke, Crimson Fox was banished, Starve Venom's tail bounced off an invisible force field between him and Panther Dancer, protecting the Moonlight Monster. A light green outline appeared around Serena and Yuri momentarily, showing their healing life points.

 **Serena: 3400-4400 LP**

 **Yuri: 1600-2600 LP**

" **It seems you managed to escape a big loss just now. No matter, I know you won't be able to escape this! Battle! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon! Attack Moonlight Panther Dancer! Starving Toxic Blast!"**

Starve Venom opened one of his three mouths, unleashing a wave of some sort of toxic substance towards Panther Dancer. It stuck to Serena's Monster, dissolving her and destroying her within seconds.

The shockwaves caused by the destruction of her Monster caused Serena to shield herself, letting out a grunt as she did so.

 **Serena: 4400-1600 LP**

" **After that, I will activate my Quick-Play Magic Card Cyclone! With this, I can destroy a Magic or Trap on the Field. Say goodbye to your Moonlight Serenade Dance."** A spinning cyclone shot out of the Magic Card, tumbling towards Serena's Trap Card. It was enveloped by the vortex and destroyed. " **I set a Card and end my turn. At this moment, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's effect ends, and his Attack returns to normal."**

 **Starve Venom: 6100-2800 Atk**

"It's my turn!" Serena announced, drawing her Card. "By paying 800 life points, I am allowed to activate the Magic Card Re-Fusion! I get to Special Summon a Fusion Monster in the Grave and equip it with this Card. Return, Moonlight Panther Dancer!" Serena exclaimed with a dry smile as her Monster returned from the Grave.

 **Serena: 1600-800 LP**

 **Panther Dancer: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2500 Def**

"Now, I reveal my set Card!" Serena spoke, clicking a button on her Duel Disk. "It is the Magic Card named Moonlight Fusion! With this, I can conduct a Fusion Summon from my Hand or Field as Materials! So, I use the Moonlight Panther Dancer on my Field, and the Moonlight Blue Cat and Moonlight White Rabbit in my Hand!"

Serena's desired Monsters swirled in a vortex-like manner as the former member of Academia recited a chant. "Elegant beast dancing on the moonlit wilderness! The cat prowling in azure darkness! The lively white rabbit illuminated by moonlight! Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlight wilderness! Moonlight Lio Dancer!"

Serena clasped her hands together and brought them down with determination as another one of her well-known Fusion Monsters rose to wage battle against Yuri.

 **Lio Dancer: Level 10, 3500 Atk, 3000 Def**

"Moonlight Lio Dancer can attack twice during each Battle Phase! And after her first attack, all Monsters you control are destroyed. Finally, as you should know, Lio Dancer can't be targeted or affected by your Card effects. So, don't even think about using Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's final effect! I'm over such tricks...Yuri."

"Hihihihihi!" Came out of Yuri in the span of a second.

"Huh?"

" **AHAHAHAHA! YES! I'VE DONE IT! I'VE TAKEN FULL CONTROL!"** A booming voice came from Yuri, Yugo, Yuto, and a nearby Yuya who scared the crap out of Yuzu as a result.

"What the…?" Serena looked around to see powerful wisps of dark aura swirling around the area like mist.

" _ **NOW IS THE TIME FOR MY REVIVAL! NOW IS THE TIME WE BECOME ONE!"**_

* * *

 _ **Yuto…**_

" _What the hell is this place?! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! I want to get out of here! I...I...I..I don't know what I'm doing anymore! I don't know what I should do!"_ Yuto, in his dark mindscape of sorts clutched his head, collapsing to his knees out of defeat, his legs hitting water.

The atmosphere changed as soon as they did.

" _ **I wonder what if feels like to be you, Yuto."**_ A deep voice spoke. " _ **Comrades that will soon fall like the rest. Already fallen comrades whose existence will soon be forgotten. No idea where to go in life. Not now. And not after the war. Stuck on a path of Destiny. One that is pointless to fight against. So come...give into your Darkness. You can be relieved of all your pain with Z-ARC."**_

"Z-ARC? But...how will I know that the pain there will be worse?"

" _ **You won't. That's the best part...Yuto. I wouldn't try resisting. Once again, your will has been broken. The other times it was forged from very little fragments. But now...I think the shards are just too small to piece together. With Z-ARC, you'll have a HOME. No ACADEMIA. Living FRIENDS. FAMILY. Everything you ever wanted...So, after hearing my proposition, will you accept Z-ARC, Yuto?"**_

…

…

…

" _Yes...we shall…"_

* * *

 _ **Yuya...**_

" _Where am I now? I thought I was just in the real world! When will I stopped being kicked in the balls! Will...will I ever be able to feel my friends ever again?"_

" _ **Yes. You can feel your friends again, Sakaki Yuya."**_ A deep voice entered his head. " _ **Son of the missing Sakaki Yusho. Separation from his friends. Barely any family. Forced into things that forced him to give up a dream he still longs for deep down. Entertainment Dueling."**_

" _No! Stop! I gave up Entertainment Dueling! I want nothing more to do with it!"_

" _ **You cannot lie to me, Sakaki Yuya. I know everything about you. I've been with you your entire life, after all. You may have quit Entertainment Dueling. But deep down in your heart, the old you wants to take a crack at the world to make people smile."**_

Yuya was silenced at this.

" _ **Don't worry. There is a solution...with Z-ARC."**_

" _Z-ARC?! What is that?!"_

" _ **Your key to eternal salvation. You can have whatever you want with Z-ARC."**_ The voice preached. " _ **Smiling kids. Peace. Friends. No war...and your family can finally be complete as well, Yuya."**_

Yuya widened his eyes as the image of him being with his mother and father together. Taking a picture. Going on picnics. Going to the beach. Having fun…

Together. As if he never left.

He...could have that?

" _ **With this in mind... Sakaki Yuya, will you accept Z-ARC and therefore your greatest desires?"**_

 _ **...**_

 _"Y-Yes..."_

* * *

 _ **Yugo…**_

" _DAMN IT! NO NO NO NO NO! I FUCKED IT ALL UP AGAIN! Why...why do I have to screw up so bad?"_ Yugo whimpered in a sad tone. " _When it matters most...I always mess up…"_

" _ **Poor Yugo. Scarred by his experiences and past mistakes."**_ A deep voice played through his ears.

" _What the helll was that?!"_ Yugo shot his head up, looking around the dark mindscape only to see nothing.

" _ **You cannot see me. But I assure you, I am here, Yugo. I just want to tell you some things. Hopefully, you will make a life-changing decision because of it."**_

" _A life-changing decision? WHAT THE HELL COULD FUCK UP MY LIFE MORE THAN THIS?!"_ Yugo shouted with tears streaming down his face.

" _ **Let's see here. Didn't meet biological parents. No friends in old orphanage. Eventually was shut down by those you hate and was thrown onto the streets with caretaker and other kids as a result. All the others either left, starved, or killed. The latter was true for your caretaker, the only person to show your love. All at age 5. Came into another orphanage and still suffered from solitude for 3 years. Rin approached you at age 8 and your life began to light up."**_

Yugo grit his teeth out of anger as the voice ran down through essentially his entire life story.

" _ **Finally, 6 years later...an agent of Academia came along and took a Rin away from you. You made a promise her to win the Friendship Cup along with her, and now that promise was shattered. Now, you met Rin and tried to keep another promise in bringing her back. But you failed in that too now, didn't you?"**_

" _SHUT UP!"_ Yugo shouted, punching the air repeatedly as hard as he could, trying to make some sort of connection in order to harm the voice as much as he wanted.

" **What if I told you that could all be undone."**

Yugo froze. His fist hung in midair as he processed the information.

" _All be undone? But...that's impossible! All of the things that happened in the past 9 years of my life? Undone? Just like that?!"_

" _ **Yes. As long as you join with Z-ARC, you can have anything you desire. Whether it'd be a family. An alive caretaker. A well-paid home in the Tops or somewhere in between. No, in fact, maybe a world with Tops and Commons. One where you'd stand at the top with the girl you love. With her by your side, ruling over the city. Very minor quarrels. No poverty. Equality between all. No shattered promises between friends. It could all be yours. Just side with Z-ARC."**_

" _Just align myself with...Z-ARC?"_ Yugo muttered to himself, considering the choice.

" _ **Yes. You could have anything you wanted. So, do you join?"**_

With an offer like this with seemingly no drawbacks. The answer was obvious.

" _Yes, I do."_

* * *

 _ **Yuri…**_

Yuri shot open his eyes, letting out a deep breath. He looked around the surrounding area to see a dark, blank mindscape with nothing in it.

" _What the hell is this place? That Yugo idiot's bank account?"_

" _ **Hello, Yuri."**_

" _Wait! So is this Fusion's bank account?"_ Yuri asked, not fazed by the appearance of the sudden deep voice.

" _ **I knew you would be the most interesting counterpart of them all. The other three are too weak and emotional. You on the other hand...are different."**_

" _Yo, Purple Poison Magician."_

" _ **I-what?! You know who I am?"**_ The voice asked, surprised, suddenly becoming more feminine.

" _No. That was just a fucking guess. I know who you are now. Call it a hunch. Though...I didn't expect you to be female. Have we met before?"_ Yuri asked, feeling a bit of familiarity from the voice.

" _ **Enough chit-chat. I assume you know why I'm here."**_

" _Does it have to do with that stupid Darkness thing that possessed me once and is currently possessing me right now?"_ Yuri enquired.

" _ **Yes! Yes it does!"**_ The voice exclaimed with an exasperated tone, suddenly starting to get annoyed with Yuri. " _ **So, I am here to ask if you will join with Z-ARC."**_

" _Who's Z-ARC?"_

" _ **You'll find out later, now shut up and try to act like you're surprised."**_

" _I've been through a lot of shit in my life. Not much 'surprises' me now."_

" _ **I figured. Anyway, back to Z-ARC. If you join up with Z-ARC, you could have everything you ever wanted in life. Everything you were cheated out of. Friends. Family. The acknowledgement of your existence. You name it. You could even take back that one thing you regret."**_

Yuri paused, actually becoming hesitant for once after hearing the last part. He knew what the voice was talking about. And he knew that she wasn't talking about his separation from Serena. It was the one thing in life he truly regretted…

" _ **You could have all of that Yuri, and more."**_ Purple Poison Magician continued. " _ **Just as long as you side with Z-ARC."**_

Yuri smirked, and he began to chuckle.

" _ **What is so funny?"**_

" _Oh nothing."_ Yuri said with an amused smile. " _It's just that I don't desire friends or family anymore. I am amused that you think that I would want any."_

" _ **Your heart seems to-"**_

" _My heart doesn't know shit compared to me. What's in my chest can't compare to what's here."_ Yuri pointed to his head. " _Now, as for your offer. Yes, I will take it. I heard the things that thing outside was saying. And I say I'm enjoying the power spurts he gives. So, for my answer…"_

Yuri closed his eyes.

" _I will gladly accept."_

* * *

 _ **Back to the Real World**_

"KYAAAH!" A female scream, one Serena immediately recognized.

"Yuzu!" She looked to her direction to see her on the ground looking at Yuya, who had his arm at his side as if he smacked her to the ground. He continued to walk past her, and soon, all the other boy's began to do the same.

Ignoring everything, whether they were on the ground, or in a Duel. They walked. Walked towards each other at an equal pace.

Rin, the victor of her Duel looked at her defeated opponent easily rising to his feet, slowly stomping over to his counterparts.

 _ **Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!**_

The pattern continued. Everyone wanted to do something to stop it, but they were too stunned by what was happening to actually act.

Ruri, who was still aching from the blows Yuto gave her, reached out her hand. "YUTO! DON'T GO! THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAVE! EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO PROTECT! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GIVE UP ON THAT NOW?!"

The only response was this by all four Yu-boys.

" _ **Become one. Must become one. WE MUST BECOME ONE!"**_

 _Damn it!_ Sora cursed inwardly. _There must be something I can do to help out right now! I feel so useless! Wait, is that Yuya?_

"Yuya?" O'Brien murmured at the sight of the boy.

"No...Yuya! I don't want to lose you again! I won't!" Yuzu resolved, fighting the pain she received and rising to her feet. Ruri did the same.

After seeing both of her counterparts moving as fast as they could to the four boys slowly approaching each other, Serena decided to pitch in and help.

Rin was the only one who stayed away, for obvious reasons. Frankly, she thought Yuri could handle himself.

The four boys stopped walking. Each so close to each other one could drive a small rhombus in the space between their feet. They all held their arms up in the air to their sides, looking up at the hole in the sky.

The pendant in Yuzu's pocket began to glow a light blue, and in Yuto's Deck Stargazer and Timegazer lit up in the same color as well.

In the air, in the middle of Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. A Card in the same color as Stargazer, Timegazer, and Yuya's pendant appeared.

If one looked closely, one could see the name of the Card.

Astrograph Magician.

" _ **HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**_ All four boys screamed, a respective color enveloping their entire eyes as veins sprouted on their faces and the dark aura surrounding them more rampant and wild as ever.

Completely red eyes for Yuya. Complete blue for Yuto. Complete green for Yugo. And finally completely purple eyes for Yuri.

A dark aura erupted from the ground, covering them all as they recited a chant in unison.

" _ **Astrograph Magician who watches over all of Space and Time! We superimpose our wishes with your profound power!"**_

The light blue hue on the Card faded, and the real spirit of the Monster on the Card appeared. It was a blue-clothed Monster with a staff and light stars ridden on the inside of his cape. He raised his staff into the air, preparing to start a ritual of some sorts.

The four dragons then came over and hovered over their respective owner, howling up at Astrograph Magician as if awaiting the ritual to commence.

"Whatever is happening, we need to stop it!" O'Brien yelled to Sora, who nodded his head in response, both running towards the four boys with Reira following as well.

Fortunately, Ruri, Serena, and Yuzu were already there.

They each grabbed their respective Yu-boy, albeit with Serena grabbing Yugo instead of Yuri.

They all looked at their bracelets as they felt the harsh darkness eat at their clothes and skin. They all let out cries of pain while the Yu-boys all let out triumphant laughs.

" **WE WILL NOW BECOME ONE ONCE AGAIN! BEHOLD! THE ULTIMATE EXISTENCE, THE SUPREME KING DRAGON Z-ARC!"**

Towering over the city came the ghostly image of a large dark dragon. It's wings seemed to be covering itself, as it was only a disgusting crackling color of brown with bright yellow for the eyes. The only other thing was the green lining patches of the dragon's face. The lines went down to the neck, but the rest was covered by wings.

To say that the dragon didn't attract attention was an understatement.

" **I AM THE SUPREME KING DRAGON Z-ARC! YOUR RULER AND OVERSEER! LET ME SHOW YOU A FRACTION OF MY HEAVILY SEVERED POWER!"**

The dragon opened its mouth, charging a green-like energy inside, ready to open fire at a section of the city.

"What the hell is that?!" Multiple Tops and Commons were asking. Most of the Commons were actually thinking that this was some weird trick that the Tops were using to actually be rid of them.

" **THIS! IS TRUE STRENGTH!"** The green energy in the dragon's mouth was launched, zooming to a far section of the city. The ball of energy connected with the ground their and exploded.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Nearby areas could hear many screams and loud bangs at that moment.

Many Tops and Commons alike were killed or injured in the explosion, their bodies and buildings being eradicated instantly and others being immensely damaged beyond repair.

" **JUST WAIT UNTIL I AM FULLY REVIVED FOOLS! THEN I WILL GIVE OUT JUDGEMENT TO THIS PITIFUL WORLD!"**

 _Everyone_ could hear the voice.

Including those in the park.

"NO!" Yuzu shrieked, glancing down at her bracelet, which was still twinkling brightly but not transporting any of the boys like it should. "I won't let anything bad happen anymore! Come on, you stupid thing, work! PLEASE WORK!"

" _ **We will become one."**_

"Why the hell is this thing so useless?!" Serena shouted at her bracelet, wondering why it was only twinkling and not doing anything else.

" _ **We will become one!"**_

Ruri also had her silent pleads for the bracelet to actually do its thing.

" _ **WE WILL BECOME ONE!"**_

As if accepting their needs and desires, the bracelets let out the brightest light yet (including Rin's, which confuzzeled her greatly just like the others).

The open-mouthed smiles on each of the Yu-boys faces immediately faded.

" _ **WHAT?! WHAT IS GOING ON?! YOU! RAY! YOU CONIVING BITCH! I WILL NOT LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! I WILL NOT LET YOU STOP ME AGAIN! I WON'T!"**_

" **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** All four Yu-boys let out strained screams as they experienced the worst pains they have ever felt in their entire life.

A bright light filled the entire park, temporarily blinding everyone there. The screaming of the Yu-boys disappeared. And soon, the Astrograph Magician Card along with the actual Monster did as well.

The big dragon in the sky also faded away. Unfortunately, the damage the dragon performed was still done. It couldn't be undone. The damage was already done. And the people that died are dead forever now.

All four dimensional dragons stopped roaring, and soon they disappeared as well.

When the light in the area cleared, O'Brien, Sora, and Reira looked to where the girls and the Yu-boys were.

To their surprise, they found that almost all of the Yu-boys were gone, and all of the bracelet girls laid out on the ground.

There was _one_ Yu-boy still there. And Yuzu was lying on top of him.

Yuzu slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw tomato red hair.

She screamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She jumped off the body, pulled out her fan and slapped the owner's face instinctively.

"OWW!" The boy cried out loud, letting out a hiss of pain as he stood up from the ground. "What the hell was that?!"

 _THUD!_

The sound of Yuzu's fan hitting the ground.

"Y…"

No. This was too good to be true. Was he actually back?! Like, _truly_ back as his usual happy-go-lucky self.

"Yu...ya…" She croaked.

He turned around and looked at her with a stunned face.

"Yuzu…"

His smile appeared in her head. Yes, he was here. The happy idiot who wanted to make people smile. Sakaki…

"YUYA!"

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **(Once again, I'm too lazy to fill this out at the moment. I don't really want to sine there were a couple of Cards I have to do.)**

* * *

 **AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! FUCK! That was some of the best torture I've ever put myself through.**

 **Welcome back, guys! I am back...for now!**

 **If you're wondering why it took long to update, I actually have some pretty good excuses ready. First, this chapter was god awful long. I wanted the Yuto and Darkness Duel to be as good as possible so I took my time. Then, I had to finish the other three Duels which was longer than I thought.**

 **Also, recently, I had to** _ **temporarily**_ **move countries to visit family for summer vacation. I departed on July 3rd I believe. So, I spent the days before packing and stuff, then I spent a day or two traveling. A couple more days recuperating and spending time with family and obviously since I'm here I hardly have time to write. So, don't worry nothing is actually wrong with me.**

 **I don't know but I might be able to upload 1-2 more chapters by the time the summer's up. If I remember correctly, I did like 8 chapters last year somehow. Well, I'm definitely not going to be able to pull that off, especially when I'm working with a second fanfic this time around.**

 **1 more thing, sometimes I might not be able to actually post the chapter at times I want. For some reason, this site goes poops out once in a while so I cannot access the website sometimes. Hell, for the first week I was here I couldn't on at all.**

 **So, I know I'm going to get comments about how Yuri and Serena's Duel was a No Result. This was for a couple reasons. 1. Serena's not getting captured. If Yuri got transported, then there would be no need for her to lose. It would just add another loss to record (and she doesn't have a big win in this fic yet, kind of my fault). 2. They will Duel again, and there a result will be made. 3. I thought it would be better to have a No Result to show to Yuri that Serena has grown. She just Summoned a big beater, she could have beaten Yuri. In the past, she lost most Duels she's had against him. Sure, he probably doesn't care but it's still there.**

 **Also, about Yuri's interaction with Purple Poison. This is my take on how Yuri would react due to his personality. I do think I stretched the dialogue and made a little bit out of character but I think they do stay true to his nonchalant character and chill even in danger attitude.**

 **Anime100: I said a while ago that Yuya will have his own body back I believe. Well, here we are. I have an idea for a Duel that involves him during the final hours of this arc.**

 **DivadX: I don't think I received any PM. Let me check, I'll PM you if that's not the case.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: I'm glad you care a little bit about Barrett now. I thought I was a little over-the-top with it, but I'm glad you're alright with it. That was the intention of his backstory, to show his motivations and why he is so loyal to Akaba Leo as seen in the anime.**

 **Heart of the mem: I don't know what United Duelist Academy is. Can you explain it please? I'm kind of interested now, lol.**

 **Bridgey: I'll have something special for Barrett when the Lancers get to Academia. I don't remember if it was addressed this chapter, but Barrett was transported back to Academia. If it's not stated what happened to him, then please tell me, I'll fix it as soon as I can.**

 **Wooh! That was a doozy. That's all for this chapter guys, I'm beat!**

 **Anyway, due to the time difference between where I am and where you guys are this chapter might be posted at an awkward time. It's actually 2:48 literally as I'm typing this.**

 **Anyway, that's all for now guys, take care, goodbye!**


	94. To Work Together

Akaba Reiji and Jack Atlas stood in silence in the throne room. Complete. Dead. Silence. They didn't know the cause but for some reason, a humongous dragon suddenly appeared. Then, the beast unleashed a blast that completely destroyed a section of the city.

Jack, who had lived in the City for his entire life...had a small aching feeling in his chest as he witnessed a portion of his home get eradicated within the span of a second.

He didn't know whether or not this dragon had a connection to Academia or not, but whatever the case, the Tops and Commons were certainly going to be riled up even more. The amount of rage and discomfort flowing throughout the City will soon bring an end to the place he called home.

And Jack Atlas was sure as hell not going to let his home die. Even if his home felt like Hell itself sometimes.

"Now I am completely certain." The blond-haired man spoke up, catching Akaba Reiji's stunned attention, "I will do this. However, it won't be for you. It will be for the sake of the City, and the City alone. It _is_ about time I did something about the Tops and Commons problem, regardless of what anyone says."

Behind Jack's back, Akaba Reiji's lips curved into a small smile. While he didn't show it, Reiji actually cared about the state of the City greatly.

Wiping the smile away instantly, Reiji said, "The Tops and Commons will only temporarily cooperate for this. So, for the people of the City to truly unite…"

Jack narrowed his eyes.

"We need to continue the Friendship Cup…"

* * *

 **With Yuzu and the Others**

For Hiragi Yuzu, the happiest day of her life was when she first attended the You Show Duel School.

It was for many reasons:

father could work in an occupation he genuinely enjoyed...

2\. She got to discover Dueling, a hobby that would change her life as she knew it

3\. She got to meet the Sakaki family

Sakaki Yusho and Sakaki Yoko were great, kind individuals who were great parents as well. They treated their child so well…

Oh yeah, and then there was their child.

He seemed a little weird. And the goggles he wore just looked pretty weird in combination with…the hair.

Ah, yes. The hair.

Red and green, just like a tomato.

And then there were the crimson red eyes. The eyes that would soon be a frequent sight in her life. And the same eyes that would sometimes make her heart race...make her quake in fear...or rage out of anger.

She had recently lost those eyes. And her world had become much darker. It was still light, of course, with the shine of her other friends and family. But...without those crimson eyes, the difference in light was just so...noticeable.

And now they were here again. Staring at with wide beads of shock.

She spoke the name of whom the red eyes belonged to…

"Yuya…"

She took a step forward and reached a hand out. Everyone was frozen still as they saw the hand make contact with the side of his head.

Contact…

The thing she was hoping for when she saw him.

It meant he was real. Not a hallucination. No tricks.

This was the true Sakaki Yuya standing in front of him.

The tomato-haired boy grasped the hand on his head with gentle care, tenderly slipping it off and gripping it tightly.

Contact…

The one thing he had been missing for so long. Bound to the earth as a spirit of some sorts, only able to search the memories of his companion and nothing else.

And now...he was free.

"Yuzu...I'm back." A small, genuine smile appeared on his face. It hurt to smile, for some reason. He didn't know why, it just did.

"Yuya…" Tears began to leak down her face as she embraced her 14-year old friend, letting out a loud, "You idiot!"

"Do you know…"

 _Drop._

"Do you know just how worried…"

 _Drop._

"Do you know just how worried I was for you, Yuya! To just disappear like that one day on the Miami Championship! Our home was attacked! Innocent people were Carded for just no reason...attacked by some guy who looked like you! Saved by another! Taken away accidentally from my home because of this stupid trinket! It's just too much! And now, here you are…"

She wiped the tears off her face as she let go of her friend's body. She looked at him with strong eyes. No more tears. Those were the only ones she was going to show.

"I know things have been hard...and I'm sorry for that. But I'm here now, you don't have to worry about me anymore." Yuya spoke with a calm and kind voice.

"Yes...I know." She let out a wide smile towards him. The smile faded as she began to ask Yuya questions. "But Yuya, what happened to you? Yugo told me he beat you that night and you just disappeared afterwards!"

"The fight between me and Yugo was a misunderstanding. I harbor no ill feelings towards him. He thought I was…"

"Yuri." Sora supplied.

"Yuri, yes. He thought I was him. And he won. Yuto was also there that night and for some reason...when he came near me I felt like I was fading. So I gave him Odd Eyes and I was...absorbed into him I guess."

O'Brien closed his eyes. Yes, he remembered that fact. Yuto had revealed this all to the Lancers back in Standard.

Yuya shook his head, "That's not what matters right now! Where is Yuto? And Sora, what are you doing here?" He turned his head towards the cyan-haired boy, who looked away out of discomfort under his gaze.

After a few moments of waiting and persuading from an expectant look from Yuya, Sora spoke.

"I defected from Academia!" He exclaimed with no sign of hesitation. Yuya's jaw dropped slightly out of surprise, but it closed when he began to speak.

"But why? Why now?"

"It's because...I admit, my original mission in Standard was for Academia. But...as I spent more time with you guys...the more I thought of you as my friends. Look, I know you can't believe me...but, here me out! I still believe in Academia's goal for a perfect utopia. However, you, Yuzu, and everyone back at You Show Duel School were my only friends. And I don't want to live in a world where you guys aren't with me!"

"Sora..." Yuya whispered the name of the boy out of surprise. He had never seen Sora get this emotional. The closest was in his Duel with Shun. And that wasn't a very pleasant Duel to say the least. He closed his eyes and smiled, "Well, it's good to have you back."

Sora returned the smile with a very small grateful one of his own.

Yuya became serious once again. "Now, I'll ask again. Where is Yuto?"

"We don't know." Ruri spoke up, catching Yuya's attention. He immediately recognized her from the Friendship Cup. "He just disappeared after you four lookalikes…"

" _ **Astrograph Magician who watches over all of Space and Time! We superimpose our wishes with your profound power!"**_

Ruri silenced herself, not wanting to go into detail about whatever that was.

Unfortunately for her, O'Brien spoke. He began to tell Yuya what had happened with the four boys, talking about how they all gathered up right next to each and other and began reciting the chant for a ritual of some sorts. He also spoke about the appearance of a mysterious dragon that most likely destroyed a portion of the city, much to Yuya's discomfort.

"The dragon called itself...Z-ARC." O'Brien finished his explanation with a grim face.

"Z-ARC?" Yuya repeated, suddenly remembering the conversation with that weird voice.

 _No, Yuya. No one can know about that! If they knew, they would go crazy and things would go straight to Hell!_ Yuya thought to himself.

"I've _never_ heard that name before." Yuya lied.

O'Brien looked at Yuya for a moment before looking away, slightly suspicious of something.

"So…" Ruri started with an awkward and slightly shy tone, "You are _Sakaki_ Yuya, Correct?" She took a deep breath when he gave a nod, "So, I would assume that...because of your surname, that you are the son of Sakaki _Yusho_?"

"My father?!" Yuya blurted out almost immediately. "You've seen him!? You know where he is?!"

"I don't know where he went. He seems to have disappeared but he just appeared one day out of the blue in Heartland three years ago."

" _Three_ years ago he disappeared from Standard and ditched his family!" Yuya spat with an agitated tone. "What the hell was he doing all this time?!"

"Yuya!" Yuzu spoke up. "Please calm down. Your hand is shaking."

She looked down, and so did Yuya. And to his surprise, she was right. His hand was shaking faster than it ever has before. He grabbed his wrist, stopping the quivering immediately.

"I'm sorry. I got carried away there…" Yuya trailed off with an embarrassed face.

O'Brien gave him yet another look, _Something's wrong. He seems completely different from when I first met him…_

"No, I apologize for bringing up your father." Ruri said with a bow, "It was very insensitive of me to speak of something that seems to bother you greatly."

Yuya accepted this apology and moved away from the topic of his dad. He inaudibly cursed under his breath when he remembered something.

"What's wrong?" Yuzu asked out of concern.

"Yuto. When he disappeared, he took my Deck with him…"

* * *

 **In Another Part of the City**

Yuto let out a loud gasp, opening his eyes and grabbing his head. He stood his body upright and immediately let out a cry of pain. There was pain all over his body. He could barely move for some reason. And his head was hurting like a bitch!

He immediately identified his surroundings. He was in some abandoned house, seemingly in hiding from rioting Commons and Academia Duelists on the hunt.

"So you've finally woken up, huh?" A voice asked.

Yuto widened his eyes, his gaze darting around the area to see Kurosaki Shun right next to him with a concerned yet mostly composed look on his face.

"Shun! It's...ugh! It's good to see you…" Yuto groaned, slowly trying to rise to a sitting position, only for Shun to push his body back down.

"Don't push yourself, idiot. You are only going to make the pain worse." A new voice spoke from behind Shun.

The purple hair with strands that looked like tentacles gave away the identity of the voice easily.

"Ryoga!" Yuto mustered a grin, happy to see his friends were safe.

"Oi! Don't forget about me." A man with yellow marks on his face and ginger-colored hair came into view.

"Crow!" Yuto immediately identified the man with a surprised look. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be fighting alongside the rest of the Commons."

"I decided to tag along with you guys. Even though the Tops are here, this place is my home. And I don't wanna see my home fall." Crow explained. "So, here I am helping you guys out."

"Yuto." Shun interjected, making eye contact with his comrade and friend. "What happened to you? We found you collapsed on the ground unconscious!"

"I don't know...I was with Ruri and some other guys…" Shun flinched at the mention of Ruri, but he remained as calm as he could. "I blacked out in the middle of a Duel with some guy from Academia named Darkness."

"Darkness?" Ryoga repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think I lost. And I might have been transported by Yuzu's bracelet again."

"Did you happen to see that huge dragon in the sky?"

"Huge dragon?" Now it was Yuto who had the raised eyebrow, "What in the world are you talking about?"

The sound of Crow punching his open palm could be heard. Speaking through grit teeth, he said, "That damn dragon just appeared and destroyed a section of the city! All the people who were over there are dead now!"

He didn't really care about the Tops, but the deaths of fellow Commons hit him hard like a punch to the gut. He just hoped to God that Frank, Tanner, and Amanda weren't in that area.

"I must have been unconscious for that." Yuto said with narrowed eyes, gathering all his strength to sit up, this time without being pushed back down. He gave Crow a look of empathy, and so did Shun and Ryoga. The three of them already knew what it was like to suddenly lose your people in the blink of an eye, as well as hoping that your loved ones were not one of those people.

"It's okay." Crow held up his hand, giving a half-smile. "I'll just have to move on like the Commons always have."

"Where were you earlier, Yuto?" Shark asked, trying to get back on track.

"At some park."

Shun exchanged glances with his tentacle-haired comrade before looking back at Yuto.

"Don't worry. If it's the same place, then Tsukikage, Sawatari, and Gongenzaka should be on their way."

"You said there were other guys with you, right Yuto?" Crow enquired with a mug of interest.

The Phantom Knights user nodded. "Yeah, O'Brien was there. As I said, Ruri and Yuzu were there as well. Reira and Serena are there also. Yugo was there but I think he was teleported along with me. Finally…" Yuto took a deep breath and exhaled. He was going to regret saying this, he already knew it. "Shiunin Sora was helping us out as well."

"WHAT?!" Shun bursted out of anger. "Yuto! You idiot! You _trusted_ that Fusion scum?! He's Academia, remember! He is the enemy that needs to be eradicated!"

"He's not part of Academia anymore!" Yuto interrupted before Shun could ramble on even further. "He defected."

"Yuto." Ryoga spoke up, "Typically Shun is the one I would be against in arguments between the two of you. However, even I have to ask…" He walked forward and gripped Yuto's collar, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Yuto winced from the pain in his body and Ryoga's loud voice. As he seethed from the pain, he tried to defend himself. "Look. I know this seems crazy, but I saw it in his eyes. He wasn't trying to deceive us, he actually is trying to fight on our side now."

"You saw in his eyes?! _That's_ your excuse?! Yuto, that is the most naive thing I've ever heard!" Shun was on the verge of going on a hunt for Shiunin Sora's head, and it showed from the steam coming out of his ears.

"Guys! Guys!" Crow came to Yuto's rescue, forcing Ryoga's hand off the boy. "Break it up! Yuto's your friend right? Shouldn't you trust your friend's judgement? If he believes that this Sora character isn't on the bad side anymore, then shouldn't you support him?"

"Shut up, Crow!" Kurosaki yelled. "This is _war_! If an enemy suddenly shows up and says 'I'm going to be on your side now', you should _not_ believe them! What Yuto is doing is giving Shiunin Sora a free pass of capturing Ruri and the others!"

A large amount of tension filled the air. Shun seemed like he was going to go mad, Ryoga was trying to hold down his anger but to no avail. Yuto was trying to calm them down, and poor Crow was just dragged into it all for no reason.

"Shun…" Yuto croaked, standing up to his feet despite the throbbing in his body and head. "Please...you have to trust me. You're...my best friend! You can think of me as the worst kind of scum there is...but please, trust Shiunin Sora. Believe me, I hated the guy...I...I still do...but I'm willing to put my hatred aside if he wants to help."

The two Xyz Duelists made eye contact. Shun looked into Yuto's eyes. His hawk eyes met a steel gray. And those eyes were not faltering in the slightest. They had this weird feel to them. It was as if they were saying 'It's alright, just trust me'.

The hawk eyes of Kurosaki Shun retreated, and he admitted defeat. "Fine, I'll give him one chance."

Ryoga let out a gasp of shock, surprised as his friend's decision. He looked at him as if he was crazy for just a moment before closing his eyes as well.

"Alright, I give. But I'll be keeping my eye on that bastard, I hope you know that's Yuto."

Yuto nodded with a grateful smile, "Thank you. And don't worry, if I see a single sign of him still being aligned with Academia, then it's over for him."

Ryoga opened his eyes, turning around to face the Commons street. "If the others are at the park, then we should hurry over to them quickly."

* * *

 **Later-At the Park**

"So...let me get this straight." Sawatari Shinto said with an exasperated tone. He pointed a finger towards Yuya, "You and Yuto were one. I knew that...but now, you somehow split apart."

Yuya nodded.

Tsukikage, Sawatari, and Gongenzaka had arrived to the scene of the park. The first interaction between them and Yuya's group was Gongenzaka running up to Yuya and Yuzu and giving them in the tightest hug ever. Something that probably came close to breaking both of their backs.

After that, it was followed by a stream of questions mostly from Sawatari. It was things like 'Was Ruri any bit of an asshole like her brother' (a question that made the girl _very_ uncomfortable due to the bad reputation of her sibling), 'Are you really Yuya', and also questioning Sora, which fortunately ended on a good note.

Now, they were trying to explain what happened to Yuya _and_ what happened in the park.

"And now, Yuto, Yugo and the other guy were just wisped away by your bracelets?" Sawatari summarized, earning a nod from Ruri, Serena, and Yuzu. He let out a sigh, "Why did I join the Lancers again?"

"To fight Academia, of course." Tsukikage answered.

"That was a rhetorical question."

"That strange phenomenon with Yuya and the others that you talked about...I can't believe it might have a connection to that big dragon." Gongenzaka muttered out of disbelief.

"Guys!" A familiar voice to the Lancers could be heard yelling. Everyone turned to the sound of the voice to see Yuto, who was being supported Crow and Ryoga along with a running overjoyed Shun. While it was Yuto who did the yelling, Shun was doing the running.

Soon, Ruri would be following suit as well, making a mad dash for her brother.

Like everyone expected, the two embraced in a tight loving hug. By the time Yuto and the others got there, Ruri and Shun had separated.

Seeing that he was in no condition for a hug, Ruri spared Yuto by sending him a smile instead. A smile which he returned in a heartbeat.

Yuzu let out a gasp as she looked down at her bracelet, worried that it would transport either Yuya or Yuto. But to her surprise, it didn't even make a twinkle.

 _What the heck is with this thing?_ Yuzu thought with a frown. First it wouldn't teleport Yuri like she wanted earlier, then it transported everyone except Yuya. And now it won't work again.

Yuya beamed towards Yuto, walking forward with a smile on his face. "It's good to see you in the flesh again, Yuto."

"Same here. I don't know how what happened to separate us, but I'm glad you're right here in front of me." Yuto returned with a smile of his own.

"You know, it's weird. I've been stuck with you for so long, yet we've never had a formal greeting before." Yuya stopped walking, and so did Yuto. He slipped his arms off of Ryoga and Crow, no longer needing their support to stand.

"I know." Yuto said, holding his hand out. "Let's change that."

Yuya grasped the hand with a tight grip. "Hello. My name is Sakaki Yuya."

"My name is Yuto. It's nice to finally be able to see you, Sakaki Yuya."

"Likewise."

Everyone stared at the two's greeting with smiles on their faces. Even Sora and Shun couldn't help but grin.

Ruri and Yuzu were smiling the widest as they saw their male counterparts getting along with each other well.

Suddenly, Sora spoke up. "Kurosaki!"

The smile on the Raidraptor user's face faded, and it turned into a scowl. He turned to the cyan-haired boy with a look of slight disgust. "What?"

"Just know that I'm on your side now, for good. No tricks. However, just because I'm on your side, doesn't mean I've stopped hating you!"

Shun narrowed his eyes. To no one's surprise, there was going to be a heavy amount of tension between the members of the group, between Sora and Shun the most. At the moment, most of the hatred currently within the group stemmed from the two of them.

"Just because you claim to have defected from Academia doesn't mean I trust you now. I still hate you as well. And my hatred towards you will never disappear!" Shun raised his voice to make himself more menacing, though he would know that against Sora that wouldn't work. "One piece of advice to keep in mind. If you betray us later down the line, no matter what Yuto or anyone else says, I will personally end you on the spot."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Silence filled the area. The smiles from Yuya and Yuto's interaction were immediately wiped away thanks to Shun and Sora. Fortunately, it seemed that the interaction between the two seem to ease the tension just by a little bit.

"Way to go for ruining the positive mood, Kurosaki." Sawatari mumbled, trying to break the ice.

"If you don't shut up the mood is not the only thing that's going to be ruined!"

"Brother!"

"Enough!" Yuto jumped in, having enough of the fighting. "You guys need to stop! There are still Academia soldiers walking around Carding people and we're standing here bickering without a care in the world!"

Shun and Sawatari's mouths clamped shut from that statement.

Ruri let out a sigh of relief.

Yuto closed his eyes

"Look. Everyone on this team has their differences. We all come from different backgrounds. Some filled with joy and smiles. And some filled with hate and anger. We won't always see eye to eye. It's a given that there will be conflict within the team, but we can't let that jeopardize the entire mission! When it comes down to it, our backgrounds and other people's preconceptions about us don't matter at all!"

Serena and Sora raised their heads, looking at Yuto with a look of awe.

"As long as we are ready to do the right thing, that's all that matters! As I've said, we'll probably fight a lot more in the future, but when push comes to shove...we have to bury the hatchet and work together!"

Shun and Ryoga glanced at Sora for a split second before returning their attention to their fellow Resistance comrade.

"I want to put a stop to Academia's plans just as much as you all want to. However, as much as I hate to admit, I am powerless on my own. We all are!" Yuto told the group with a pained expression on his face. "But if we band together and put aside our differences, we just might stand a chance! We, as a team, could defeat Academia! We just need to work together!"

As he spoke, multiple Ancient Gear Chaos Giants came into view. And soon, more screams could be heard as more people were Carded without remorse.

"Now…" Yuto turned around to see the new arrivals over most of the buildings in the area. "With our combined strength, we can drive Academia out of the Synchro Dimension! Who's with me?!"

After a moment's worth of silence, Shun stepped forward. Everyone, even Yuto, was surprised to see him be the first one to openly accept. Regardless, the others soon followed suit, with Sora eventually being the only one who hadn't said a word.

The former member of Academia looked at the assembled group with a detested look in his eyes. He originally had no hesitation for joining them, but looking at them now, he really began to question himself.

What right did he have to suddenly turn around and join these guys?

 _They_ actually had good excuses for why they fight. For the most part, Sora thought his motive was selfish. And for that reason, along with his former allegiance with Academia, Sora felt like he did not deserve to fight alongside the Lancers.

He turned his head to see Yuya, Yuzu, and even Gongenzaka looking at him with hopeful and expectant faces.

They were willing to look past his past transgressions and lies...they were willing to accept him as a friend again.

Sora shut his eyes and turned away, trying not to show the small tear that formed in his eye. He was not about to show the damn Xyz Duelists that he was showing being touched by Yuya and his friends.

"Fine. I guess I'll join the stupid Lancers. So, what's the plan?"

* * *

 **Later-Commons Area-Slums**

A revolution.

That's what it was supposed to be for the Commons.

Change...

They would overthrow the Tops with their sheer numbers and work to create an equal society where the term 'Tops' and 'Commons' wouldn't exist. No child would have to walk the streets begging for food or sitting in the cold waiting for the end to come.

They would live happy for once. True happiness was within their grasp. Smiles were going to be put on the Commons faces when they finally got to live the lives they were robbed of.

A revolution, it was supposed to be. Not a slaughter fest.

"AHHHH!"

"TONY!" Shinji cried out as his friend was thrown to the ground, his life points dropping to 0.

It was all just a blur to Shinji Weber. One minute, the Commons were rioting, and then the next these men in uniforms just showed up turning people into _Cards_! It didn't matter if they were Tops _or_ Commons, _everyone_ was a target in their eyes.

And now it was over for him too.

"I end my turn." The second Academia Duelist said with a grin, an Ancient Gear Ultimate Hound Dog hovering above him and another one over his partner. "It's the end of the line for you now. Draw your last Card so you can be finished off!"

 _Damn it!_ Shinji thought through grit teeth. Only 400 life points, no Monsters on his Field and his Hand had nothing to help him. As far as he was concerned, nothing in his Deck could help him win.

It's over…

"Hold on just a second!" A voice called out.

Two people intruded in on the Duel, an Action Field appearing due to one's presence. Shinji immediately saw the two behind the Academia Duelists with several other people lurking behind _them_ , along with an oddly familiar d-wheel coated in white and an assortment of some other colors being lumbered by a big brute.

He could immediately identify the two new arrivals.

"Crow...and Kurosaki Shun!"

Both Crow and Shun took the intrusion damage. They took without flinching even once.

 **Shun: 4000-2000 LP**

 **Crow: 4000-2000 LP**

"Let's make this quick!" Crow said to Kurosaki, not taking his eyes off Shinji.

"Understood." Shun responded, "My turn, draw!"

A few minutes passed by, and soon the two Academia Duelists were lying on the ground defeated.

Shinji was left in awe as the Action Field disappeared. Shun and Crow had effortlessly defeated them both, where he and Tony had gotten their asses kicked.

The two Academia Duelists were teleported back as a result of their defeat.

"Hey, Shinji! Are you alright?" Crow asked out of concern as he ran towards his friend, holding out his hand.

Shinji remained silent. A dejected look appeared in his eyes as he glanced to the left.

"Damn it, Shinji! Say something!" Crow yelled, but he went silent as soon as he saw what Shinji was staring at.

Tony's Card.

Crow's hands fell to his side, they swung in midair momentarily before tightening into fists. The Black Feather user grit his teeth, either from anger or from the pain of his nails digging into his skin.

"Academia...those bastards!"

"Crow…" Shinji whispered, covering his face with his hands. "I am _so_ sorry...first Damon disappeared in the Friendship Cup, and now Tony is gone too. Many of our other friends were beaten as well and Carded without remorse…"

"Shinji! Please, don't worry about it! It wasn't your fault! We can still avenge the fall of our friends! They might be gone now, but their spirit lives on with us! By defeating Academia, we could maybe try to find a way to reverse the Carding!" Crow suggested, trying to give Shinji a more positive outlook after his most recent loss.

"Shinji." Yuto spoke up. "I know how much you and the other Commons hate the Tops, but in order for this equal society you dream of to exist, you guys need to join forces!"

"Join forces?" Shinji growled, clearly disgusted at hearing the words. "That's the last thing I want! It's true that I want a just and equal society, but it cannot be born through holding hands with the Tops! They are selfish pieces of shit who only care about their own protection! The moment Academia is driven out, they'll turn around and put down us Commons! Fight together?! Join forces?! Don't make me laugh! Such a thing will _never_ happen between the Tops and Commons!"

"Shinji! Just hold up a-"

"And now, a special announcement from the King, Jack Atlas!" The voice of Melissa Claire rang throughout every corner of the city, catching the attention of the Lancers and cutting off Crow.

A giant hologram of Jack appeared over in different parts of the city for all to see.

This sudden appearance caused the _rioting_ Commons to pause what they were doing. They began yelling and cursing at the holograms of Jack. Other Commons were either running or trying to fight members of Academia.

Regardless of what anyone was doing, Jack began to speak.

"People of our City, Tops and Commons alike: We are currently under circumstances that require your combined assistance. As I speak, our City is being taken over by members of an organization called Academia!"

"Academia?" Multiple Tops and Commons repeated with awestricken looks on their mugs.

"I assure you, these visitors do not come in peace! Currently, there is a group of Duelists called the Lancers that are this place's only hope for survival! However, if the Tops and Commons band together, we can change that!"

"Tops and Commons... _band together?_ " Shinji seethed, his teeth looking like they could pop out of his mouth at any moment from how hard he was clenching them. "There is no way in Hell I'm standing for that! WHAT KIND OF PERSON DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, JACK ATLAS?! I KNOW YOUR TRICKS, THIS IS THE TOPS MEANS OF DECEPTION TO GET THE COMMONS TO DO THE DIRTY WORK FOR THEM!"

After his declaration, more Commons began to join in, some yelling about how the Tops ruined everything in their life and others saying how they would rather die than work with the Tops.

"How disgusting." A member of the Tops said. "The Commons always did act like a bunch of hogs."

"SILENCE!" Every hologram of Jack Atlas boomed, silencing almost everyone. "Look at this!"

The holograms of Jack disappeared, and in their place were large rectangular screens. Soon, actual video footage appeared in a split screen.

On one screen were multiple Commons who were cornered by Academia soldiers. On the other screen it was essentially the same except with Tops instead of a Commons.

Every soldier walked forward as the victims each let out a loud scream, much to the horror of the Tops and Commons watching. The Academia soldiers grinned and laughed as they pressed a button on their Duel Disk, releasing a purple light and enveloping the citizens, causing their bodies to disappear.

After a few moments, in the bodies place, Cards fell to the ground.

Cards that had the victim's faces on them.

" _This_ will happen to every single one of us if you do not get over this petty hatred for each and other and at least work together to drive out this threat! We may have lost many people, but the combined population of the Tops and Commons are without a doubt still more than half a billion! This is an amount Academia could only dream of! For years the Tops and Commons have clashed with one another! Now, it is time for that fighting to stop! Think about what is at stake here! Our lives! Our home! Our City! I have had no say in the affairs of the Tops and Commons, despite being the King! But now, we as a City can make a difference together!"

Every citizen in the City widened their eyes, they stared at the holograms closest to them, watching with anticipation. And for the raging Commons, their anger was quelled temporarily, they were now interested to hear what Jack Atlas had to say.

"Tops! Commons! It is time for our long history of fighting to stop! If you fight each other over trivial matters such as social class, then we're only making Academia's mission be easier! If you wish to continue such foolishness, then you all can die knowing that we never stood a chance! If you wish to live, then join forces for this one time! And remember this, we're not fighting for ourselves anymore! If you fight with me, you bear the burden of carrying more than one life on your shoulders! And for all of those who hate me so much, if you have any problems then you can come try and face me head to head after this battle is over!"

Silence filled the entire City. Even the rioting Commons were speechless. The result of Jack Atlas' speech was completely unknown.

Would the Tops and Commons accept it and work together for the first time in who knows how long? Or will they just continue to rip each other to shreds with Academia gradually destroying them as time went by?

All of a sudden, a single voice in different locations of the City spoke up.

They all said, "I BELIEVE IN THE KING!"

Immediately after, many in the Tops and Commons began to cheer in agreement, with only a select few remaining silent.

"YEAH! LETS TAKE THE FUCKING CITY BACK!"

"I can't believe it…" Shinji murmured.

"THIS IS OUR HOME! WE'RE NOT ABOUT TO LOSE IT TO SOME FREAKS IN UNIFORM!"

"The Commons are going through with this…"

"WE WILL NOT LET THEM DESTROY OUR CITY!"

"The Tops too…" Gongenzaka said with a small smile.

"They have all experienced the pain of fear, loss, and hopelessness. Now, Akaba Reiji and Jack Atlas are using that pain to rally everyone together." Ryoga spoke his thoughts out loud. "Shinji Weber. Whether you like it or not, there are Tops who are willing to work together with the Commons. Now, you can either mope about the social system and die alone...or you can get over it and take a step forward into the future! It's your choice..."

From his throne room, Jack smirked. He glanced at Reiji, who was wearing a small smile himself. His face turned serious once again as he returned his attention to the people of the City.

"All those who choose to stand and fight together...FOLLOW ME!"

A loud eruption of cheers erupted from many different locations in the City. Most of these people were those who supported Jack Atlas. However, there were _some_ , who were just fighting for change to occur.

Obviously, there were some Commons who wanted to continue with the riot, but they could not do such a thing with small, scattered numbers. Especially with most of the City working together against Academia. They too wanted to get rid of Academia, as much as they hated the Tops.

In fact, the Tops and Commons _still_ hated each other. However, some form each side were willing to put aside their differences and hatred and try to work together to defeat this new threat.

"Everyone!" The holograms of Jack Atlas spoke, "If you wish to fight Academia, then you must be prepared to Duel your hearts out! I will be fighting alongside you! Remember, never fight alone! Always be with _someone_!"

Immediately after that statement, many scavenged their surrounding areas for a Duel Disk. Most already had a Deck, but they just didn't have a Duel Disk on them due to the Friendship Cup.

Speaking of which…

"I have one final announcement to make. After this battle finishes, the Friendship Cup will continue with the final three matches! The second semifinal match, the finals match between the winners of the semifinals! And then, the grand finale! The winner of the finals against me, the King! As of now, throwing the losers into the underground is strictly forbidden. Now with that said, I only have one more thing to say. For those who side with me, welcome to the fight! And I hope that through this battle change will be caused throughout the City. I will see you all on the battlefield!"

After that, the holograms disappeared. And, with the morale of the Tops and Commons boosted, they rallied into multiple groups and prepared to fight off those from Academia.

"I...I cannot believe _any_ of this! The Tops will just stab us in the back when the enemy is dealt with!" Shinji argued with a loud tone, hoping someone other than the Lancers would hear him. "Doesn't anyone remember what they did?! They threw us in prison for no reason! Treated us like dirt! Beat us up! Took our little amounts of money! And they-And they…"

Shinji shut his as he punched the ground with all his might. "DAMN IT! You mean to tell me...that after all of that suffering...after being stuck in Hell for so long...You mean to tell me that I have to work with the people who put me in Hell for my entire life! Working together isn't going to make up for all of the years I've lost in Hell! NOTHING WILL!"

Crow looked at his friend with a sad face as he could see tears forming at the edges of his eyes, trying desperately not to trickle down.

"Shinji...I know how you feel." Crow placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, causing him to tense up and give his attention, "I still can't forgive the Tops for what they've done. But...I want to create a better future for Amanda, Frank, and Tanner to live in. And a future born out of blood...I can't stand for that! I don't want to kill anyone! And I don't want the kids living in a future where they know that I had to stain my hands with the blood of others to get them there…"

Shinji sighed.

He mentioned the kids.

For both of them, yes even Shinji, the kids were always a kick to the balls. They had a very soft spot for the three. So if anyone mentioned something along the lines of 'its for the sake of the kids', then they would agree to almost anything.

And this time...Shinji really hated how much he cared for the kids.

"Shinji Weber." This time, it was Yuto who spoke up. "I know how you feel. I bear hatred towards Shiunin Sora for siding with Academia and deceiving those in Standard." He turned his head towards the boy, who looked away out of guilt. "However, he has recently decided to change his ways, and while I still hate him and Academia more than anything, I am willing to put off my hatred and work with him."

"Academia ruined _our_ lives in a single moment." Shun interjected, trying to support Yuto and Crow. "One moment everything was normal. And then the next...gone...all gone…and it was because of _Academia_!" His tone turned to one of distaste as he sent Sora a look of disdain, the latter not even wanting to face him because he already knew how he would look at him. "And yet...to take down Academia, I have chosen to work with Shiunin Sora so no one else has to suffer from Academia's wrath like us from Heartland."

Shinji's eyes which were just riddled with hate, were now just filled with nothing.

Hatred had been part of Shinji for so long. And now he was being told to get rid of it…

Without hatred, Shinji Weber was nothing. Without hatred, just what _was_ Shinji Weber.

Absolutely. Nothing.

Or so he thought…

He reminisced on memories with Crow and the three kids he looked after…

The smiles of joy that would appear on their faces when he would visit…

The laughs during dinner when Tanner would do something stupid with his food…

The moments where each one of them would talk about a bright future…

Future.

He had made a vow to the kids one time.

He said that no matter what happened, he would make sure that he would get them a future where they could be _truly_ happy.

A future where they would be treated with some sort of respect by others,

A future where they could be successful…

It was one of the main things that motivated him to carry out with the revolution to change the ways of the City.

But...now that he thought about it…

The kids would never look at him with the same smiles ever again if he carried out this revolution.

Did he hate the Tops? Yes, he would always hate the Tops.

Did he hate hate the Tops more than he loved the kids…

 _No._

Crow and the kids are his entire world. And he's not going to damage that world over a revolution. The price would be too high…

Shinji scanned through all of the Lancers, lingering on Shiunin Sora, Yuto, Shun, and Crow in particular. With a defeated look, he said, "Fine. I guess I'll have to give up on this revolution...as much as I don't want to, there is just no point anymore. If there is some sort of chance in the change you guys believe in, then I guess I'll stick around to see if it works. And if it doesn't...then you can be damn sure I'll go back to my old views!"

Crow let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Shinji."

He held out his hand, pulling Shinji up when he accepted it.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Sora looked back to face the others. He had just remembered something that seemed off to him.

"Roget didn't try to say anything…"

Had Sora mentioned anyone else, they all would have just ignored it and not give it another thought. But some members of the Lancers actually paled as they realized that _Roget_ didn't try to interrupt Jack or anything. He didn't try to take advantage of the situation at all like one would expect out of someone like him.

"Now that you mention it...other than confronting me personally, Roget hasn't made any moves at all." Yuto said, unaware of the chip that was in his helmet when he Dueled Ruri.

"Sergey attacked me!" Yuzu suddenly exclaimed, prompting everyone to look at her, with anger flashing in Yuya and Gongenzaka's eyes the most. A small blush appeared on Yuzu's face at the sudden attention. "I faced him in a Duel...and I managed to turn it into my favor using Pendulum…" Yuya, Yuto, Serena, and Sora gasped out of shock. "But as I was about to finish him off, he ran away…"

O'Brien narrowed his eyes. "Something is off about this. Roget _must_ be planning something!"

"I agree." Sora said, twisting the lollipop on his mouth with his right hand as he cupped his elbow in his left hand. "The members of Security are acting weird…"

Sawatari raised an eyebrow out of disbelief. The members of Security were acting weird? They were just following orders. Nothing seemed to be _weird_ about them at all.

"I don't know...but as time goes on, I've been noticing that the guys from Security were hunching over slightly. They seem to be completely emotionless. I have a feeling Roget is messing with their minds..." Sora clarified, tapping his foot to try and get his brain working.

"Emotionless?" Ryoga murmured out of confusion. "Nothing seemed wrong with them when I Dueled them at the council."

"But think about it!" Sora pressed on. "Wasn't their sudden appearance weird? If Roget did something to them, maybe it didn't take full effect!"

He paused to let the Lancers ponder on this for a moment. He began to pace rapidly, a full idea coming into his head.

"I can't say for sure, but my gut tells me something weird is going on!"

Tsukikage stepped forward, his expression unreadable partly thanks to his mask.

"Perhaps Shiunin Sora is onto something. I suggest we split up into groups once again. O'Brien, Ryoga, and Shiunin Sora, may you three please accompany me. I believe that we have some inspecting to do at the Security Bureau."

The three in question nodded their heads, all of them stealing a glance at each other.

"I'm going too." Yuya suddenly said, surprising many in the group.

"But Yuya you-" Yuzu started, only to be cut off by her friend raising his hand to silence her.

"I'll be fine, Yuzu. Don't worry. I'm not going to die again! That's a promise." Yuya gave her an assuring smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Gongenzaka crossed his arms. "If Yuya is confident that he will be fine, then as his friend, I will support his decision."

"Gongenzaka!" Yuya looked to his other childhood friend with a grateful smile.

Tsukikage gazed into Yuya's crimson eyes. The son of Sakaki Yusho stared back, meeting his gaze with determined eyes. He didn't know what it was, but something in Yuya's eyes made Tsukikage believe that he would be alright.

The Fuuma ninja closed his eyes. "Very well. Sakaki Yuya, you may join us in our investigation."

Yuya gave him a nod of thanks before turning to his Xyz counterpart. With a hint of red appearing on his cheeks out of embarrassment, he spoke.

"Sorry, Yuto. But if I'm going to go with these guys, I kind of need to…"

Yuto raised his hand with a smile, causing his counterpart to close his jaw.

"No worries, Yuya. I was planning on returning it to you anyway." The Xyz Duelist reached for his Deck, removing it from his Duel Disk and scanning through it. He took out every Card that originally belonged to Yuya, including the ones from the Extra Deck. He then reached over to his holster and pulled out the remainder of Yuya's Cards. He merged the stacks together to form a single Deck. "Take it back. It is yours after all."

Yuya gladly took back his Deck, looking through and giving his counterpart a smile as he did so. "Thank you for looking after it, Yuto." Worry suddenly flashed through his eyes when he realized that he was missing something.

Fortunately for him, someone seemed to be listening to his thoughts.

"Take it…" Shinji Weber said, reluctantly holding out his Duel Disk. "I have a spare, but I'll be expecting that one back as soon as you're done with it."

Yuya looked at the device in his hand with a surprised look. He had never expected something like this to happen with a stranger he had just met. Regardless of weird it was, the Entermate user grasped the Disk with a tight grip.

"Thank you. You won't regret this!"

Shinji immediately turned around and grunted. "Come on. We have Academia soldiers to face, don't we?"

Tsukikage nodded out of agreement. "Sakaki Yuya, Shiunin Sora, Kamishiro Ryoga, Austin O'Brien, with me. While the City fights back against Academia, we will make our way over to the Security building as stated. Chances are Roger has retreated or he's set up a trap for us. Be prepared for anyrhing!"

He got no objections from any of the four.

"Kurosaki Shun." The ninja called out, turning to said boy. "Always be with another person. Don't let your hatred for Academia cloud your judgement and make you do something rash. We want as many people to survive this battle as possible, and staying in numbers will make it harder for our numbers to be chipped down."

Shun closed his eyes as a response, letting out a 'hmph' sound. "I make no promises…"

"With that, I only have one more thing to say. Hiragi Yuzu, Serena, Kurosaki Ruri, never abandon the group. Stick with the others and your safety will be guaranteed." Tsukikage said, accepting their nods as them taking the advice, albeit Serena was slightly reluctant to bob her head. "Good. With that over with, we can do our duty!"

He turned around and began walking away, with Yuya, Sora, O'Brien, and Ryoga following him.

"Oi! Oi! Aren't you going to say 'good luck' or something like that? Give a little support for your teammates!" Sawatari yelled with an aggravated tone.

Tsukikage stopped, not bothering to even turn around. "I _would_ wish you good luck, but then luck won't help you." And with that, he continued walking along with the other four, leaving a dumbfounded Sawatari to his thoughts.

"God damn!" Sawatari cursed out loud as soon as Tsukikage and the others are out of earshot. "What's his problem? He's always so serious! And he sticks so close to the rules of his damn clan with no faith in anyone else at all!"

"Sawatari." Gongenzaka spoke with a stoic face, setting his eyes on the blond. "There is nothing wrong with honoring the rules of one's family, and bring serious is sometimes a trait people can't help, it's part of how they were brought up."

"That doesn't excuse him not wishing us good luck though!" Shingo rebutted with a scoff.

"He didn't wish you luck because he was being cold. He didn't wish you luck because he knew that you didn't need it." Gongenzaka said, much to Sawatari's confusion.

"And what do you mean by that?"

Gongenzaka looked at the retreating forms of Tsukikage, Yuya, and the other three.

"It takes a while to realize, but Tsukikage believes in all of us as comrades. He believes that we are all strong, and that he can trust in us should the time arises. I, the man Gongenzaka, can respect a man like him."

As Sawatari pondered this, Shun raised his arm, letting out a bold declaration with no hesitation.

"This is our chance to defeat Academia! We will not let bring this town to ruins like in Heartland! I swear I will _not_ allow that to happen!"

"Brother…" Ruri murmured with a smile. It seemed the man who cared about others was still a part of Kurosaki Shun, no matter how scarred he was.

"What are we waiting for?" Serena spoke up for the first time. " _We_ are ready but are the rest of you?"

Gongenzaka held out a fist. "Of course! I will give it my all in this fight!"

"I can't let Yuya and Gongenzaka outdo me." Yuzu said with a rare cocky smirk that would be seen more frequently before her very first encounter with Yuto in Standard.

"I will do my best!" Ruri exclaimed with a fire burning in her eyes. Shun sighed out of exasperation, not arguing because he already knew how an argument would turn out.

"This is our home." Crow started, speaking for both Shinji and himself. "For our Carded comrades and the people we have to protect, there is no way we're going to let Academia get away with this attack!"

"I will fight too!" Reira squeaked out. It was a quiet voice, but nonetheless it held a wall of confidence in tone.

Sawatari sighed, playing with a strand of his hair. "I _guess_ I'll fight. After all, I know that you guys wouldn't last a _second_ without me!"

Yuto didn't speak. He didn't _need_ to say anything to give out his answer because anyone who knew well enough would already know the answer.

With everyone's decision set, it was Sawatari who decided to have the last word.

"Alright! Let's go kick Academia's ass!"

* * *

 **1-2 Hours Later**

"PEOPLE OF THE CITY! ACADEMIA HAS BEEN DEFEATED! THE FIGHT IS OVER!" The booming voice of Jack Atlas announced, ringing through the ears of everyone in the City.

The battle had been won.

The combined effort of the Lancers along with the mostly unified Tops and a Commons brought a fall to Academia. All defeated members returned to the Fusion Dimension wallowing in failure.

The battle was quick, as the amount of soldiers sent into the Synchro Dimension was not _nearly_ as much as the amount sent into the Xyz Dimension.

Everything was good…

However, Jack Atlas knew that the peace would not last for long. He was no idiot.

Academia would most likely return at some point. On top of that the rift between the Tops and Commons was still large. A fight could easily break out within a day or less. Hell, Jack estimated that if nothing was done, then the peace would be destroyed in the span of a few minutes.

And _that_ was being generous.

Due to the state of the City, the best action currently was to continue the Friendship Cup, as Jack had said in his announcement.

Now, a few members of the Lancers (with the exception of Yuto who was escorted to wait for the finals match after the semifinals) were sitting in a special area in the stadium, looking up at a screen taken from the view of Melissa Claire's cameraman on a helicopter that would display the two Duelists in question as they would ride throughout the city.

Members of the Lancers that were not there were stood guard throughout the Cith to make sure no riot started.

Due to the battle, Yuya, Tsukikage, Sora, O'Brien, and Ryoga had to postpone their visit to the Security building. Currently, with all of the danger ceasing, they were now beginning to infiltrate the building.

Back to the stadium where the Friendship Cup was taking place, the voice of Melissa Claire finally spoke through a microphone, ringing throughout the City.

"Hello, everyone! Melissa Claire is here and back at it again! Due to the word of the King, the Friendship Cup will now be continuing to reach its conclusion! Now, after much waiting, we are now ready to pick it up again! So, without further ado, let's get the contestants of the second semifinal match onto the ground! The current matchup is…"

Two holograms of two figures appeared. One slim and one bulky form towered over the stadium, facing each other to reveal themselves to the audience.

"Yugo vs Sergey Volkov!"

"Yugo and Sergey?!" Yuto cried out of shock from his private waiting area as he watched the monstrous d-wheel of Sergey ride onto the Field.

In another section of the City with Gongenzaka, Yuzu widened her eyes as she heard the name of the man. She could have sworn that he had nearly blown a fuse in their Duel. Was he _truly_ in any condition to Duel?

Back to Sergey, there was noticeably no sign of a white d-wheel following him.

"Where's Yugo?" Sawatari—who was left watching the match in the stadium—muttered out of confusion.

After a few moments, boos began to be heard coming from the audience at the sight of no Yugo. Their anger was slowly building up and soon that anger began to remind them of their hatred for their opposite social classes.

Before that could escalate, Melissa intervened quickly.

"Well!" She exclaimed with a chuckle. "It seems that Yugo will not be able to join us. Perhaps…Perhaps he got Carded?" Melissa gulped, her usual cheerful demeanor taking a dip into fear.

"STOP RIGHT THERE! I'M NOT DOWN FOR THE COUNT!"

The next thing everyone knew, the iconic white d-wheel of Yugo drove in onto the scene, skidding to a halt right next to Yugo.

His visor slid up as he glared at Sergey with flaming eyes of hot red anger and teeth clenched so hard that they could pop.

"I made a promise...to win!"

* * *

 **Finally done. Sorry that this chapter took so long, I just wanted to rest my brain from the last chapter so I could think of the scenarios in this chapter.**

 **Then, on top of that, my uncle was sick and he literally lost his memory temporarily somehow. Fortunately, he's alright now and his memory is back intact, but I was really shaken up about that for a couple of days. Furthermore, I came down with food poisoning twice over the past couple of days but everything's good now for the most part.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will briefly (probably not briefly) reveal how Yugo got his d-wheel back and how he responded to the dark spirit that spoke to him.**

 **Also next chapter: Yugo and Sergey initiate their Duel. Yes, the result will be next chapter, I'm not splitting it.**

 **So, Yuya is fully back in action. He will have a single Duel as the Synchro Dimension arc closes, and I think you guys will be surprised who the opponent will be. What he is doing** _ **will**_ **be covered, do not fret.**

 **Now...where is Aki? Don't worry, she will make her reappearance soon, and she will have have another Duel in this arc.**

 **This will most certainly be the last chapter before I return to my home in America. My next chapter for this fic might be on like August 30th or early September give or take.**

 **Heart of the mem: I checked that fic out, its a nice read. I haven't read any fanfiction on the Arc-V fandom in a very long time (probably been at least half a year), and I've forgotten about most of the fanfictions I've read.**

 **7roop3r: I know I implied that Purple Poison talked to all of the boys due to the fact that her name was revealed to only Yuri, but that's not the case. She only talked to Yuri. But yes, I'm trying to have the four dragon magician things play a small role in this fic.**

 **Skadi: You're right on the money. White Wing is female while Black Fang and Double Iris are both male. And obviously, as revealed, Purple Poison is female.**

 **Neonecrodarkman: Haha, I didn't think it would make anyone laugh. I put the line there because it seemed in character for Yuri to be so casual about something like that.**

 **Bridgey: Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it. Also, about Rin's Synchro Monster, she's already used it once before in her Duel against Yuri in chapter 12 (I don't blame you for forgetting, it's hard enough to keep track of all the Cards created).**

 **DivadX: Lmao, I'm gonna need** _ **lots of good**_ **luck for the rest of the Synchro arc!**

 **Well, that's all for this chapter. No Duel this time because there were so many before and there is going to be a lot in the following chapters.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


	95. The Embodiment of Dreams

**Earlier**

He didn't know much of what happened. He didn't _have_ any time to sit down and think about the recent events that have transpired.

Yugo was in a tight spot.

He had just been transported from the park to some random location in the City; he didn't even have his d-wheel with him.

So here he was, just wandering throughout the City, making sure to avoid any herds of Commons and Academia soldiers. When suddenly, he heard this speech by Jack Atlas that almost completely dissolved the hate between the Tops and Commons.

He also mentioned that the Friendship Cup was continuing.

After the speech, Yugo found himself letting out a blood-curling shout as he punched a nearby wall as hard as he could. Severe pain ran throughout his knuckles, he found himself hissing, but it wasn't from the pain.

It was from that announcement.

Not that he was complaining that the Tops and Commons were together now. No, he was very happy about that. He'd be jumping for joy if it wasn't about some other things.

Rin wasn't here for it to happen. And it only happened because Academia attacked.

It took the Synchro Dimension...being attacked by the equivalent to terrorists in order for the City to be reunited in a flawed, easily fragile manner.

It was fragile because no matter what happened...the hate was still there.

It would always be there.

And it would stay in the City throughout the hearts of boys and men for the rest of eternity. And it certainly wouldn't disappear from Yugo, who had suffered so much in his childhood because of it.

It won't work out…

The world didn't work like that. _Humans_ were not like that. They could forgive...not forget. However, in this case, _forgiving_ was out of the question. The suffering had gone on for far too long.

And not only was this 'peace' between Tops and Commons easily breakable, but Rin wasn't even here to see it, even if it was something Yugo couldn't accept.

As much as he hated this untrue peace, he at least wanted Rin to feel what it was like for the people to be one. _She_ deserved that right.

But it was taken away from her...by Academia…

If only...if only a truly just society was possible. And if only Rin were able to see it…

" _ **As long as you join with Z-ARC, you can have anything you desire."**_

Yugo recalled the words of the mysterious voice with a concentrated expression, clearly in deep thought.

Anything he desired…

A just society...with all citizens living as one with no internal struggling. A perfect, grateful society. And Yugo himself would watch over it all, keeping the society balanced so no one would have to feel the pain of poverty and loneliness ever again.

And Rin...she would stand alongside him, carving out a better future with their own hands.

In this reality, it wasn't possible.

But in another…

It could be.

Yugo smiled at the very thought.

Yes, he would abandon this reality for the sake of a perfect one. He would be forever forgotten by this world, but remembered and looked up to in a new one. This reality could deal with their own problems without him. It's not like he had any part to play. Plus, him disappearing wouldn't hurt anyone. Actually, nothing would change for anyone except Yugo.

He could get what he want, and the world could keep going on without him.

He just needed to be with Z-ARC. Whatever that was…

He didn't even get that much information. How was he supposed to be with Z-ARC? How would this work? Was there some sort of special condition?

" **The Friendship Cup…"**

Yugo let out a long gasp as the chilling words played in his head. He didn't need to look around because he already knew no one was in the area. That weird spirit was talking to him once again just like last time.

" **You must continue to participate...in the Friendship Cu** _ **p."**_

" _Why?"_ Yugo conversed with the voice mentally.

" **It is your mission. You have aligned yourself with Z-ARC, but at the moment he is currently inactive."**

" _Inactive? If that's the case, then if I have to make him active why am I going to the Friendship Cup?"_ Yugo asked with a skeptical tone, still not fully trusting the mysterious voice despite it offering what he truly wanted in life.

" **Let's just day that in order to reactivate Z-ARC, we need to build up...something that we will call Duel Energy. This Duel Energy can be built up extraordinarily by beating your other counterparts at least once."** The voice explained.

" _My other counterparts?"_ Yugo froze for a moment before realization flashed through his eyes. " _You don't mean…"_

" **Yes. The ones named Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri are your targets. You have already beaten the one called Yuya, but the Duel Energy you have received from him has been...lost, or rather...stolen."**

" _Stolen?"_ Yugo repeated out of confusion. " _By who?"_

" **By the Xyz counterpart Yuto. As long as they are in the vicinity, your counterparts can steal Duel Energy that you would gain from a victory. The boy named Yuto has done just that when you defeated Sakaki Yuya. As a result, you must defeat him once again."**

Yugo's eyes filled with doubt, guilt, and hesitation immediately.

Defeat Yuya? Again?

Yuya was alive?

Normally, Yugo would have been jumping for joy at the news. He already knew how happy Yuzu would be if she found out. But at the same time, he had to defeat him again? In the same manner he did the last time?

" _But Yuya...I...I almost killed him last time!"_

" **A necessary sacrifice for your goals!"** The voice immediately interjected with an authoritative tone, silencing Yugo. " **I know how you are...Yugo. Deep down, you are very ambitious. You would stop at nothing to complete your goals, no matter how impossible they may seem, and no matter what the obstacles you have to go through are. You would want to win no matter what!** _ **This**_ **is how you truly are. Tell me, would you really let someone get in the way of your dreams? Your dreams of being at the** _ **top**_ **?! Your dreams of being the strongest?"**

Yugo's eyes momentarily flashed a light green as he felt flashes of a perfect world in his head in attempt to coax him into the plan.

" **Besides. It matters not. In your perfect world, Sakaki Yuya and the others will be alive and well. They will understand why you would have to go through such drastic measures."**

" _I know, but…"_ Yugo held his head as fresh memories of his time with Rin flooded in.

No. This wasn't right.

He just couldn't make a jump like this. He had to keep trying for this reality. If not for himself, then for Rin. The _real_ Rin.

And besides, the more he thought about it, he only accepted the decision immediately because of the desperate and vulnerable position he was in. There was no other reason other than the _potential_ outcome. Just like the so-called alliance between Tops and Commons, this offer from the mysterious spirit was still risky anyway. There wasn't a 100% chance it would work out well.

And despite Yugo's good luck in Duels, he did not want to try and gamble at the moment.

" _Sorry, spirit. It looks like I won't be following your orders for quite a while."_ Yugo smiled, satisfied with the conclusion he had come up with. After a few moments of silence, the dark, deep voice chuckled, fully understanding Yugo's intentions.

" **Very well, you fool. Give this world one last chance. However, it doesn't matter in the end. One way or another you will come flocking back to me whether you like it or not. When you find yourself cornered and in need of power...I will be there..."**

As the chilling presence of the voice soon dissipated, Yugo let out a relieved sigh.

He glanced up at the sky with a small smile on his face. "Rin...I'm not giving up just yet! I'll fulfill our dream _and_ rescue you while I'm at it! If I have to rid the futures of others just to achieve the world I desire, then I'll sure as hell won't do it." Yugo declared, throwing a closed fist up towards the sky, making a vow to his childhood friend.

He still hated how things were turning out. However, if he didn't _try_ it out then he would not be moving forward anytime soon. To lead his life into a brighter future, he needed to move past his grudges and accept what has been given to him, even if he didn't like it.

He'd give it _one_ shot. But, if it didn't seem to work out, then it was back to siding with Z-ARC again. That was the only other option. And to do that he had to essentially kill his other counterparts. While he did want to beat Yuri's face into the ground, he _didn't_ want to hurt Yuto and Yuya in the slightest.

Still, the spirit did get one thing right.

He had to go to the Friendship Cup. He still had a promise to keep, even if Rin was not in the right state of mind.

Win the Friendship Cup. That's all he had to do…

Now all he needed was his d-wheel.

 _Wait…_

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY D-WHEEL!"

* * *

 **Now**

"I made a promise...to win!"

Yugo glared at the man he was facing.

Sergey Volkov was a huge bulking man who had completely destroyed his previous opponents, one of them being Enjoy Chojiro. As Tokumatsu had been someone that Yugo had admired greatly in the past, the brutal beating he underwent in that shook him to the core and made his blood boil. As of right now, he wanted nothing more than to tear Sergey apart limb from limb in this Duel.

Yugo turned away, looking down at his d-wheel. He had ran into Sawatari not that long ago. He was with the big person (Gongenzaka) who had been defeated by Sergey in the first round. Fortunately, the big guy was alright and even better, he had Yugo's d-wheel with him.

He took it from them gratefully, making sure to give Gongenzaka a vow between men. A vow where he declared that he would payback for Gongenzaka and Tokumatsu on Sergey in their match.

"Well then, due to the surprise arrival of Yugo, it seems that the match will continue on!" Melissa Claire exclaimed with a cheer as she was actually a little relieved that Yugo was alright. "Once again, the match is Yugo vs Sergey Volkov! Now, let's not waste anymore time, shall we? Action Field, on!" Melissa raised her hand, snapping her fingers as she did so. "Field Magic, Crossover Accel!"

 _Duel Mode, on! Auto-pilot! Standby!_

Above Yugo and Sergey, a sphere with Action Cards jammed inside appeared suddenly.

Both Duelists sat on their Duelists, ready to slam on their engines once they saw the clock materialize with 3.0 listed on the timer. After a few moments, the timer started, beginning to count down to mark the beginning of the Duel.

3…

Yugo leaned forward, making his d-wheel's engine let out a loud purr.

2…

Sergey grinned. He could already feel the strong aura coming off this Duelist. His existence would become even more beautiful no matter what happened in this Duel.

"Riding Duel!"

1…

A single thought played in both player's minds as the clock ticked down to 0 in slow motion for them.

 _I will win!_

0.

"Acceleration!" Melissa said loudly as a horn blared at that moment, prompting Yugo and Sergey to hit their engines, taking off with a burst of wind.

" **DUEL!"** Yugo and Sergey shouted with an invigorated tone.

Yugo leaned forward, pushing down on the accelerator as hard as he could for maximum speed in an attempt to get the first move. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sergey's larger and more bulky d-wheel came rushing by.

Yugo flinched at the sudden wind that blew at his face. He widened his eyes when he saw how fast Sergey was going. There was no way he was going to be able to catch up.

And that proved to be true, as Sergey easily made it out of the stadium, with Yugo following six seconds later. The follower of Roget slowed down so his opponent could catch up. When he did, the large cyborg immediately placed a hand on one of his Cards.

"I activate the Magic Card Fusion! Using this Card, I fuse together Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper and Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker!" Sergey exclaimed sending the three Cards to the Graveyard as the two declared Monsters appeared above him, swirling towards each other in a vortex-like manner. "He who is bound by the earth. Become one with the prisoner that walks the path of execution and become a gigantic beast that delivers out punishment! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken!"

 **Geo Kraken: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 1200 Def**

"I set this Card and end my turn." Sergey said, placing the Card into his Magic and Trap Card Zone with a blank stare towards his opponent.

Yugo narrowed his eyes, grabbing a Card from the top of his Deck and placing it in his Hand in response to the stare, signifying the start of his turn.

 _Geo Kraken..._ Yugo thought to himself, analyzing the Fusion Monster on Sergey's Field. _A Monster who's effect is that once during his turn can destroy a Monster or Monsters I have Special Summoned, followed by dealing 800 damage for each one destroyed...and with Line Walker in the Graveyard…_

Yugo felt his stomach twist with anger as he remembered Tokumatsu falling victim to the same two Card combo.

If he fell victim to the same combo, there was _no_ way he was going to be able to avenge the violent losses of Gongenzaka and Enjoy Chojiro.

And there was no way he was going to fail at that self-made vow. Not this time.

"Here we go! From my Hand, I'll be Normal Summoning the Tuner Monster Speedroid OMK Gum!" Yugo declared as his white mechanical Monster appeared to the Field with a flash of white.

 **OMK Gum: Level 1, 0 Atk, 800 Def**

"Next, when I control a Wind-Attribute Monster, I can Special Summon this Monster from my Hand! Appear, Speedroid Taketonborg!" A robotic figure with big blue eyes appeared to the Field, throwing its hand to the side as it readied for battle.

 **Taketonborg: Level 3, 600 Atk, 1200 Def**

Yugo held out two fingers directed towards the Monsters on his side of the Field. "I tune the level 3 Speedroid Taketonborg with the level 1 Speedroid OMK Gum!"

Taketonborg's form disappeared, being replaced by threes white stars. Similarly, OMK Gum's physical body changed. However, this time, it was changed into a large green ring.

The three stars hovered through the green ring as Yugo began to recite a chant.

"Thousand-face possessing shadow of the labyrinth. With that sharp blade, render chaotic darkness!" Yugo rushed forward with a burst of speed, a flash of bright light surging through the ring and enveloping the stars as the figure of Yugo's Monster appeared as a silhouette "Synchro Summon! Level 4, High-Speedroid Sharp Sword Revolt Rip Zuru!"

 **Rip Zuru: Level 4, 1300 Atk, 1600 Def**

"I activate OMK Gum's effect!" Yugo reacted, placing a hand on the top of his Deck. "When this Card is used as Synchro Material for the Summon of a Synchro Monster, I get to draw a Card and send it to the Graveyard! If the sent Card is a Monster, then Rip Zuru will gain Attack equal to the sent Monster's Attack!"

"You are...gambling. How ugly and insightful." Was all that Sergey said in response to this.

Yugo let out an irritated growl, jabbing a finger towards his mechanical opponent with ferocity. "The only thing that's ugly and insightful here is your face! Besides, life isn't a straight path. Sometimes, you'll have no choice _but_ to gamble to stay on this unwinding road." Yugo closed his eyes. "Everyone does whatever they can to stay on the right road. I am just doing what I can, by keeping a promise I made to a friend!"

The banana-haired boy shot open his eyes.

"Let's do this. Don't fail me, Deck! DRAW!" Yugo roared, ripping the top Card off the Deck as he took a long glance at it. Eventually, his long face turned into a joyful expression and one of satisfaction. "I got it!" Yugo held out the Card to his enemy before moving his hand to the Graveyard slot, placing the Card inside as he did so. "I drew Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke, who has 1200 Attack! Therefore, Rip Zuru will gain 1200 Attack!"

 **Rip Zuru: 1300-2500 Atk**

"Now, I know you're thinking. 'That Monster is too weak to stand up against my Geo Kraken'. Well, think again!" Yugo called out with a smirk. "When Rip Zuru battles with a Special Summoned Monster you control, he can once per turn double his Attack until the battle ends!"

Sergey remained unfazed by this comment.

Yugo thrusted his fist forward, "Go, Rip Zuru! Attack Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken!" The Synchro Monster leaped into the air in a spinning manner towards the Earthbound Fusion.

Yugo glanced at his Monster, grinning when he saw the green aura surrounding him.

 **Rip Zuru: 2500-5000 Atk**

Sergey zoomed forward, making a mad 'ride' for an Action Card he had spotted ahead of him. Reaching out, he grabbed the Card, holding it between two fingers.

"Action Magic, High Dive! I can target a faceup Monster on the Field, that Monster gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!"

 **Geo Kraken: 2800-3800 Atk**

"Not yet!" Sergey yelled, pushing forward even to grab yet another Action Card, activating it right before the Attack connected. Rip Zuru's spinning came to an abrupt halt as the Monster performed an axe-heel kick to Geo Graken's head, destroying the Monster.

Sergey made no reaction to the particles of his own Monster raining down on him as his life points decreased, marking the first damage dealt in the Duel.

Yugo glanced on Sergey's Field to see an Action Card Selection of Miracles in playm which allowed him to either prevent Monsters from being destroyed for a battle or to halve damage for a battle. Judging from how much Sergey's life points went down and the absences of Geo Kraken, it was obvious which option Sergey had chosen.

Halve the battle damage...

 **Sergey: 4000-3400 LP**

"Hell yeah!" Sawatari cried out with a gleeful grin on his face, watching the Duel on a screen broadcasting the Duel. "Go on, Yugo! Beat the shit out of this tin can and send him back to the scrap heap!"

Despite not being able to hear the boy's words, Yugo shared his feeling completely. Sergey was a weapon. One of mass destruction. If left alone, he would only bring more harm to others. Perhaps there was some point in the past where he could have been helped, but it was too late now.

He had to be put down.

"I set two Cards and end my turn." Yugo concluded, two set Cards materializing in front of him as he spoke.

Right after his set Cards disappeared, Sergey's own set Card opened, revealing itself to be a Trap Card named Earthbound Sealed Revival.

"At the end of a turn where an Earthbound Fusion or Synchro Monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon the destroyed Monster with half its Attack and its effect negated along with the Materials used to Summon said Monster." As he spoke, a large circular portal opened in front of him. Geo Kraken flew out alongside Ground Keeper and Line Walker, all in Attack Position.

 **Geo Kraken: 2800-1400 Atk**

 **Ground Keeper: Level 1, 300 Atk, 300 Def**

 **Line Walker: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1100 Def**

"My turn!" Sergey exclaimed, drawing a Card from his Deck. "First, I will be switching Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper to Defense Position. Now, if there is a Field Magic Card on the Field, then I will be allowed to Special Summon this Card from my Hand!"

"Field Magic…" Yugo murmured with a confused tone before his eyes lit up with fear. "Don't tell me…"

"Crossover Accel counts as a Field Magic Card. Therefore, the conditions for this Monster's effect are met. Now, come to the Field, Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper!"

 **Stone Sweeper: Level 5, 1600 Atk, 1600 Def**

"How smart!" Melissa complimented with a grin. "Without even activating one of his own, Sergey utilizes the Crossover Accel in play to bring a Monster of his own to the Field! This one move could open the doors to many possibilities!"

Sergey glanced at the final Card in his Hand. He slid into his Magic and Trap Card Zone, activating it. The Card was revealed to be a Magic Card with the name of Earthbound Packed Howl.

Placing a hand on the top of his Deck, Sergey began to explain the effect. "This Card states that I can draw a Card for every Earthbound Monster on my Field. However, I have to pay 100 life points for each Card I draw. Currently, I control four Earthbound Monsters…"

"And therefore, you can draw four Cards with the cost of 400 life points." Yugo finished, biting down on his lip out of irritation.

The only response Yugo got from Sergey was the small twitch of his head followed by the quiet yet quick drawing of four Cards.

 **Sergey: 3400-3000 LP**

The mechanical man gazed at his new Cards for a few moments before letting out a malicious smile, uttering a single word.

"Beautiful."

It might have just been Yugo, but he could have sworn he had saw Sergey's left eye glow a brighter red light than it usually does. All of a sudden, he could feel intense malice in the air, with a vicious longing for one's suffering, and also…

Victory.

"Must win...for Roget-sama." Sergey murmured under his breath in a demented and loony tone. "I must win! I tune the level 5 Earthbound Stone Sweeper with the level 3 Earthbound Line Walker! Revive from the depths of the earth. Gigantic beast with wings of punishment! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon!"

In a bright green flash of light, Sergey's Monster appeared, letting out a powerful shriek that sent chills down the spines of anybody who heard it.

 **Geo Gryphon: Level 8, 2500 Atk, 1500 Def**

"Both of these Monsters will not remain on the Field much longer. " Sergey said, sliding a Card into his Duel Disk as a Magic Card appeared in front of him. "I activate the Magic Card Earthbound Fusion! When there is a Field Magic Card on the Field. I am allowed to Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters I control as Materials."

As he spoke, both Geo Gryphon and Geo Kraken lit up with green and purple lights respectively, indicating that the two were the Materials that Sergey had chosen. The next thing Yugo knew, he was watching in awe at the Synchro and Fusion Monsters swirling toward each other to unite.

"Demon that rules over the sky! Demon that clings to the sea! Become one and rise from the depths of the earth! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Earthbound Geo Servant Geo Glasya-Labolas!"

With strong gusts of wind lashing out at anything in the area, Glasya-Labolas appeared to the Field, the patterns on its body glowing blood red as soon as the summoned beast awakened.

 **Glasya-Labolas: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 1800 Def**

Yugo sharpened his gaze towards the Monster. He had only _seen_ Sergey Duel with this Earthbound Deck once, so he had no idea what this big Monster did. However, there must have been a reason for Sergey to Summon this thing. The man was deranged and crazy, not stupid.

 _I need to be careful…_ The banana-haired boy thought to himself, curling his fingers and slowly breathing to relieve the stress he was feeling at the moment.

"Come on, now!" Yugo called out furiously with vigor. "Hurry it up so I can beat the crap outta ya!"

"Battle." Sergey declared, ignoring Yugo's statement. "Earthbound Servant Geo Glasya-Labolas, destroy Rip Zuru!" The Duelist Crusher's Monster flapped its wings, letting out a screech as it rushed towards Yugo's Rip Zuru.

"Have you forgotten?" Yugo enquired with a concentrated expression, "I said that Rip Zuru can double his own Attack while battling with another Monster!"

"You are wrong."

"What'd you say?!" Yugo blurted out with an irritated tone.

"I said, you are wrong. When Glasya-Labolas battles a Fusion or Synchro Monster while there is a face-up Field Magic Card on the Field, the Attack of your Monster is automatically reduced to 0!"

"What?!" Yugo exclaimed with shocked features on his face. He looked to his Monster to see a yellow aura around Rip Zuru. The next thing he knew, his Synchro Monster had slumped forward, his Attack having been reduced to 0.

 **Rip Zuru: 2500-0 Atk**

"Shit!" Yugo cursed right as Glasya-Labolas crashed its own body into Rip Zuru, destroying the Speedroid Monster on impact instantly. The particles of the destroyed Monster rained down on Yugo, causing him to let out a cry of pain, almost falling off the d-wheel as a result of the attack.

 **Yugo: 4000-1000 LP**

"I set this Card and end my turn." Sergey said, a triumphant smile adorning the features on his face.

"My turn, draw!" Yugo's greenish-blue eyes scanned his Cards for a solution. The corners of his lips curved upward into a smile. Sergey had said that his Glasya-Labolas _automatically_ reduced the opponent's Monster's Attack to 0. He never said he had a choice in the matter.

He could use this to his advantage.

Yugo picked up the Card on the very left of his Hand, the very first Card he drew from the Deck in this Duel. He held up the Card as high as one would if they had just received a trophy, showing Sergey just what he had in store for him.

"I Summon this Monster from my Hand! Come to me, Speedroid Bamboo Horse!"

The white and blue-bodied mechanical horse appeared to the Field, letting out a metallic whine. The same kind of sound a real horse would make once in a while.

 **Bamboo Horse: Level 4, 1100 Atk, 1100 Def**

"I use Bamboo Horse's effect," As he spoke, Yugo grabbed another Card that was lying in his Hand. "I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Speedroid Monster from my Hand, however then all Speedroid Monsters will not be able to attack for the rest of this turn. However, in this case, the price is well worth it! So, come forth, a second copy of Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!"

 **Daiko Duke: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 600 Def**

"Level 4 and 3 Monsters? 4 plus 3 equals 7, so that means…" Melissa looked off into the distance from her helicopter, thinking to both of Yugo's previous Duels and remembering the beautiful dragon with clear wings and bright yellow eyes.

"It's time for you to come and help, Clear Wing!" Yugo shouted, slightly grimacing at a light pain that responded to his exclamation. He ignored it and continued with his move, thinking the pain was just his body's fatigue from all of the events from today getting to him. "I tune the level 4 Speedroid Bamboo Horse with the level 3 Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!"

Upon Yugo's announcement, Daiko Duke's figure disappeared with three green rings taking its place. On the other hand, Bamboo Horse turned into four lights that traveled through the middle of the rings like usual.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo's eyes flashed green as his ace joined the battle, flying alongside her owner with a ferocious roar escaping her lips.

 **Clear Wing: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def**

Yugo gripped his forehead, his hand stopping at his helmet. He gagged as suddenly he felt his stomach lurch. The unsettling feeling in his abdomen puzzled him greatly. He looked at Sergey, suspecting that the tyrant must have done something, only to remember that a similar sensation hit him when he was Dueling Rin.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Yugo thought with a pained expression on his face. For the past couple of minutes, he could feel a slight pain in his body, but it wasn't anything he couldn't endure. Now, the pain was excruciating. It hurt to even keep his body straight.

He willed himself to glance at Clear Wing, feeling a more feral and animalistic vibe coming from the dragon as opposed to not feeling anything at all.

It seems Clear Wing wanted to fight.

Then fight he would do.

"Battle!" Yugo declared with Clear Wing letting out a roar to follow. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Earthbound Servant Geo Glasya-Labolas!"

Clear Wing flew into the air, her wings glowed a light green as she stared down her prey with hungry eyes.

Yugo grinned, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Last time I checked, you don't get to choose whether your Monster can use its effect, right?" Despite the silence he received from Sergey in return, Yugo continued, already knowing the answer. "That means you can't stop me from activating Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! When a level 5 or higher Monster activated its effect, Clear Wing can negate that eff3ct and destroy the Monster! Dichroic Mirror!"

Clear Wing released a wall of green light from her wings in an attempt to destroy Glasya-Labolas.

"An impressive strategy from Yugo!" Melissa complimented with a smile, remembering Clear Wing's additional effect. "If this goes through, then this game will go to Yugo's!"

As if done to merely disprove her point, Sergey then clicked a button on his Duel Disk, revealing a Magic Card in his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card De-Fusion. I can send a Fusion Monster back to the Extra Deck and Special Summon the Materials used to Summon the Monster back to the Field from the Graveyard."

In an instant, Glasya-Labolas disappeared from the Field, avoiding destruction by a mere second. Then in its place, floating up from a purple portal opening from the ground, was Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken and Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon.

"Damn it!" Yugo cursed under his breath, looking up to his ace, wiping a drop of sweat off his face. "Come back, Clear Wing!"

With an irritated snarl, Clear Wing obeyed her master and sunk down to his side in a very protective manner. Yugo took note of this odd behavior but chose to put his concentration on the opponent in front of him.

With a frustrated sigh, Yugo said, "I end my turn." He made a turn with d-wheel, following Sergey as they continued riding through the lanes of the City.

"My turn!" Sergey drew his Card with great force. After looking at the Card, he smirked. "Beautiful! I Summon Earthbound Prisoner Symbol Seer!"

A humanoid dog-like Monster with dark green nazca line-like patterns appeared to the Field, releasing a growl upon entry.

 **Symbol Seer: Level 4, 800 Atk, 1000 Def**

"I will not activate the effect of Symbol Seer! Once per turn, I can conduct a Fusion Summon using this Card and other Earthbound Monsters on my Field as Materials. I choose to fuse this Card with Geo Kraken and Geo Gryphon!"

"What? All three Monsters at once!" Yugo's jaw dropped out of shock, witnessing the three chosen Monster rise into the air, beginning to swirl towards each other, with Sergey quietly reciting a chant, gradually getting louder as he went along.

"Prisoner that watches over the march of time. Become one with the gigantic beasts of punishment and unleash your concealed power! Fusion Summon!" Sergey shouted, his red eye glowed even more now as his movements began to become more erratic. "Come forth! Level 10! Earthbound Servant Geo Phoenix!"

Yugo braced himself, feeling a harsh breeze blowing at his body, nearly throwing him off course and off his d-wheel. He leaned forward, gripping the handlebars tightly so he wouldn't fall. He looked only to see Sergey staring right at him.

The man was literally riding his d-wheel in reverse _just_ so he could see the look on Yugo's face at the moment.

And the uncharacteristically wide grin which showed blunt and dirty teeth sent Yugo into a temporary state of shock.

 **Geo Phoenix: Level 10, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

Yugo fully glanced up at the Monster, only to return to his shocked state once he saw the immense size of the Monster. It was so big it gave off a large shadow that enveloped both Sergey and Yugo himself.

Sergey's new Monster itself was shaped like an actual phoenix, with the body being completely black aside from the nazca pattern which was colored with a yellowish-gold hue.

"What the hell is that?" Yuto, who was watching the Duel in his waiting room, wondered out loud with no one there to answer him except his own assumptions.

"Beautiful! The dying bird that had been blown to ashes now has its fire rekindled by the works of time." Sergey muttered under his breath with a malicious smirk. His face turned serious once again as he made his move. Throwing his giant fist forward, Sergey shouted at the top of his lungs, beginning to get more invigorated as the match went on. "Battle! Geo Phoenix, attack and destroy Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The Fusion Monster let out an ear-piercing screech, rising to the air with a blaze of dark fire surrounding it. The Monster dove downwards toward Clear Wing.

Yugo looked ahead with sharp eyes, his gaze coming across an Action Card on the ground that Sergey had drove past. Punching his accelerator, Yugo's d-wheel picked up speed so he could reach the Card before the attack connected.

Yugo leaned forward, reaching out with his hand in an attempt to snatch the Card. The fruits of her attempt proved to be successful, as the next thing he knew Yugo was sliding an Action Card into his Magic and Trap Card Zone.

"Action Magic, Nanana!" He activated with a grin on his face. "With this, a Monster I control gains 700 Attack for this turn!"

 **Clear Wing: 2500-3200 Atk**

"Now, Clear Wing, attack back! Whirlwind Helldiving Slasher!"

At that moment, Clear Wing took off, darting to the left. Geo Phoenix zipped right past Yugo, torrents of wind slashing at his face as proof of the Earthbound's failed assault.

Clear Wing rose into the air, rotating at high speeds like a table top before curving downwards to attack Sergey's Monster.

"I will not let you!" Sergey roared, his d-wheel rushing forward as the eyes of the behemoth laid his eyes upon an oncoming Action Card. He reached his hand out, grabbing the Card with very little difficulty. Yugo didn't even try to stop because he knew he would fail. With a triumphant smirk at the sight of the Action Card, Sergey activated it. "Action Magic, Flame Chain! Using this, I can cut down your Monster's Attack by 400!"

"No!" Yugo cried out as an orange aura surrounded Clear Wing's spinning form.

 **Clear Wing: 3200-2800 Atk**

"Geo Phoenix, slay Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" The Monster obeyed, cranking its head upwards towards Clear Wing. The Earthbound Servant let out another screech and launched upward in a flamy explosion that nearly shook Yugo off his d-wheel.

 _Crap!_ Yugo thought to himself as he glanced at his set Cards. _I didn't want to use this yet, but it seems I have no choice!_

With the stroke of his hand, Yugo activated one of the concealed Cards.

"Continuous Trap, activate! Follow Wing! Using this Card, I target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"What?!" Sergey bellowed out of frustration as the attack continued.

Yugo thrusted his fist forward with vigor, "The Monster equipped with Follow Wing cannot be destroyed in battle!" The two behemoths clashed releasing powerful shockwaves. The Monsters separated, with Clear Wing tumbling in the air due to losing the struggle. Multiple particles were shaved off the dragon, going on to rain down on Yugo instead.

 **Yugo: 1000-800 LP**

"I set a Card and end my turn." Sergey concluded, slamming a fist onto his d-wheel with grit teeth. "Un...persiste…"

"What'd you say?" Yugo asked with a demanding tone after hearing Sergey mumble, unable to hear the words clearly.

"Unbeautifully persistent!" Sergey repeated, yelling out loud this time with anger present on his face. "Why are you so persistent?! Why don't you just lay down and GIVE UP!?"

"Because I made a promise!"

"A promise?" Sergey mused out of confusion with widened eyes, looking back to take a good look at his opponent.

"Yes. A promise I made to a friend! A promise that I must stay loyal to at all costs! A promise I made of my own free will!"

"Free will? What is free will if you are binded to a vow you made to another person?!"

"Rin never forced me to make that vow to her! It was all my own decision! The moment the two of us began dreaming about being at the Top, we both made a vow to never go back on that dream! Rin may not be here with me...but that doesn't mean I can't fulfill our dream in her place!" Yugo exclaimed. "Unlike you, I'm _not_ someone's lapdog!"

"Lapdog?" Sergey repeated the word as if it was taboo. "I am not anyone's lapdog! I'm only working under Roget-sama because I owe him for saving my life!"

"Roget- _sama_?" Yugo put clear emphasis, much to Sergey's uncharacteristic dismay.

The cyborg widened his eyes, seething his teeth with a sudden ferocity hidden in the glare that he gave Yugo.

"Roget-sama _values_ me! When I was in the dark hell of the Facility, he was the one who held out a hand to pull me out. It is for that reason I am in debt to him! It is why I _support_ him!"

* * *

"All is going according to plan." Roget said to himself with a smirk, pushing a strand of slightly gray hair out of his face. "I have left the Tops and Commons settle their feud with Academia, and now most of the Lancers' attention is on Academia and preserving the peace. Very few of them are actually worried about me now."

Roget glanced at another screen which showed the Friendship Cup stadium with multiple people cheering the participants on.

Roget glanced to his right down at his chess board, moving a pawn forward.

"Now I can fully set my plan into motion. Overthrow the King. Gain power. Destroy the Lancers and capture Kurosaki Ruri, Serena, and Hiragi Yuzu in order to make a bargain with Academia."

…

"Hmm? Perhaps it is time for Sergey to use the _real_ Earthbound Monsters. He certainly he has the potential to reawaken the arts that were lost long ago…"

Roget's smirk washed away as he began to think about Sergey's performance. Despite being in the lead, he was still struggling against this boy.

It was about time for an upgrade.

"The fun begins now."

* * *

"In order to help him create the kingdom that he desires, I will lay down _my_ hands, just like he did to save me!"

Immediately after he finished speaking, a low rumbling noise played through Sergey's teeth as electricity began to spark around the man.

"Rrrrr...AHHHHH!" Sergey screamed out of agony as parts of his d-wheel began to glow yellow. Bands of energy sprouted out from different areas, wrapping themselves around Sergey's body, completely crushing the man's helmet in the process.

"What the hell?" Yugo murmured, mesmerized by the sudden changes as Sergey's body was encased inside the d-wheel. Two of the wheels on the tri-wheeled d-wheel lifted themselves into the air and off to the sides.

Then, to everyone's shock, the entire body of Sergey's d-wheel lifted itself up and continued to move forward on only one wheel. Soon, Sergey's body from his torso up came out of an opened hatch, his screams echoing throughout the sky, sending chills to those who heard it.

"S-Sergey has…" Melissa trailed off, truly at a loss for words.

"Become one with his d-wheel?" Sawatari gaped out of disbelief.

"Roget…" Yugo concluded with a low growl. He hated Sergey's guts, but even _he_ had to admit this was going too far.

However, any sort of sympathy that Yugo had for the man in that small window of time was immediately wiped from the face of the four dimensions when he heard the loud cackling of Sergey.

He felt pain...but at the same time, he was welcoming it.

 _Disgusting…_ Yugo thought to himself with a sharpened gaze.

"Beautiful! So beautiful!" Sergey held out his arms, letting out a laugh of pure insanity as his left eye turned blue with the usual red shining pupil, "Take in this beautiful image! I AM NOW ONE WITH THE SPEED!"

"I will not accept this." Yugo muttered under his breath. "No matter what happens, I _will_ take you down!"

"You are welcome to try!" Sergey said with a cocky smirk. "With this, it is impossible for you to have access to any Action Cards. Once I drain you of your resources, it is over."

"Oh yeah? Well we won't know that until you beat me, will we?" Yugo asked rhetorically, grabbing the top Card of his Deck, quietly muttering, "Come! Come! Come! Come!" He repeated this silent prayer about eight more times before mustering up the courage to move his arm. "DRAW! HELL YEAH!" Yugo shouted upon making eye contact with the drawn Card.

With the exaggerated sweep of his hand, Yugo held out his Card despite knowing that Sergey couldn't see it.

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Den-Den Daiko Duke! When my life is less than 1000, I can banish this Card in order to Special Summon a Tuner Monster in my Graveyard! Descend, Speedroid OMK Gum!"

The transparent image of Den-Den Daiko Duke appeared momentarily before disappearing completely, being replaced by a purple portal in which OMK Gum raised from.

"Now, I tune the level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with the level 1 Speedroid OMK Gum! Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yugo roared as the advanced form of Clear Wing descended to the Field.

 **Crystal Wing: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def**

"OMK Gum's effect now activates!" Yugo chimed, moving his hand to the top of his Deck. However, Sergey immediately chained an effect of his own.

"I activate Geo Phoenix's effect! Once per turn, when a Monster is Special Summoned to the Field, I get to halve the Summoned Monster's Attack!" Sergey explained, his Monster burning up once again, ready for combat.

Yugo responded by activating the effect of his own Monster confidently as a response. "When a Monster effect is activated, Crystal Wing can negate it and destroy the used Monster!"

Crystal Wing's wings glowed a bright green, unleashing green shards towards Sergey's Monster just like Clear Wing did earlier.

"It is pointless!" Sergey fired back with an equal amount of confidence as his opponent. "Geo Phoenix cannot be destroyed by Card effects!" Each of the shards collided with Geo Phoenix's body, bouncing off the Earthbound Servant with each connection.

"Even if your Monster isn't destroyed, its effect is still negated!" Yugo reminded his opponent, much to Sergey's annoyance. "And now, OMK Gum's effect goes through!" Yugo drew his Card in one confident sweep. He glanced at the Card with a hopeful expression only for his face to fall when he saw what he got. "I drew Synchro Cracker, a Magic Card. Therefore, no change occurs in Crystal Wing's Attack."

"It seems Yugo's long streak of good luck has ended!" Melissa commented while Yugo slid the Magic Card into his Grave.

Yugo ignored this comment, making sure that he wouldn't lose confidence just because some announcer basically said he couldn't win. "It's time to battle! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Earthbound Servant Geo Phoenix! Whirlwind Krystallos Edge!" Yugo's Synchro Monster began to zoom towards Sergey's own Monster, moving as speeds just barely faster than the eye could see. "When Crystal Wing battles a level 5 or higher Monster, he gains the Attack of the opposing Monster until the end of the battle!"

A light green aura surrounded Crystal Wing signifying a powerful, prompting the loud roar that escaped the dragon's lips.

 **Crystal Wing: 3000-6000 Atk**

Crystal Wing zipped forward, preparing to unleash her attack on Geo Phoenix. However, while Crystal Wing was flying around, Sergey took the time to speed up at an intense rate, leaving Yugo in the dust and easily grabbing an Action Card before the latter could realize what he was doing.

"Action Magic, Flame Chain!" Sergey activated once again, lowering the Attack of Crystal Wing by 400 like last time.

 **Crystal Wing: 6000-5600 Atk**

Yugo didn't have the time nor did he have the opportunity to try and rush past Sergey in attempt to fetch an Action Card. It would be put him at even more risk anyway, since Sergey would probably throw him off the course if he tried passing him.

Because of this, Yugo had to be satisfied with the damage he would be doing now, and as a result the attack connected, with Crystal Wing zooming right through Geo Phoenix.

The Monster let out a screech of pain as it destroyed in a burst of fire. The ensuing shockwaves hit Sergey, causing him to yell and writhe in a similar way to his Monster.

 **Sergey: 3000-400 LP**

Since the battle was over, Crystal Wing's Attack returned to normal. However, due to Flame Chain, the Synchro Monster was left with 2600 Atk.

 **Crystal Wing: 6000-2600 Atk**

"I'M NOT DONE! I activate Geo Phoenix's effect! When it is destroyed, I can banish a Monster that meets one of the conditions for Phoenix's Fusion Materials! Then, I can bring Geo Phoenix back to the Field." Sergey took a Card out of his Graveyard and revealed that it was Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper he was banishing. Moments later, a small fiery feather appeared on Sergey's Field, which soon transformed into the revived Geo Phoenix. "Now I activate Geo Phoenix's additional effect! When this Monster is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I get to destroy a Monster you control! Obviously, I will destroy Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

A circle of fire enveloped Crystal Wing, incinerating the dragon as she let out screams of terror and agony. The Monster was destroyed, leaving Yugo and everyone watching the Duel absolutely stunned.

"No way, Yugo…" Shingo muttered with a concerned and angry look on his face.

"GIVE UP! YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FULFILL YOUR DREAMS! NOT AS LONG AS THE CITY REMAINS LIKE THIS!" Sergey yelled at the top of his lungs, his vitals most likely reaching to a dangerous point.

Time seemed to slow for Yugo as he stared at the place where Crystal Wing was destroyed. He was now detached from the world. He felt completely out of sync with reality.

He knew this feeling.

" **Welcome back, Yugo."**

And there it is…

" _What the hell do you want?"_ Yugo demanded with a harsh tone, the small throbbing in his head suddenly becoming more sharp and painful.

" **Nothing. I just want to help you fulfill your dreams, that's all. You and I both know what that facedown Card you have is. And we** _ **both**_ **know that at your current amount of strength, using it would only delay the inevitable. You will lose no matter what."**

" _...And?"_

" **And?!"** The voice repeated with a startled tone. " **Do you realize what's riding on this Duel? Lose and you may never see the light again!"**

" _I've been thinking about your offer ever since you approached me. And this is my answer. I say SCREW YOU! This entire war has made me realize that you can't run away from reality. There'll always be problems in life, and we spend our existence looking for those solutions. However, no matter what happens, there is one problem that no one has ever been able to solve."_

" **And pray tell, what is this problem?"**

" _The problem of balance."_ Yugo responded. " _If there is too much good, then no one will learn from the evil. A world without a balance of good and evil is like a world without change. You could hardly call living in a world like that life. The thing with life is that it is unpredictable. You never know what's at the next corner. The bad experiences we have make us into the people that we are. Without them, we are merely blank slates with nothing to distinguish each other from. The journey isn't making it to your destination, it's the stops and forks in the road that makes the entire journey. I'd rather lose the light trying to reach out for it than lose myself into the darkness because I gave up."_

" **I'm not telling you to** _ **give up-**_ "

" _You told me all that I needed to know!"_ Yugo yelled with a fire burning in his eyes. " _You want me to relinquish my free will, the very thing that makes me human! I realize now free will is something to be cherished and must not be taken for granted."_

Yugo softened his gaze as he thought about Rin, and how her free will was stripped away from her by Academia in a flash.

" **You're thinking about** _ **her**_ **, aren't you? Fool! Don't you realize that she abandoned you for her own interests!"**

" _You're wrong! The Rin I faced wasn't human! She had no will to call her own! It was taken away from her by Academia! She had dreams! She had memories! She knew the meaning of life! She knew how to look on the bright side of things despite being in the crappy situation we were in our entire life!"_

" **You've been tricked by your entire life then!"**

" _I WILL NOT LET YOU CALL MY MEMORIES WITH HER A LIE! The dreams we shared...they were real! And I swear I will lay down my life to make sure that Rin can live in a world where she and others can truly be happy!"_

Yugo widened his eyes, snapping back to reality with the strong thrust of his arm, revealing a facedown Trap Card. "I activate the Trap Card Extra Shave Reborn! When a Monster Summoned from the Extra Deck is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Monster originally from the Extra Deck from the Graveyard with a lower level! Revive, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Yugo's ace reappeared with a furious howl.

"I set this Card and end my turn." A Card materialized in front of Yugo before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.

"So you still decide to fight?" Sergey questioned.

"I won't ever give up! I will defeat you, and I'm not going back on my word!"

"Very well, then." Sergey said with a sadistic smirk. "I was hoping you would say that! My turn, draw! Battle! Go, Earthbound Servant Geo Phoenix, attack and destroy Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Yugo interjected almost immediately before Geo Phoenix could even take off. "Continuous Trap, activate! Burning Sonic! When a Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can target them with this Card, negate the Attack, and have the targeted Monster gain 500 Attack Points!"

After his explanation concluded, Geo Phoenix charged towards Clear Wing, who soared up into the sky, easily dodging the Earthbound Servant.

 **Clear Wing: 2500-3000 Atk**

"Counter Trap, activate! Earthbound Assault! If an attack involving an Earthbound Monster is negated, I can target a Monster you control and destroy it! Then, if the Monster is successfully destroyed, I am allowed to grant one of _my_ Monsters an extra attack!"

Sergey's Trap Card glowed a bright red as a fireball rushed out of it and towards Clear Wing.

"When the Monster selected by Burning Sonic is targeted by a Magic or Trap Card, I can send this Card to the Graveyard instead!" As Yugo placed his Trap into the Grave, a rotating ball of fire appeared in front of Clear Wing. The fireball from Sergey's Trap collided with the one ball from Burning Sonic. The two nullified each and disappeared without a trace.

As Burning Sonic had now left the Magic and Trap Card Zone, Clear Wing lost the 500 Attack Point boost.

 **Clear Wing: 3000-2500 Atk**

"I end my turn." Sergey concluded with a confident yet annoyed expression on his face.

"My turn…" Yugo closed his eyes. He could see it. He could see the key. He just needed the right combination to get grasp it.

His entire world went white. He looked far ahead to make out a blank, white Card. Yugo's d-wheel flickered a bright red for a moment.

 _I can see it...incredible power..._ Returning himself to reality, Yugo looked down at his Deck. _Don't let me down now..._ He prayed.

"DRAW!" Yugo shouted, ripping off the top Card with a hard swing. He glanced at the Card with a hopeful expression, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw what it was. He held out the Card and placed it on his Monster Zone, revealing itself to be Speedroid Ohajikid.

 **Ohajikid: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 200 Def**

"Speedroid Ohajikid's effect! When this Card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Tuner Monster from either player's Graveyard." Yugo explained, a portal opening right next to him. "Come back one more, Speedroid OMK Gum!" Out of the opened portal, OMK Gum jumped out. Immediately, the bodies of both Monsters glowed a light green. "Now, Ohajikid immediately tunes himself with the Summoned Monster!"

Ohajikid turned into three stars while OMK Gum turned into a single ring, repeating the normal process of a Synchro Summon once again while Yugo recited a chant as usual.

"Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 4! The power of hope for the future! The Synchro Tuner, High-Speedroid Synchron Decoder!" Yugo exclaimed as a machine with a blue metal body while sporting a black visor and gleaming red eyes to boot. The Monster immediately took root in Defense Position.

 **Synchron Decoder: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def**

"A Synchro Tuner?" Sawatari muttered under his breath out of surprise.

Yugo narrowed his eyes, a red glow coming from his Extra Deck.

No.

Now was not the right time to do it. It had to wait.

The Speedroid user pointed to his Monster, "I activate Synchron Decoder's effect! Once per turn, I can send a level 4 or lower Monster from my Deck to my Graveyard and choose to either add its level to Synchron Decoder's or have Decoder's Level _become_ the level of the sent Monster. I send Speedroid Beigomax to the Graveyard!"

Yugo chose to have Synchron Decoder's level become Beigomax's level. Since Beigomax's level was 3, Synchron Decoder's level becomes 3.

 **Synchron Decoder: Level 4-3**

"I switch Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to Defense and end my turn." Yugo finished with a satisfied grin, his dragon holding her arms in front of herself, leaning forward slightly.

"Oh, all that talk and _this_ is what you come out with? How disappointing." Sergey taunted as he drew a Card smugly, sure of his victory. He gazed at the Card he drew and grinned. Holding out his Card, Sergey said, "I activate the Magic Card Earthbound Quake! If I control an Earthbound Monster while there is a Field Magic Card, I can switch the battle positions of all Monsters you control!"

As a result of this Card, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Synchron Decoder were switched into Attack Position.

"It ends now!" Sergey proclaimed, declaring battle with the wave of his giant hand. "Earthbound Servant Geo Phoenix, attack High-Speedroid Synchron Decoder!"

"Yugo's in trouble!" Melissa squealed. "If this next attack hits…"

Yugo shot his head up, a red light being emitted from his d-wheel as he thrusted his hand forward, prepared to make his move.

"Witness the power I've obtained! The power of my wishes!"

In Roget's office, the blond man immediately noticed the red trail being left behind by Yugo. He widened his eyes at the sight of it, a drop of sweat rolling down his face as his heart level immediately began to race.

 _That red light...don't tell me…_

In the throne room, where the King sat on his throne spectating the Duel, Jack Atlas softly placed a hand on his forehead. He could feel his body temperature rising as chills ran down his spine. He paid close attention to Yugo, particularly the red light.

"This nostalgic feeling…what is this?"

Yugo closed his eyes and relaxed. Everything seemed slow…It felt like was slowly swimming through the air.

 _I am one with the wind…_

The image of the blank Card appeared in his mind. And slowly, the Card seemed to unveil itself like an old-fashioned film camera.

 _Clear your thoughts...and let the wind take you..._

Yugo shot open his eyes, pointing towards both of his Monsters.

"This is the power I've now obtained! Clear Mind!" Yugo shouted, wisps of red shooting past him now as he began to build up even more speed, beginning to gain on Sergey. "I'm tuning the level 7 Synchro Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with the level 3 Synchro Tuner High-Speedroid Synchron Decoder!"

"What?!" Sergey's eyes widened. "You're performing a Synchro Summon on my turn? Impossible!"

Synchron Decoder transformed into three giant green rings that spread out in front of Yugo and Clear Wing.

Both Yugo and his ace glowed a bright and radiant red, passing through the rings as fast as they ever have gone in their life.

"Clustering dreams will form to create a new world! Become the light that illuminates the future! ACCEL SYNCHRO!"

Yugo and Clear Wing glowed so bright that just looking at the sight would blind them.

And then the next thing everyone knew…

"They disappeared…" Sergey and Melissa murmured in unison. The former looked behind him, only to gasp out of shock seeing Yugo and Clear Wing ahead of him.

"Descend! The embodiment of dreams!" A red portal formed above Yugo as a large, shining, crystalline dragon with shining white wings bearing a resemblance to a Clear Wing stormed out, flying in circles high into the air before letting out a powerful roar, the sun radiating off her body in an angelic fashion. "Crystal Dream Dragon!"

 **Crystal Dream: Level 10, 3300 Atk, 3000 Def**

The dragon was so high in the sky that even those outside of the stadium could see it.

Yuzu, who was one of the many Lancers outside the stadium, looked at the dragon out of amazement and admiration. "So pretty! It's good to see that Yugo hasn't given up."

In his waiting room, Yuto looked at the screen with awe. "Is this...really Yugo?"

"It doesn't matter if you managed to Synchro Summon on my turn! If that Monster is dead then it is useless!" Sergey shouted, jabbing a finger at his own Fusion Monster. "Geo Phoenix's effect! When a Monster is Special Summoned, I get to halve its Attack!"

Geo Phoenix charged up like last time.

"I don't think so!" Yugo retorted, holding up the last Card in his Hand. "I activate Crystal Dream Dragon's effect! When a Card effect on the Field is activated, I can banish a Card from my Hand to negate that effect!" Yugo banished Speedroid Scratch to meet said conditions.

"What?!" Sergey gaped out of genuine shock. With a panicked expression now spread across his face, he scanned his Hand, Grave, and Field for anything that could help him in his current predicament.

 _No. No. No. No. No. This disgusting sight...Roget-sama cannot lay his eyes on another disgusting failure!_ Sergey thought to himself with wide, trembling eyes.

"I end my turn." Sergey said with a hopeful expression. There was still a chance for him. He could come out on top!

"At the end of the turn Crystal Dream Dragon uses his effect nullifying ability, I get to add a single banished Card to my Hand." Yugo said as he added Speedroid Scratch back to his Hand. Placing a hand on the top of his Deck, Yugo drew his Card for the start of his turn. "I activate another one of Crystal Dream Dragon's effects! Once during my Main Phase, I can reveal the top four Cards of my Deck! Crystal Dream will then be able to attack for as many Tuner Monsters there were in the revealed stack plus Crystal Dream's default attack!"

Yugo placed his hand on the top of his Deck.

 _One._ It was all he needed. All he needed to win.

 _Rin..._ Yugo's mind played through tapes of past memories between him and Rin. No matter what happened, those times they vowed to be at the top were in a special part of his heart. The happiness in those memories was just like the core of an apple. One could not see it from the outside, they had to dig deeper in order to find it.

And no matter how far he was from the core, Yugo already knew that there was some sentience in that portion of his life, as crappy as the conditions were. And it was because of her...Rin.

She was always there for him to help him out.

Always…

Always…

Always…

Now it was time for Yugo to help _her_ out.

 _I've been distracted by my loss to Rin for too long. If I lay around moping then I'll never be able to save Rin! It's time for my next step...into the future!_

"DRAW!" Yugo shouted, removing the top four Cards of his Deck, glancing at then with a cautious and slow-scanning eye.

The first Card...Speed Turn, a Card that wasn't even a Monster.

Yugo confidently looked at the next Card, knowing that he still had a chance.

The second Card...Speedroid Pachingo-Kart, a Monster that _might_ have been useful if drawn under the normal Draw Phase.

Yugo's heart dropped slightly, his confidence wavering and his composure falling. With as much courage as he could muster, Yugo glanced at the next draw.

The third Card...Speedroid Glass Skull, a very useful Monster had it been drawn at some other point in the Duel.

Yugo grit his teeth. This was it. The last Card. The one that would determine his fate in the Friendship Cup and his promise to Rin as well.

He looked away, slowly turning over the Card, unknowingly creating great suspense for the crowd as he completely blocked out the constant blabbering of Melissa Clair repeating the plays in the Duels and stating the obvious.

For Rin…

For him…

For atonement for what he did to Yuya…

For the dream he shared with the girl he loved…

Yugo narrowed his eyebrows, looking right into the picture of the Card.

No sound came from either Duelist other than the sound of the d-wheels functioning along with the commentating of Melissa.

Suddenly, Yugo grinned.

He held the fourth and final Card out for Sergey to see.

"Speedroid Demonmagne, a Tuner Monster! Since I got one Tuner Monster, Crystal Dream Dragon gains one extra attack, making him able to battle twice!"

"No…" Sergey slurred, gripping his hair tightly with his big hands, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Battle! Crystal Dream Dragon, attack Earthbound Servant Geo Phoenix!"

The large dragon dove from the sky with a roar, moving at faster speeds than Crystal Wing.

Geo Phoenix flew up, avoiding death by a mere hair. Unfortunately for Sergey, the Monster wasn't safe as Crystal Dream began to rotate upwards, crashing right into Geo Phoenix, destroying the Earthbound Servant.

Sergey let out an aggravated yell of pain, his teeth seething as he breathed in and out at rapid increments.

 **Sergey: 400-100 LP**

Like last time, Geo Phoenix was revived, this time by banishing Geo Gryphon. Crystal Dream could not negate this effect since it was activated in the Graveyard.

However, this did not matter as after Summoning his Monster, Sergey made no sort of movements at all. He was as still as a statue...a dull, old and withered statue.

There was no point in trying to destroy Crystal Dream Dragon by using Geo Phoenix's effect on revival. The effect would just be negated easily. And since Yugo never said it was a once per effect, Sergey assumed that Yugo could negate effects as long as he had Cards in his Hand, which he had two.

Eventually, Sergey just slumped forward, a lifeless look returning to his eyes. The eyes of a man giving up. He looked up slightly at Yugo. The two made eye contact.

And for a moment...just a moment, Yugo saw something in Sergey's eyes.

 _I have failed...and thus my punishment is extermination._

Yugo wavered for a small moment, suddenly feeling sorry for Sergey as he was being used up by Roget only to be thrown away like trash later down the line. However, the sudden reminder of Sergey's mercilessness against Tokumatsu raised his anger to its fullest.

Why should he be spared? What is so much better about _him_ that gave him the right to assault others, beating them near to death.

The mere thought of it pissed Yugo off so much.

With a strong and powerful yell, Yugo declared battle.

"Crystal Dream Dragon, attack Earthbound Servant Geo Phoenix one last time!"

Crystal Dream growled, taking off at great speeds circling Geo Phoenix, with the Fusion Monster unable to even keep track of the dragon's movements. The servant froze up on the spot suddenly, with Crystal Dream crashing right through it.

The Earthbound Monster cracked before exploding in a big explosion of fire in which Sergey caught in.

 **Sergey: 100-0 LP**

"The winner is Yugo! Wait, oh my God!" Melissa gasped out of shock.

The source of her shock was that the destruction of Geo Phoenix had actually made parts of Sergey actually catch on fire. The robotic man let out screams of agony as he tumbled and twisted out of control. The next thing Yugo knew, Sergey had launched himself off the road and into the dark abyss of the slums below.

Melissa and a few other people in the audience screamed.

The winner of the Duel could only look back at where Sergey had once been out of shock and utter disbelief.

He was gone. Gone as if he was never there in the first place…

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Roget ran his hand through his hair slowly. It took him everything in his power to not bang his head against a wall to give himself a concussion.

Sergey had lost...again.

He failed...again.

He looked at the man's vitals. He was suffering some injuries, but Sergey Volkov would live to serve another day.

 _Just keep persisting...Sergey. You think I saved you because I cared about you? You are a fool if you think that._ Roget thought to himself with a smirk. However, it was wiped away immediately when he received a call from a woman monitoring security.

"Roget-sama." The woman greeted. The tone in her voice was frantic and the expression on her face seemed to spell out that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Was Roget's response, thinking that it was just some trivial thing that wasn't anything to worry about.

"We just caught something on tape! It seems we're being invaded!" The woman reported with a panicked tone, looking from the camera into a different direction.

"Invaded?" Roget repeated, his tone getting slightly hard. "By whom?"

"Multiple people. Izayoi Aki suddenly starting attack people, members of Security in particular, and is in battle with them right now. Meanwhile, there is a group of five infiltrating from the outside. A boy resembling those boys Yuto and Yugo from the tournament, a ninja, a cyan-haired kid and two other people!"

"The Lancers!" Roget concluded with a scowl. It could not get much worse than this.

Roget was completely wrong. It could…

"There is one _more_ person. He also bears a resemblance to the other three boys. But he has a very odd Duel Disk. It's body...looks like a shield."

"What?!" Roget stood up immediately, his face visibly paling immediately. "And you said this boy has the same face as the other three boys you mentioned?"

The woman regretfully nodded.

Roget's eyes went wide with shock and fear.

No...Academia couldn't be here now. Could they? Roget had thought they had fled from the Synchro Dimension after they were driven out. He didn't know that there was one person who had stayed.

And out of all people, it had to be Yuri of the Cold-Hearted Smile.

* * *

 **In the Fusion Dimension-Academia-Professor's Throne Room**

Akaba Leo, no, the Professor, stood in his throne room gazing out at the Arc-V Reactor. He thought back on the past. All of the pain he had experienced. All of the losses he had to go through.

To one man-no, one demon, the Professor had lost his close friends, colleagues, his home, and most important of all his daughter. Hell, he even lost his own identity. The true Akaba Leo died on that fateful day. The Akaba Leo that was left in his place was merely a mirage. A fake. A phony playing dress up.

A lie…

The opening of the door at the entrance interrupted the Professor's thoughts. The bald man turned around to face the new occupant, only for his face to immediately show genuine concern as he ran to the new arrival.

Said new arrival was a man with a broken mask.

"Fujiwara! Are you-"

The man held up his hand weakly, prompting Leo to pause. "Don't call me...by that name…" He wheezed, finding it hard to breathe as he crouched down to his knees. "That...is the name...of a dead man…"

And with that, Darkness had lost consciousness.

The Professor immediately steeled the expression on his face, picking up the unconscious body of Darkness and carrying him over to a secret room that was behind a secret door, which could only be accessed with the Professor's retinal scan.

Walking inside the room, the Professor immediately got to work on helping Darkness recuperate from his mysterious condition.

Whenever Darkness' mask would be taken off or destroyed, he always seemed to become weaker and weaker, eventually dying unless he was brought to a pod to keep his body stable or given his Darkness mask, which easily repaired itself over time.

Activating the stasis pod, he watched as Darkness' vitals began to stabilize.

Akaba Leo let out a sigh of relief. He would live to fight another day. Glancing at the now sleeping body of Darkness in the pod, he smiled. Genuinely smiled.

Darkness was the only left at the moment…for that reason and for the sake of their shared goal, he must live.

He could not afford to lose him…

Not like how he lost everything starting from that _one_. _Bad. Day._

* * *

 **Card Catalog**

 **This part will remain empty for now, I'm too lazy at the moment to fill it in now. I'll do it some other time.**

* * *

 **Finished with another HUGE ASS CHAPTER at last!**

 **Sorry for the late update, I've been distracted for so long that I haven't been able to make any sufficient progress on this chapter. One of the reasons why it took so long was because I've been binging some new shows/anime in the form of Code Geass, Fullmetal Alchemist, and recently I've began watching The Office on Netflix.**

 **Anyways, enough about that. I have the feeling that I may come back to this chapter and make some changes, particularly in the conversations between Yugo and the mysterious voice, especially the first one.**

 **So, Yugo Accel Synchro Summoned this chapter. Now, this might seem like an asspull, but I kinda sorta not really hinted at an Accel Synchro Summon when I gave Yugo a Synchro Tuner in his Duel with Yuzu. Hopefully, you enjoyed the Duel, I took inspiration from Shooting Star Dragon when making Crystal Dream Dragon.**

 **7roop3r: I agree on how everyone just forgave Sora and there was no sort of animosity between him and** _ **any**_ **members of the Lancers afterwards. You already know that shit should been really bad between Shun and Sora, yet you go from them trying to cut off each other's throats to entrusting the job of saving Yuya to each other.**

 **Heart of the mem: I don't deem my Naruto fic better because it has done better. In fact, the only reason that fanfic is doing better than this one is because Naruto has a** _ **much**_ **bigger fandom than Arc-V does. Also, I was referencing specifically to the beginning of the fic, where there are much more mistakes in the beginning of this fic compared to the Naruto fic. Hopefully you understand what I'm trying to get at.**

 **Alright, that's all for now guys. Next chapter, we'll either be going to the final match of the Friendship Cup between Yuto and Yugo or we will switch attention to Yuya and the others.**

 **Take care, goodbye!**


End file.
